PhD Book | Content

What's a PhD?

How should I lead my research project?

Impostor syndrome? Me?

This new guide is centered around three themes: dealing with expectations of doctoral studies, leading a research project, and taming common roadblocks faced by many graduate students.

Part 1: What's a PhD? What is it Good For?

1 MOTIVATIONS 1

1.1 Fighting Attrition 4

1.2 Training the Leaders of Tomorrow 6

1.3 How to Use this Book 8

Part I DOCTORAL STRATEGIES IN ENGINEERING

2 A SUCCESSFUL PHD 11

2.1 What is a PhD? 12

2.2 Limits of Knowledge 14

2.3 Metamorphosis 16

2.4 Contributions 21

2.5 Protagonists 31

2.6 Expectations 38

3 JOURNEY AND MILESTONES 45

3.1 Courses, Workshops, and Seminars

3.2 The (Dreaded) Comprehensive Exam 51

3.3 Thesis Proposal 53

3.4 Research Project 58

3.5 Publications 61

3.6 Dissertation and Defense 65

THE THESIS PROPOSAL 69

4.1 Purpose 69
4.2 Front Matter 75
4.3 Introduction 76
4.4 Literature Review 77
4.5 Thesis Statement 81
4.6 Methodology 89
4.7 Results 90
4.8 Discussion and Conclusion 92
4.9 Back Matter 94

THE AFTER (SCHOOL) LIFE 95

5.1 What to Do with a PhD? 96
5.2 All Sorts of Skills 99
5.3 Match Plan 103
5.4 Networking 110
5.5 The Next Step 114

Part II: Leading a Research Project

6 MANAGEMENT OF A RESEARCH PROJECT 121

6.1 A Project 122

6.2 The Research-Development-Innovation Spectrum 124

6.3 Project Management 130

6.4 Stages of a Research Project 132

7 EMERGENCE AND DEFINITION 135

7.1 Genesis of a Research Project in Engineering 136

7.2 Sources of Originality 140

7.3 Sources of Impact 147

7.4 Sustainable Engineering 153

7.5 Sustainable Motivation 156

8 PLANNING AND ORGANIZING 159

8.1 Why Plan? 159

8.2 Work Breakdown Structure 160

8.3 Gantt Chart 167

8.4 Budget 172

8.5 Time and Priority Management 173

8.6 Work Better, Not (Just) More 180

9 CONDUCTING AND ADAPTING 185

9.1 Getting Started 185

9.2 Activity Tracking

9.3 Risk Management 194

9.4 On Ethics 205

10 CONCLUDING AND SUBMITTING

10.1 Theses and Anna Karenina 214

10.2 Types of Dissertations 217

10.3 What a Thesis is Not

10.4 Defense or viva voce 225

10.5 Before Leaving 230

10.6Intellectual Property 23

Part II: Tools of the Trade

11 WRITING TIPS 239

11.1 Anatomy of an Abstract 239

11.2 Acronyms 244
11.3 Verb Tenses 246
11.4 Divide and Rule 248

11.5 The Royal I 249

12 ROADBUMPS AND BARRIERS 251

12.1 Representation Matters 251

12.2 Mental Health 256

12.3 Cultivating a Safe Place 261

12.4 The Baby Bump 265

13 CONCLUDING REMARKS 269

13.1 Do as I Say, Not as I Did 269

Table of Contents

Part 1: What's a PhD? What is it Good For?

Part II: Leading a Research Project

Part II: Tools of the Trade