Oct 27, 2022The PhD Process, Measuring Progress, Procrastination, and Unlocking the Next Research StepResearch productivity can’t — and shouldn’t — be measured while doing research. Or, at least this statement is true under a natural definition of “research progress.” Understanding the above paragraph and adopting a different definition of “research progress” can help researchers unlock the next step in their research and overcome…Research7 min readResearch7 min read
Oct 26, 2022In-Class Active Learning ExamplesThe following notes capture some of my early (to me) thoughts about active learning. I wrote these notes in 2014, in an email to other educators. A recent conversation reminded me of these notes. Although I’ve changed my approach here and there, I still largely agree with many of the…Active Learning6 min readActive Learning6 min read
Apr 9, 2022The Art of Research Paper Writing and the Research Iceberg AnalogyHere, I discuss the application of the “Research Iceberg Analogy” to the art of writing a research paper. There are two key topics covered in this post: During the research process: Many explorations are often needed before fully determining what a paper is about, many of which might end up…Research5 min readResearch5 min read
Apr 8, 2022On Comparing with Others and the Research Iceberg AnalogyIt is tempting for researchers — including PhD students — to compare their individual progress and journey with the progress and journey of others. I encourage PhD students to try to avoid making such comparisons. In this post, I explain why. I do so using the “Research Iceberg Analogy”. I’ve…Research3 min readResearch3 min read
Apr 7, 2022Personal Examples of the Research Cycle and the Research Iceberg AnalogyThis is a “sidebar” to my “Unseen PhD Effort, ‘Failures,’ and the Research Iceberg Analogy” post; I’ll refer to the other post as my main post. In my main post, I include the figure below and I remark that research is an iterative process with many “failures” along the way…Research6 min readResearch6 min read
Apr 7, 2022Unseen PhD Effort, “Failures,” and the Research Iceberg AnalogyWhen one does a PhD — or any research for that matter — there is an enormous amount of unseen effort. The enormity of the unseen effort can be discouraging, especially while in the middle of a project. …Research7 min readResearch7 min read
Mar 15, 2022PhD Bubble Diagrams: An Illustration of Different Types of PhDsI recently had a conversation about the now-classic “PhD Bubble Diagram” with UW Allen School Security Lab member Miranda Wei. I like certain aspects of the diagram and dislike others. When asked to explain what I disliked about the diagram, I ended up drawing my own: The size of a…Research3 min readResearch3 min read