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Hello, welcome to this Group Discussion on
Research.
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This is the first class, an introductory class
on this course which we have on Introduction
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to Research.
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I am Prathap, I am a professor in the Department
of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
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at IIT Madras, and these are our panelist.
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Hi, I am Arun Tangirala, I am a professor
in the Department of Chemical Engineering
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at IIT Madras.
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Hi, I am Phanikumar Gandham; professor in
Department of Metallurgical and Materials
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engineering.
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Hi, I am Abhijit Deshpande, I am a faculty
member in Department of Chemical Engineering.
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Hello, I am Andrew Thangaraj, I am a faculty
in the Electrical Engineering Department,
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IIT Madras.
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Right.
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So, when we discuss about Research I think
the aspects that we need to look at are that
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many students aspire to get degrees in which
are basically research based degrees.
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And often based on our background a particular
person may not be completely aware of what
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is involved in getting such a degree and how
is it perhaps different from other degrees.
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So the first thing, first topic that we will
discuss today is, what does a research degree
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such as MPhil, MS or PhD imply or represent.
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I think what I would say is that it is really
different from the under graduate degree that
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normally one pursue you say B.Tech or a B.Sc
and so on.
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Because, normally in such under graduate degrees
you do a lot of courses, whereas in research
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degrees what we normally think of is doing
something new, contributing, first of all
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knowing what is there out in that area, picking
out favorite area and most importantly contributing
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something.
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It may be a small contribution but drops make
an ocean.
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So, that really involves a lot of effort from
our side; whereas in a course based program
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like B.Tech and so on we take courses we learn.
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There is only a small part of discovering
something; it is more of learning.
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Whereas, in research based degrees you are
trying to really discover something, think
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and then postulate, validate, perform certain
experiments and so.
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So, there is lot of self-contribution in this
research based degrees.
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Yeah adding on to that, so that is the difference
as Arun pointed out that there are various
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things which depend on oneself during a research
degree.
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So, a course based degrees is where you know
the exams, the assignments everything is sort
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of catered and everything is well designed.
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But when a research degree lot of it depends
on the researcher himself or herself.
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And those are the aspects we will be discussing
further on as to how what is meant by these
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aspects of research.
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So, one crude way of comparing these two things
is, if you conduct a final exam for a course
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at the end of a subject of a class you write
a final exam, everybody is supposed to turn
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in a very similar kind of answer script right.
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So that is the key and you write similar answers
and you all get good marks.
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In fact, at the end of MS or PhD, you cannot
submit a thesis which is similar to anybody
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else’s thesis.
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Suppose to produce something which is unique
and different and only you have done the work.
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So, that kind of represents the big shift
between a normal degree course and PhD.
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Yes.
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So, have that and mind, it is not just one
more degree after your MPhil, but or after
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your Masters it is a really a different sort
of a degree when you pursue a PhD.
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Yes, so that brings to the point about the
qualitative difference in PhD with other degrees.
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One may have a misconception that the amount
of work, the quantitative work at a bachelor’s
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degree, you do little bit more may be then
you can get a Master’s degree.
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But then you do twice of that, that does not
mean that you can get a PhD degree.
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PhD is a qualitatively a very different degree
where you are training yourselves to become
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a researcher and it is one different in also
a sense of the ability of a PhD.
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Once you have finished the degree you are
also expected to be at a level that you could
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guide another person to do a PhD, it is very
different that from other disciplines.
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So, qualitatively there is a big difference.
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Yeah and so, I would also like to add that
you know when you do an undergraduate degree
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the boundaries are well defined.
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There is a start point and you can tell exactly
when you are half way through the degree and
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when you have completed the degree.
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You can tell on the day you joined which is
your graduation day, which is the day you
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pick up your degree all those things are well
defined.
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In a research based degree, it is open ended.
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So, there is a lot of discovery in the process;
you have to figure out when you have a learnt
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enough and you are able to contribute enough
and you have become a master or somebody who
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is well known in that field who has contributed
a lot in to that field, and therefore you
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are in a position to pick up a PhD degree.
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So, that’s very different from typical undergraduate
degree.
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So, we will now look at this question; What
is research?
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So, I will may be start with Andrew and he
can tell you something.
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Ok.
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So, I keep coming back to this contrast between
a course and research.
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So, let us take again very concrete differences.
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You have a text book and a research paper,
I think these are the two things you can compare.
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Text book is accumulated knowledge over several
years.
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Somebody has understood and formalized that
knowledge in his head and he is putting it
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out in a sequence of subject so that somebody
else can learn, that is a text book and that
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is why you learn and that is what you to do.
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When you do research, it is completely unclear
what will happen to that work after that.
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You know you are going to the real cutting
edge of current day development round of the
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subject and you trying to push the boundaries
in a direction in which nobody has thought
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of before.
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So, and nobody can be sure what will happen
to that work after that, maybe it is very
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interesting, maybe it is not very exciting
later on, you cannot predict anything.
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And when you do it will never be organized
in a very clean systematic way like a text
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book is.
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You will have to organize in your head and
take time over it.
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So to me the text book versus research paper
difference of, may be a cutting as research
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paper differences what comes to mind when
I answer the question what is research.
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Yes, in often when students ask, is there
an any text book I can refer to so that I
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could do my research.
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May be if there were a text book them may
be it is too late to do research in that.
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Yes, Exactly
I would also like to add that, in fact reiterate
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what Andrew just said that the beginnings
of research are quite hazy.
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In fact, it is so foggy and hazy that you
may think that is nothing or nothing is clear
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to you in the beginning.
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It is only the passion that drives you.
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So, what is research?
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Big integral part of research is learning;
that is a very important part in fact you
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see the term search in research so you have
to search and discover.
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So the searching is for both learning and
for discovering.
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And that of course we will expand shortly
on that as to what you do to carry out this
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searching part in research.
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But I think the important part is the beginnings
are hazy, but there is a joy to the discovery;
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provided you actually persistently pursue
what you want to really find out and so on.
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In fact, it is like going into a city where
you do not know what the destination is, you
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know that this city is good you heard, it
is your favorite city, it is like choosing
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your favorite field of research but you do
not know which monument you want to visit
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where you want to spend most of your time.
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Yes.
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And then in the beginning you take, that is
where you do a literature survey, find out
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what are all interesting monuments or sightseeing
places in the city; and then you pick your
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favorite monument and or your sightseeing
place and spend more time trying to know what
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is there and may be contribute to that place
and so on.
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It is, yeah, there is a lot of trial and error
in research and you have to be prepared for
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it.
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Yes, I think that is a very great analogy
that Arun just gave you and in fact we would
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like to just share this quote from Albert
Einstein, which basically highlights this
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fact that the research that we do involves
you know exploring unknown territory, so to
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speak in, in a particular area.
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He said, if we knew what we were doing, it
would not be called research, would it?
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So, that pretty much highlights the point
that you know there something new, it is not
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something that you can just go look up and
then say now I have done the research.
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There is something new and you are going to
be the person who searches for this new stuff,
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finds it and then shares it with all the people
around you.
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Yes.
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The other aspect of research even though we
are trying to give you in one hour some sort
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of gist of what might be research is, from
so far discussion it is already clear that
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it is very, very open ended.
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Yes, in fact you need to research to find
out what is research also.
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Your answer will be different from our answer.
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There is another point about that there are
some prefixes used for research for example,
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incremental research and path breaking research.
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Generally, people don’t start of saying
that I am going to now do path breaking research
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that is not how we go about.
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We do have a structured way of going about
performing our routine activities for research
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and then we are trying to incrementally add
knowledge to what is already there and in
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the process by serendipity or because our
mind is prepared, we are looking for clues
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and then path breaking research happens.
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It usually happens rather than you go out
starting to do that.
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And I just want to add that, in research you
are the one who questions and you are also
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the one who finds the answers.
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Right.
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When compared to text book thing where the
questions are then and you have to answer.
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everyone knows the answer.
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Right.
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Just wants you to write it down.
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But in research you ask questions and you
find answers.
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The only thing that is important to keep in
mind is you ask relevant questions.
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Yes.
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Not absolute questions.
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And you give answers that make a difference.
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Yes this is true.
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Through this discussion some of the points
that we are going to look at are you know
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philosophical points like, what we have been
looking at discussing so far which are you
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know the grand scheme of things within which
we you know do carry out a research or we
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look at a research and so on.
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There are also lot of mundane activities that
happen in that actually result in the process
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through which we do a research in universities
and so on.
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We will also touch up on those because those
are the day to day things that we get involved
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in as we try to carry out a research.
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So, one of those things is selection of a
research area and selection of your guide
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or advisor.
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So, these are the first things that you would
do when you try formally get into research.
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Of course, you could do research on your own
as an independent person but most of us are
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not doing that you know in our own lab hidden
away from everybody, we do it as a part of
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a community, a scientific community which
you often you know is thriving in university
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setting also in research labs and in industry,
R and D setting and so on.
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So at least in the university setting, one
of the key things is you have to find the
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area that you would like to work on and the
guide that you would like to work with.
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And there is no, I mean like in many of these
things there is no single way in which you
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do it, but the area you are interested in
is something that you have to understand on
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your own.
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I mean this could be due to a lot of general
reading you have done in over the years as
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a student at various levels and you have found
some particular area that appeals to you,
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that interests you in terms of kinds of details
that they are looking at, the manner in which
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the area is being explored and so on.
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And so, that is one way in which you can get
a sense of you know this is an area that you
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would interested in.
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You also have through your general reading
you will also have a sense of how much impact
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that area has to the neighborhood you are
in or to the scientific community or the vault
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over all.
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So, that may also influence your interest
in a particular research area.
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So, there is multiple factors that influence
what you may get interested in and you should
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take all of those into account.
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But it is I would say fundamentally it is
very important that you should be interested
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in that area.
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If you end up trying to do research, if you
just say that I want a degree and I want a
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PhD degree and you just go join a university
and you just pick up whichever advisor is
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willing to pick you up.
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The biggest problem that will come is, the
day to day; you know the exploration that
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you do which is part of your research will
not appeal to you.
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And if it does not appeal to you it is difficult
for you to do good work in that area.
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So, you have to look at it in the inverse
manner.
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First of all, it should appeal to you; only
then you should be getting into it.
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So, that is something that I wanted to share
with you.
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One important aspect of this selection of
both research areas and guide and advisor,
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is the central element in your thought should
not be worry.
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In the sense, we always worry about you know;
Will I get a job afterwards?
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Is this area really relevant?
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So, there are lot of things associated with
worry.
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Actually, one should look at it as a challenge.
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And so, if you look at it from that point
of view because we emphasize enough that it
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will be you who is the focus of this.
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In general, one can say that in most research
areas and with many guides and advisor, if
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you drive you will be able to actually make
a very good thesis and in the end actually
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use that for to furthering your overall career
goals.
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So, central element should not be worry but
central element should be challenge and interest.
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And that is how you should try to make this
decision.
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So maybe I should touch up on the more mundane
aspect of selecting area and advisor.
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So typically, I mean this is what happened
to me I think for most people this is what
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happened.
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May be in your undergraduate or postgraduate
studies there was a course that you picked
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up and there was something you did which really
appeal to you maybe it was thought to you
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in a very well, very nice fashion and that
instructor also appeal to you.
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So, this is typically how it happens.
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So, it can even happen in the undergraduate
stage.
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You do a substitute really like it, then may
be as a post graduate student entering university
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you take a course with someone you really
like how the course went, how the person handled
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the class, the subject matter and also how
they interacted with you.
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So, all these things together can appeal to
you and then you might want to think, ok;
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I can do a PhD in this area, I like this area
and do it.
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This is the more mundane way in which it happens,
but I have seen many students do this.
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I think this is something it shows that the
student is not very prepared I think.
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They would take an undergraduate core area.
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Like in Electrical engineering there is an
area called signals and systems they would
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take that area and they will say I want to
do research in signals and systems.
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It is fine, but except that you know all research
in Electrical engineering is in signals and
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systems.
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So that is the difficulty you know.
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So, while you like a subject you should also
know that you know just because you learnt
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it in undergraduate you cannot do research
directly in that area, it is very highly specialized
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beyond that.
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The area will get more and more and more specialized
as you go deeper and deeper into it and you
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have to kind of anticipate that, but like
everybody said the guiding principles are
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yes you should be interested in the area.
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And also, say will be motivated by your advisor
both as a technically capable person and also
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as a person.
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All these things go into having a good fit
between you and your advisor.
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So, I would like to add that among all the
degrees that student normally under goes,
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PhD perhaps is the longest duration on a single
aspect with a single person.
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With a single person.
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It draws for about 4, 5 years, sometimes may
be even 6 or 7 in some sciences.
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It is very important to pick the right advisor
who has both the energy to drive you to take
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up the challenging aspects of the work and
also the experience to guide you when you
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are into the difficulties coming over some
of these topics.
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So, I think choosing an advisor is very important.
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Yes, there is also a style of your own and
the advisor’s.
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And I think there is good bit of thought that
you can give to that also.
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Because sometimes those can also influence
because as we have said it is day to day interaction
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over such a long period.
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I think it is a very important point as you
must have probably now guessed, there is no
00:17:02
definitive formula that we can give to choose
an advisor or an area.
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I think as for as choosing an advisor is concerned
as Abhijit just mentioned also mental compatibility.
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I think the style of thinking whether it matches,
some students are really inclined towards
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doing carrying out theoretical work.
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While some students are made for experimental
work.
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So, I think it goes back again to the same
point that we have mentioned earlier you need
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to introspect a bit in and then figure out
what suits you, what you are interested in;
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whether a theoretical work or an experimental
work or a mixed work and so on or you want
00:17:39
to do really the cutting-edge stuff and so
on.
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So then of course, today there is no dearth
of information you can really go to website,
00:17:47
find out the profiles, check out the publication
record even probably read a couple of publications
00:17:53
and so on.
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To figure out whether the work really excites
you, and remember in all of these there is
00:17:58
no correct answer.
00:17:59
There is always a discovery process, there
are cases in which students have switched
00:18:04
advisors, of course that is a very small proportion.
00:18:06
But even if that happens you should not be
really getting a depressed about that.
00:18:11
Ok.
00:18:12
So, what is important is upfront to be very
frank and honest with your advisor, express
00:18:18
what your interests are and also listen to
what your potential advisor has got to say,
00:18:23
and do your own little bit of research about
the advisor.
00:18:27
And the same goes with the area as well you
have to really introspect as Andrew said there
00:18:32
are subjects that interest you, but that is
just a beginning it is just giving you an
00:18:37
idea of what to get into and you have to really
probe a bit more into a broad field to figure
00:18:43
out where you are.
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And I think the guide is a very appropriate
term going by the previous analogy we said;
00:18:48
research is about going into an unknown territory
or visiting an unknown city and you are visiting
00:18:53
monuments remember you have guides telling
you giving to the history about it.
00:18:56
So, here also the guides will tell you, when
you pick a certain area and when you are talking
00:19:01
to a potential advisor you can find out from
the potential advisor, whether it is worth
00:19:07
carrying out research?
00:19:08
How crowded this area is?
00:19:09
How crowded this bus that you are going to
get in to is?
00:19:12
Whether there are any empty seats or you have
to stand for long time?
00:19:15
Right so keep that in mind there is a lot
of trial and error; but your gut feeling will
00:19:19
tell you whether this is a right area and
this is a right advisor right.
00:19:23
It is also discovery process.
00:19:25
And I would like to stress also, perhaps per
our country the importance of homework.
00:19:31
Generally, it is known that we have been used
to spoon feeding; you know most of our schools,
00:19:39
schooling system and later on.
00:19:40
So, it is very important do adequate homework
before we decide upon whether to do PhD and
00:19:48
then also on what topic and with whom.
00:19:51
So, that groundwork is very essential.
