Choosing a grad school and a lab + Q&A, Darren Lipomi, UCSD

[@inezm9051]

Your KZbin videos on grad school have been a saving grace as I apply to biological sciences PhD programs. Thank you for your dedication to students! You inspire me to become a a professor to help guide others.

[@djlipomi]

Wow, thank you!

[@takiyaazrin7562]

Nice. What is your topic?

[@mukundsrivastava9392]

These were by far the best 50 minutes I've spent on learning about graduate admissions. Thanks a tonne Prof. Lipomi!

[@djlipomi]

Wow, thanks for the kind words! So glad it was helpful.

[@takiyaazrin7562]

Shabash Dr Sahab

[@MrBluesRequiem]

I have been a bit lost lately in my PhD, partly because of the working environment of my lab + other internal and external factors. I am in a similar situation to what you experienced as a grad student (big lab, famous PI, fast publication pace, and a free for all atmosphere in my case + different country and covid mess) and I found the videos/podcast you have posted really helpful ! I was starting to doubt about my ability to do good scientific research (high throughput does not equal high quality) and I am starting to understand better the situation and what kind of strategy I can use. Also, I kind of know what kind of lab I will target, or avoid, in my post-doc applications in the future, ha ha! Thank you very much for the content you have posted so far ! Your contribution to the profession, and it's free/easy access online, will hopefully get the recognition it deserves at some point. :) I wish a lot of success to you, your students and other alumni. Live long and prosper 🖖

[@djlipomi]

Thanks for the comment! I really appreciate the kind words and am gratified to learn that my videos have been helpful to you. It really means a lot to get a message like this. Best of luck in your studies and hang tough!

[@tatemrios6129]

This is so helpful, thank you! I am currently in the process of applying to graduate school and you highlight a lot of key items I didn't consider.

[@takiyaazrin7562]

Good luck

[@timwong580]

Tolerance or resilience upkeep.

[@Werdnabae]

Hi Dr. Lipomi! I'm currently an engineering undergraduate, and I'm thinking about pursuing a PhD in 2-3 years. These videos help a lot!

[@djlipomi]

So glad it was helpful!

[@premgorde2429]

Hey Dr. Lipomi, I am currently an undergrad student who wants to start looking for schools (I am a CS major, looking to focus in AI/machine learning fields for Ph.D.). Your videos have been of great help, but I am completely stumped regarding where I should start looking for these labs, and PIs, and then evaluating them against each other. Do you have any suggestions?

[@LucasDimoveo]

Do you have any advice for non traditional (older) students considering grad school? I'm balancing my interest in research with my responsibility as a parent. It is a gnarly decision

[@djlipomi]

Yeah, hang in there! Several of my students have been older than me, from 1 to 5 years. My mom went back to grad school at 67!

[@sanskarthakur8718]

Thank you Dr. Lipomi, a very useful video for me at this point. I am preparing to apply for a Ph.D., I have MS in mechE with a thesis and now a year of research experience at one of the top Research Hospitals in the US. I am interested in Nanotechnology and its application in the medical field. Even with the thesis, I was not able to publish most of my work due to my advisor's desire to patent the technology once it's complete, how do you think this will impact my application for Ph.D. to top schools? Also would love to connect with you professionally for more advice. Thank you so much for your insightful videos once again.

[@djlipomi]

I think if you explain your circumstances in your personal statement, you will be fine. You have a lot of experience. Thanks for the kind words.

[@mukundsrivastava9392]

I found through your lab website that you respond to all the well thought prospective emails. However, is there any possibility that a prospective supervisor might miss checking our email due to a large number of similar emails? If yes, at what interval and how many times should we consider sending a follow-up email?

[@djlipomi]

One follow-up after a week is fine. If they don't respond then, forget about them :)

[@shi_shii_]

Try using an email your school/college has provided. Most of the times, mails get marked as spam for the professors if they're from public domains like gmail or yahoo etc. Good luck.

[@takiyaazrin7562]

Nice

[@timwong580]

Psychoimmunity