WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.300 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:07.107 align:middle line:84% [Morse code beeps] [Whoosh] 00:00:07.107 --> 00:00:12.012 align:middle line:90% [Helicopter rotor] 00:00:12.312 --> 00:00:12.846 align:middle line:90% Hello, everyone. 00:00:12.846 --> 00:00:13.680 align:middle line:90% My name is Nick Rober. 00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:16.683 align:middle line:84% I'm a fellow with the AeroAstro Comm Lab, and today we're going to be talking about 00:00:16.916 --> 00:00:18.985 align:middle line:90% PhD thesis proposals. 00:00:18.985 --> 00:00:21.855 align:middle line:84% So, to get started, let's do an opening activity, 00:00:21.855 --> 00:00:25.091 align:middle line:84% which, is just checking your department's requirements. 00:00:25.425 --> 00:00:28.762 align:middle line:84% This is important because each department is pretty different on 00:00:28.995 --> 00:00:33.566 align:middle line:84% what they might require for a PhD thesis proposal, and it's important to know 00:00:33.867 --> 00:00:36.936 align:middle line:84% what you might be having to do going into this lesson today. 00:00:38.338 --> 00:00:40.507 align:middle line:90% [Alien 00:00:40.507 --> 00:00:44.778 align:middle line:90% spaceship beeps] 00:00:47.347 --> 00:00:48.648 align:middle line:90% So the lesson goals 00:00:48.648 --> 00:00:52.385 align:middle line:84% for today are to first identify what is the purpose, 00:00:52.385 --> 00:00:55.755 align:middle line:84% the goal, and the audience of a PhD thesis proposal. 00:00:56.289 --> 00:00:59.826 align:middle line:84% We'll learn how to plan and structure your thesis proposal 00:00:59.826 --> 00:01:01.461 align:middle line:90% to make it as strong as possible. 00:01:01.461 --> 00:01:06.332 align:middle line:84% And then we'll also leave with a concrete roadmap, for your own proposal, 00:01:06.366 --> 00:01:10.970 align:middle line:84% that you can use to plan the rest of your your PhD thesis research. 00:01:12.372 --> 00:01:15.442 align:middle line:90% So what is a PhD thesis proposal? 00:01:15.475 --> 00:01:19.145 align:middle line:84% A PhD thesis proposal is just a checkpoint in the process towards 00:01:19.145 --> 00:01:23.383 align:middle line:84% your dissertation, that often consists of both a written and oral component, 00:01:23.716 --> 00:01:26.719 align:middle line:84% and is usually presented to your PhD thesis committee. 00:01:27.287 --> 00:01:32.392 align:middle line:84% The purpose of the PhD thesis proposal is to propose a clear plan for your future 00:01:32.658 --> 00:01:36.196 align:middle line:84% and also demonstrate that you are ready for independent research. 00:01:37.063 --> 00:01:38.865 align:middle line:84% Depending on your program, the thesis proposal 00:01:38.865 --> 00:01:42.969 align:middle line:84% may come at different points throughout your your grad school career. 00:01:43.336 --> 00:01:46.473 align:middle line:84% Sometimes it's it's towards the beginning and sometimes it's towards the end. 00:01:46.940 --> 00:01:50.243 align:middle line:90% Earlier proposals usually communicate 00:01:50.243 --> 00:01:54.247 align:middle line:84% a reasonable plan to graduate to your department/committee. 00:01:54.547 --> 00:01:56.082 align:middle line:90% And then later proposals 00:01:56.082 --> 00:01:59.853 align:middle line:84% are effectively a check, to make sure that you're ready to defend. 00:02:00.286 --> 00:02:03.957 align:middle line:84% We'll primarily focus on the earlier thesis proposals through this lesson 00:02:04.324 --> 00:02:07.026 align:middle line:84% because it includes more of a planning component. 00:02:07.026 --> 00:02:09.829 align:middle line:84% So to go about actually making your thesis 00:02:09.829 --> 00:02:12.966 align:middle line:84% proposal, the first step is actually planning the thesis proposal. 00:02:12.966 --> 00:02:15.635 align:middle line:84% So this has a lot of overlap with our other lesson 00:02:15.635 --> 00:02:18.805 align:middle line:84% on formulating a research topic, but we'll go through some, 00:02:18.872 --> 00:02:22.408 align:middle line:84% some elements of that that are specific to the thesis proposal itself. 00:02:22.841 --> 00:02:24.844 align:middle line:84% So the thesis proposal, you should keep in mind, 00:02:24.844 --> 00:02:27.914 align:middle line:84% this is something that will actually be very helpful for you as you go 00:02:27.914 --> 00:02:28.648 align:middle line:90% through the PhD. 00:02:29.649 --> 00:02:32.652 align:middle line:90% It's useful to organize your thoughts 00:02:32.719 --> 00:02:36.022 align:middle line:84% and what you first want to identify is what are the gaps 00:02:36.022 --> 00:02:39.091 align:middle line:84% in your field of interest that you need to address? 00:02:39.492 --> 00:02:42.962 align:middle line:84% And then the answer to that is maybe a more difficult piece. 00:02:43.029 --> 00:02:47.233 align:middle line:84% But what are you going to do to, actually address those gaps? 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.870 align:middle line:84% Both of these should be elements, in your thesis proposal. 00:02:51.704 --> 00:02:53.773 align:middle line:90% You need to be very mindful of the scope. 00:02:53.773 --> 00:02:56.876 align:middle line:84% So plans should be extensive enough for the PhD, 00:02:57.343 --> 00:03:01.581 align:middle line:84% but not so much that you can't accomplish them in around five years time. 00:03:02.115 --> 00:03:05.552 align:middle line:84% So tips to kind of gauge the scope of this. 00:03:05.552 --> 00:03:09.923 align:middle line:84% You can look at other PhD theses throughout your or from your department 00:03:09.923 --> 00:03:13.293 align:middle line:84% or your lab And you also you want to you want to be very specific, 00:03:13.393 --> 00:03:17.397 align:middle line:84% when kind of describing what the gap is and what your contributions will be. 00:03:17.697 --> 00:03:20.667 align:middle line:84% You also want to be specific when you're discussing your contributions. 00:03:20.667 --> 00:03:22.735 align:middle line:90% The more specific you are, the easier 00:03:22.735 --> 00:03:25.872 align:middle line:84% it will be to gauge kind of how long each of those things will take. 00:03:26.506 --> 00:03:29.742 align:middle line:84% You should also discuss a lot with your advisor and your committee. 00:03:29.776 --> 00:03:32.345 align:middle line:84% These are, you know, resources that can help you. 00:03:32.345 --> 00:03:36.015 align:middle line:84% Your advisor is a good resource to help judge the merit of your proposal. 00:03:36.316 --> 00:03:39.886 align:middle line:84% And if you have the opportunity to meet with your committee before your proposal, 00:03:40.053 --> 00:03:43.055 align:middle line:84% you can kind of do a mock proposal that tells them the ideas 00:03:43.055 --> 00:03:45.391 align:middle line:84% that you want to discuss, and then they can give you feedback. 00:03:46.793 --> 00:03:47.126 align:middle line:90% Another 00:03:47.126 --> 00:03:50.329 align:middle line:84% part of building your proposal is designing a roadmap. 00:03:50.329 --> 00:03:54.234 align:middle line:84% So a roadmap is simply a kind of timeline of your next 00:03:54.466 --> 00:03:57.237 align:middle line:84% contributions, where you'll submit those contributions. 00:03:57.237 --> 00:04:00.506 align:middle line:84% And it helps convince your committee that you have 00:04:00.506 --> 00:04:03.943 align:middle line:84% a plan and a path towards graduating on time. 00:04:04.444 --> 00:04:07.447 align:middle line:84% It can also be used as a guide to help keep you on pace. 00:04:07.447 --> 00:04:10.617 align:middle line:84% So as you go through, you know, your future semesters, 00:04:10.617 --> 00:04:15.355 align:middle line:84% you can check and see like where are you with respect to your your original plan. 00:04:15.822 --> 00:04:19.292 align:middle line:84% Things to include in the roadmap are when you will accomplish 00:04:19.292 --> 00:04:22.996 align:middle line:84% each of your milestones, as well as kind of where you plan 00:04:22.996 --> 00:04:27.066 align:middle line:84% to submit each of your milestones in terms of publications. 00:04:27.634 --> 00:04:28.968 align:middle line:90% An example is shown here. 00:04:28.968 --> 00:04:31.738 align:middle line:84% This is just something that you know, you can kind of based off of, 00:04:31.738 --> 00:04:34.207 align:middle line:84% but basically you have each of your contributions 00:04:34.207 --> 00:04:37.210 align:middle line:84% where you're submitting them and when you're going to be working on them. 00:04:37.677 --> 00:04:38.978 align:middle line:90% So next we launch into an activity. 00:04:38.978 --> 00:04:43.383 align:middle line:84% So go and find the “Build a Roadmap” file and work on that 00:04:43.383 --> 00:04:46.352 align:middle line:84% for the next five or so minutes and we'll jump back into the lesson. 00:04:53.826 --> 00:04:56.729 align:middle line:90% [Alien spaceship beeps] 00:04:56.729 --> 00:04:59.465 align:middle line:84% So once you've gone through and planned out 00:04:59.465 --> 00:05:03.770 align:middle line:84% most of your thesis proposal, it's time to actually start writing. 00:05:04.137 --> 00:05:07.540 align:middle line:84% The written proposal is the actual document that you submit, 00:05:07.540 --> 00:05:10.543 align:middle line:84% typically to your committee, as well as maybe the department, 00:05:10.543 --> 00:05:13.546 align:middle line:84% that outlines the plan for your dissertation. 00:05:13.613 --> 00:05:16.282 align:middle line:84% So the audience for this is usually fairly small. 00:05:16.282 --> 00:05:18.318 align:middle line:90% Often it's just your committee. 00:05:18.318 --> 00:05:21.321 align:middle line:84% Maybe there's a department rep that you're submitting this to as well, but, 00:05:21.387 --> 00:05:25.091 align:middle line:84% you're primarily writing this document just to be read by, 00:05:25.224 --> 00:05:26.326 align:middle line:90% you know, 3 or 4 people. 00:05:26.326 --> 00:05:30.229 align:middle line:84% So you can really kind of tailor the writing specifically 00:05:30.229 --> 00:05:33.533 align:middle line:84% for their background and make sure that the motivation and everything is, 00:05:33.933 --> 00:05:38.738 align:middle line:84% is, scoped to what each of them are familiar with. 00:05:39.505 --> 00:05:42.442 align:middle line:84% The purpose of the written proposal is actually just to propose 00:05:42.442 --> 00:05:43.443 align:middle line:90% a clear research problem. 00:05:43.443 --> 00:05:44.677 align:middle line:84% So this is something you've already kind of 00:05:44.677 --> 00:05:46.779 align:middle line:84% thought about through the planning process. 00:05:46.779 --> 00:05:49.248 align:middle line:84% You also want to demonstrate a strong understanding of your field. 00:05:49.248 --> 00:05:53.519 align:middle line:84% So you show that you have knowledge of the literature and all the different 00:05:53.986 --> 00:05:56.989 align:middle line:84% components of the problem that you're trying to address. 00:05:57.590 --> 00:06:02.095 align:middle line:84% You also want to define the scope of your research and support that scope 00:06:02.095 --> 00:06:06.165 align:middle line:84% with how feasible it will be based on the amount of work that you need to do. 00:06:06.599 --> 00:06:09.635 align:middle line:84% And then finally, you need to set a plan, going forward, 00:06:09.635 --> 00:06:13.906 align:middle line:84% that gives you a timeline towards towards graduating on time. 00:06:14.574 --> 00:06:16.376 align:middle line:90% Written proposal components. 00:06:16.376 --> 00:06:17.844 align:middle line:90% So typically there's an introduction. 00:06:17.844 --> 00:06:20.847 align:middle line:90% This is what will give you the motivation 00:06:20.980 --> 00:06:23.983 align:middle line:84% and identify the research gap that you're going to be addressing. 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:27.687 align:middle line:84% Related work and background show your committee that you have, 00:06:27.754 --> 00:06:28.955 align:middle line:90% knowledge of the field 00:06:28.955 --> 00:06:32.291 align:middle line:84% and have mastered the material and it also contextualizes your work. 00:06:32.925 --> 00:06:35.294 align:middle line:84% The problem statement is where you actually identify 00:06:35.294 --> 00:06:38.297 align:middle line:84% specific problems for your research that you're going to be addressing. 00:06:38.898 --> 00:06:40.332 align:middle line:90% You may have sub-problems as well. 00:06:40.332 --> 00:06:44.537 align:middle line:84% So smaller bits that you need to solve to solve the bigger problem. 00:06:45.138 --> 00:06:47.740 align:middle line:84% And then you'll talk about your proposed methods and approach. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:51.177 align:middle line:84% And this can be tricky because, you know, you don't necessarily have these done, 00:06:51.177 --> 00:06:55.181 align:middle line:84% but they should give you they should give some sort of idea of 00:06:55.181 --> 00:06:58.183 align:middle line:84% what you plan to do and how you might approach the problems. 00:06:58.584 --> 00:07:01.387 align:middle line:84% And then depending on where you are in your, your research, 00:07:01.387 --> 00:07:03.823 align:middle line:84% you may have some results already, which you can include. 00:07:03.823 --> 00:07:06.359 align:middle line:84% Otherwise, you should give kind of the expected results. 00:07:06.359 --> 00:07:10.563 align:middle line:84% What do you expect to see from your, from your contributions? 00:07:10.696 --> 00:07:13.232 align:middle line:84% And how will those address the research gap? 00:07:13.232 --> 00:07:16.002 align:middle line:84% And then finally, you can give, the timeline and the roadmap 00:07:16.002 --> 00:07:20.440 align:middle line:84% that we've just developed to give a plan towards your final defense. 00:07:21.574 --> 00:07:24.277 align:middle line:84% So regarding tips for actually writing your proposal, 00:07:24.277 --> 00:07:27.146 align:middle line:84% the first thing to do is double check your department requirements, 00:07:27.146 --> 00:07:30.416 align:middle line:84% make sure that you know exactly what it is you need to have done and when. 00:07:30.850 --> 00:07:32.485 align:middle line:90% This includes length expectations. 00:07:32.485 --> 00:07:36.122 align:middle line:84% So what, how much material are you required to submit? 00:07:36.489 --> 00:07:40.493 align:middle line:84% And then also what material specifically are you, required to submit? 00:07:40.827 --> 00:07:43.129 align:middle line:84% And also, when writing, you want to be specific. 00:07:43.129 --> 00:07:47.332 align:middle line:84% So specifically, what problem statements are you trying to solve? 00:07:47.633 --> 00:07:49.268 align:middle line:90% The more specific the better. 00:07:49.268 --> 00:07:53.072 align:middle line:84% And then specific proposed methods will help your audience 00:07:53.072 --> 00:07:57.610 align:middle line:84% so your committee evaluate the methods, and then also provide ideas 00:07:57.610 --> 00:08:01.047 align:middle line:84% that might kind of give you different directions to, to pursue. 00:08:02.648 --> 00:08:05.985 align:middle line:84% Another thing to keep in mind is that some amount of uncertainty is is expected. 00:08:06.018 --> 00:08:09.622 align:middle line:84% These are hard problems to solve, which is why they're worth doing as a PhD. 00:08:10.523 --> 00:08:13.426 align:middle line:84% So your committee will understand that and it's important to keep that in mind 00:08:13.426 --> 00:08:16.996 align:middle line:84% and not shy away from, you know, not knowing the answer to everything. 00:08:17.396 --> 00:08:21.000 align:middle line:84% Ultimately, they'll be able to help you with finding some solutions 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:24.770 align:middle line:84% and giving you ideas, so this is an opportunity to get their feedback. 00:08:25.905 --> 00:08:28.641 align:middle line:84% So once you're done writing, it's time for the actual proposal defense. 00:08:28.641 --> 00:08:31.844 align:middle line:84% And the proposal defense is just an extended meeting 00:08:31.844 --> 00:08:33.513 align:middle line:90% where you will present your thesis, 00:08:33.513 --> 00:08:35.780 align:middle line:84% and then your committee will typically ask you questions, 00:08:35.780 --> 00:08:38.650 align:middle line:84% and there may be some time for deliberation afterwards. 00:08:38.650 --> 00:08:42.087 align:middle line:84% Again, in this case, the audience is, your committee members, 00:08:42.087 --> 00:08:45.358 align:middle line:84% but it may also include some department representatives 00:08:45.358 --> 00:08:48.327 align:middle line:90% and even an independent evaluator. 00:08:48.394 --> 00:08:50.796 align:middle line:84% But again, you're you're kind of mainly presenting 00:08:50.796 --> 00:08:53.799 align:middle line:84% to your committee and trying to get their approval. 00:08:54.400 --> 00:08:56.769 align:middle line:84% The purpose of the defense is to demonstrate that 00:08:56.769 --> 00:09:00.573 align:middle line:84% you're comfortable with the material and give you an opportunity 00:09:00.573 --> 00:09:04.110 align:middle line:84% for more interaction with your committee and kind of get ideas 00:09:04.110 --> 00:09:07.079 align:middle line:90% from them as well. 00:09:07.547 --> 00:09:09.916 align:middle line:84% So the specific layout of your proposal defense is something 00:09:09.916 --> 00:09:12.718 align:middle line:84% that's very dependent on your department, so make sure you're 00:09:12.718 --> 00:09:15.721 align:middle line:84% you're familiar with your department's requirements before beginning. 00:09:15.821 --> 00:09:18.190 align:middle line:84% But often there are a few different components. 00:09:18.190 --> 00:09:20.493 align:middle line:84% So first obviously there's the presentation. 00:09:20.493 --> 00:09:24.230 align:middle line:84% But before and after that there may be some sort of evaluation period 00:09:24.230 --> 00:09:27.366 align:middle line:84% where your committee will discuss in private, the merits 00:09:27.366 --> 00:09:30.369 align:middle line:90% of your written component. 00:09:30.436 --> 00:09:32.905 align:middle line:84% There will also be a Q&A session, which is very important 00:09:32.905 --> 00:09:36.042 align:middle line:84% because your committee will have questions about your ideas. 00:09:36.342 --> 00:09:39.412 align:middle line:84% But this is also, it's important to keep in mind 00:09:39.412 --> 00:09:43.249 align:middle line:84% that this is a good opportunity to get feedback from your committee and hear what 00:09:43.249 --> 00:09:47.086 align:middle line:84% their ideas might be, with respect to your specific research gap. 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:51.691 align:middle line:84% And then finally, there's typically some sort of private deliberation period 00:09:51.691 --> 00:09:53.159 align:middle line:90% after the entire defense is over 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:56.462 align:middle line:84% where your committee will decide whether or not you pass your defense. 00:09:57.563 --> 00:09:59.265 align:middle line:90% So with that, let's jump into 00:09:59.265 --> 00:10:02.935 align:middle line:84% the final activity, which is responding to committee's questions. 00:10:03.169 --> 00:10:06.672 align:middle line:84% So go and find the “Committee Questions” file and work on that 00:10:06.672 --> 00:10:09.675 align:middle line:90% for the next five or so minutes. 00:10:11.644 --> 00:10:15.615 align:middle line:90% [Alien spaceship beeps] 00:10:18.618 --> 00:10:19.819 align:middle line:90% With that, you should now be able 00:10:19.819 --> 00:10:23.689 align:middle line:84% to identify the purpose, goals and audience of your PhD thesis proposal. 00:10:24.123 --> 00:10:26.192 align:middle line:84% You should be able to plan and structure your proposal 00:10:26.192 --> 00:10:30.129 align:middle line:84% to make an effective argument for your readiness as a PhD student 00:10:30.529 --> 00:10:34.100 align:middle line:84% and you should be able to create a roadmap for your research 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:36.769 align:middle line:84% leading up to your dissertation. Thank you. 00:10:36.769 --> 00:10:39.405 align:middle line:90% [Morse code beeps]