Applying for PhD positions can be a daunting experience, but doesn’t have to be.

In this video, I unpack the ins and outs of two of the key stages of applying for a PhD: the initial approach to a prospective supervisor, typically done over email (although there are many other ways to establish contact), and the interview process itself.

🙏 Please reshare if of interest to you, your colleagues, friends and/or family!

Complete topic list and timestamps:

(0:00) Introduction to PhD Applications
(0:09) What This Video Covers
(0:40) PhD Application Processes Vary
(1:08) Setting the Scene: So Many Applications!
(1:39) Busy Academics Miss Some Applications
(2:10) Academics Need PhD Students
(2:31) Types of PhD Supervisors
(2:48) Senior Experienced PhD Supervisors
(3:01) Junior PhD Supervisors
(3:23) Recruiting Philosophies
(3:35) The Idealist
(3:58) The Realist / Cynic
(4:33) Recruiting Styles Vary
(4:45) Length of PhD Program Affects Recruiting
(5:24) Contents of a Typical Email Approach
(5:55) Be Cautious of Excessive Personalization
(6:21) Assessing Whether to Progress Further
(6:50) Non-Negotiable Requirements
(7:20) Flexible Nice-to-Haves
(7:46) Publishing Experience
(8:30) Evidence of Substantial Project Experience
(9:15) Relevant Technical Skills
(9:38) Evidence of Extension Work
(10:06) Moving to the Interview Stage
(10:25) Interviews Should Not Be Adversarial
(10:42) Supervisors Are Grateful for your Time
(10:51) You’re Not Expected to Know Everything
(11:07) Prepared Presentations Are Optional
(11:33) Interviews Test Communication Capability
(11:58) Interviews Identify Your Contributions
(12:32) Interviews Test Technical Skills
(12:57) Evidence for Learning Capacity
(13:24) Interviews Evaluate Lab Culture Fit
(13:57) You Can Ask Questions!
(14:30) You Can Mention Key Constraints
(14:57) Practice Makes Perfect
(15:57) It’s a Numbers Game
(16:22) You’ll Improve Rapidly
(16:36) Learning Lifelong Skills
(17:04) Closing Comments and Good Luck!

Negotiation is one of the most challenging and daunting skillsets for many people to pick up, but is one that can have a hugely beneficial impact on your career.

In this video, I unpack the why, what, when, and how of negotiation, from #salary #compensation to #flexible working conditions to enabling #sidegigs to specifying #startup packages & more.

🙏 Please reshare if of interest to you, your colleagues, friends and/or family!

Complete topic list and timestamps:

📌 (0:00) Introduction to Negotiation
📌 (0:29) Why Consider Negotiating
📌 (0:58) What Can You Negotiate?
📌 (1:06) Negotiating Compensation Package
📌 (2:09) Negotiating Part-time Work
📌 (2:57) Negotiating Intellectual Property Situations
📌 (3:22) Negotiating Reduced Teaching Loads
📌 (3:53) Negotiating Startup Packages
📌 (4:25) Negotiating Sabbaticals
📌 (4:48) Other Things You Can Negotiate
📌 (5:21) Your Contact Has Limited Authority
📌 (5:54) Escalation of Negotiations
📌 (6:10) Other Factors That Influence Negotiation
📌 (6:39) How to Find Out What is Possible
📌 (6:50) Read the Official Documentation
📌 (7:07) Talk to Current or Recent Staff
📌 (7:17) Befriend HR and Recruiters
📌 (7:41) When to Negotiate
📌 (8:14) How to Negotiate
📌 (8:21) Good and Bad Negotiation
📌 (8:30) Practice, Practice and More Practice
📌 (8:49) Think Beyond the Negotiation
📌 (9:26) Never, Ever, Make Threats
📌 (10:03) Making a Compelling Case
📌 (11:27) Get it in Writing
📌 (12:15) Negotiation and Renegotiation
📌 (13:08) Not Compulsory, But Worth Consideration
📌 (13:29) Concluding Thoughts

So you’re writing a robotics conference paper?

Here are some practical tips to maximize the clarity, specificity & overall quality of your paper, so it gets accepted into a top #robotics#conference venue like #ICRA or #IROS.

Please reshare if you find it useful!

Tips are available in both text form & video!

Timestamps:

📌 0:00 (Introduction)
📌 0:08 (Types of Papers and Approach)
📌 1:12 (Know your Context )
📌 1:49 (Key Contributions and Specificity )
📌 2:37 (Gap Claims)
📌 3:13 (Don’t Die on Unnecessary Hills)
📌 3:59 (Three Types of Key Contributions)
📌 5:23 (Experimental Setup )
📌 6:13 (Show Weaknesses)
📌 6:38 (The Paragraph by Paragraph Summary Test)
📌 7:14 (Wrap-up)

Having good mentors in an academic career is like having a superpower!

In this video, I unpack the many benefits of having mentors, how the mentoring relationship can work, and tips for how to go about finding good mentors and avoid bad ones.

🙏 Please reshare if of interest to you, your colleagues, friends and/or family!

Complete topic list and timestamps:

📌 (0:00) Introduction to Mentoring
📌 (0:20) My Experience with Being Mentored
📌 (0:41) Why is Having Mentors Awesome?
📌 (1:06) Mentors See Things You Don’t
📌 (1:21) Mentors Bring Diverse Experiences
📌 (1:41) Mentors Provide Typical Support
📌 (1:57) Mentors Are a Critical Part of Many Careers
📌 (2:13) Constructive Criticism in a Safe Environment
📌 (2:35) Mentors Enable Growth
📌 (3:20) Supervisors Aren’t Always Mentors
📌 (4:05) What Makes a Good Mentor?
📌 (4:18) My Way Isn’t Necessarily Best for You
📌 (4:37) Tailored Advice for You
📌 (4:57) Update Their Advice, Constantly
📌 (5:22) Give Good Advice But Let You Screw Up
📌 (5:57) You Still Need to Critically Listen
📌 (6:22) Mentors Don’t Have to be Friends
📌 (6:37) Mentors Don’t Have to be Perfect Matches
📌 (7:11) Make up Your Mentors in the Aggregate
📌 (7:39) Mentors for Specific Areas of Your Career
📌 (8:26) Interacting with Your Mentors
📌 (9:24) Finding Mentors
📌 (9:52) Use Your Existing Network
📌 (10:09) Be Flexible When Approaching Mentors
📌 (10:35) Can Be Done Online!
📌 (11:04) Good Mentors Do Due Diligence
📌 (11:18) Your Mentor Team Should Evolve Over Time
📌 (11:46) Summary: Mentors are like a Superpower