How I chose my research field (PhD)

I arrived at my PhD in atmospheric physics after a series of events that led me, very specifically, to quasi-geostrophic stratospheric dynamics. In this video I talk about why I chose this topic.
You asked on twitter, so I delivered! The basic advice that I give is: follow your gut. Get exposed to as my sub-fields in your area as possible while at university/college, but ultimately go with what you find instinctively most interesting. This is somewhat easier if you're not required to submit a research proposal I will definitely admit.
If you are a researcher, please comment with your story of how you decided on your field!
My research projects video: • How I became a researcher
PhD vlog playlist: • Studying my PhD at Exe...
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[@SimonClark]

Just to reiterate the advice from the video: - Get exposed to as many sub-fields as you can - Trust your gut instinct - Choose a research project that balances your personal interests with the supervisor's ability (and how well you can work together) - this last step is very important for your sanity!

[@steffliot3788]

Ok Simon.

[@nllionel4926]

Yes, how well you can work together - super important

[@thomasp4902]

I'd also suggest trying a mini-project in your chosen sub-field to see if it really is for you or not.

[@ThePrimevalVoid]

@@thomasp4902 How mini is this project?

[@thomasp4902]

@@ThePrimevalVoid Speak to a lecturer/researcher in your Uni who works in your field and tell them are considering a PhD and do they have any suggestions for mini-projects to try it out. Most Unis will let you do that project as your 3rd year dissertation too. As for how big a project its totally up to you though your available time will probably limit you.

[@InvasiveWargaming]

It would not be untrue to say that my PhD was and current research is largely determined by questions developed while staring into the mottled shapes of a shower curtain.

[@mikaelav8964]

im only in second year (undergrad) but when i get high i create a list of thesis research topics LOL

[@EuskaltelEuskadi]

Very similar story to mine! I'm currently midway through a PhD in cosmology. I've always loved space and looked forward to the physics lessons at school where we learnt about space, so I decided to do a degree in Astrophysics. After learning a heck of a lot of astrophysics, I took a General Relativity and Cosmology module in my 3rd year and the simplicity and beauty of the mathematics just blew me away. To think, we can describe the entire Universe with about 3 equations! So, my Master's project was in cosmology, specifically the behaviour and evolution of a dark energy model called quintessence. I wanted to stick with my Master's supervisor for my PhD but I got an offer from another department and he advised me to take it (bigger and much more well known department, more opportunities etc). And here I am now, still working on dark energy :) I even used a bit of code today that I wrote exactly 2 years ago when I was just starting out on my Master's project! I should also emphasise that I didn't do any summer research projects or placements, so these aren't essential when applying for PhDs. Enthusiasm and evidence of hard work/ motivation are much more important!

[@ImmieHands]

I'll be going into my second year of my PhD in environmental analytical chemistry in a couple of months, and I think the advice of just follow your gut it so accurate. When I was a kid I always loved swimming, and being in water in general. I used to want to be a marine biologist, but then (same as you) I realised biology isn't where the really interesting stuff goes on, and that chemistry is what I liked. So all the way through school and then undergrad I just kept choosing subjects and modules that interested me the most, and then by the time I got to 4th year and looked back at my module transcripts and my dissertation research topic, it was glaringly obvious that there was a very distinct pattern of what interested me. So I applied to my PhD last year and now I work on novel ways to detect and monitor pesticides in surface waters (working under a brilliant academic in the field) so I get to combine my love of water with my enjoyment for chemistry :)

[@drawingwithstress]

Are you real? We are similar!! I wanted to be an underwater archaeologist, then changed to marine biology but now I'm pursuing my bachelor's in chemistry, I really hope I can get a PhD in (haven't decided yet) in the future!!

[@collinsngetich3588]

How's it going now in your chemistry?

[@carlosbornes]

Last year I've started my PhD on Solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, what is a strange topic for a chemist like me but since I'm really bad at synthesizing molecules and I usually break a lot of glassware I've decided to change and study something more theoretical that does not require me working with glassware

[@twixeater1]

I wanted to do organic synthesis, but I too am not a good synthetic chemist. Now I do Raman spectroscopy of biological materials for diagnostic and homeland security applications :p NMR is dope as hell, though, so lucky you :D

[@Filipp0kk]

Oh, may i ask a question? Where do you do your phd research: in USA/UK or Europe? I know USA/UK phd programs have kind of "study year", when you go to the classes, learn methods and theory etc. On the contrary, in Europe you just going to work like right away and dont have classes a lot. So my question is how can you convince the Prof. to accept you for making phd in his group without experience and knowing methods and etc? Doing phd implies more independent work or smth like that, how it works, how did you "relearn" in the begining of phd in different field? I hope you understand what i am talking about 😅😅 It is hot topic for me, Will be very thankful for your answer

[@Khawlalhasan]

You know the one field that you really want .. when you stop looking for other alternatives. If you are really interested in something you will feel OBSESSED with it that you wont search anymore for something else to replace it and you will stop asking yourself hesitation questions.

[@mikaelav8964]

theses words are so powerful i would tattoo them on me LOL, but im not the crazy so i think i ll just hang it on my wall

[@Khawlalhasan]

@@halfmv2 The answer is simple. Don’t guess what might interest you; instead, explore the fields as much as possible and give them a serious try.

[@DerFrischkopf]

Hey Simon, I'm currently in high school and I've read all of your book recommendations because I too want to become a freelance weatherman

[@helpmeiamstuckinahumanbody17]

lol im deadd

[@addy7464]

Thats a lot of damage.

[@Lol-ud8cs]

Now that’s a lot of damage 😵😵

[@genekisayan6564]

Bruuu

[@adamjbatten]

Another current PhD student here and I can definitely recommend going with your gut. When I enrolled at my University, I believed that I wanted to study particle physics as I kinda thought it was the most fundamental of the sciences. But on the day before starting I changed my major from 'Physics' to 'Astrophysics', not for any major reason but since that way it would be the easiest way to study GR, which I also wanted to do (Quantum Mechanics + GR pipedreams probably). This decision was the best one I could have made as the Astrophysics courses were way more exciting and fun than a lot of the Physics courses. And the fact I got to travel to a few telescopes for my degree added to the fun. This led to me doing a Masters in Binary star evolution and now I'm currently doing a PhD using hydrodynamic simulations to study the Intergalactic Medium and how the elements form in this medium.

[@arthurchadwick1468]

Adam Batten whoa

[@nareshsahu565]

that sounds cool.

[@Happy_Abe]

That's great

[@toxxikanshul]

sir, your email please. need some advice.

[@toxxikanshul]

from the same field. on the edge to choose my topic.

[@robinwing1983]

This is an awesome video! It really closely mirrors my academic journey. I started doing a biology degree because I was passionate about the environment but I found that I liked physics better as it was more rigorous. I loved QM and particle physics for the wave equations. I just thought that it was so cool to decompose waves and find field solutions. Then I took a fluid dynamics course and I was hooked! The math was very similar to QM but there were so many other cool aspects to play with (shear, turbulence, external forces, etc). I then went to my QM instructor and he proposed a senior project for me of resolving stratospheric gravity wave spectra from balloon data. It really clicked with me. One of the jury members for my senior project asked me to join his group for a MSc to do a project with stratospheric water vapour measurements using Raman lidar. Turns out that I love spectroscopy as well lol. I developed a deep appreciation for the lidar technique during my MSc so I went on afterwards to work on a wind/wave/turbulence project involving a lidar in Alaska. Then I went to France to do my PhD with the guy who originally developed the lidar equations in the 1970s. I did my thesis on stratospheric and mesospheric temperature retrievals. Now I divide my work between projects on ozone tends and forcings, winds from Aeolus, other satellite validation, and gravity wave studies. I'm just starting to get interested in Arctic clouds as well ;) Thanks for making this video!!!!

[@lukehebert6207]

I got into biology probably because it was the field that most resembled the magic I read as a hobby. Now I do genetics research and I love it. Genomes might be the closest real world things to ancient spellbooks. Some spells are billions of years old. String them together and you can summon an organism from the elements. Changing the details yourself can either do great harm or great good. Many people dedicate their lives to studying the spells and some of us get so far into it that we grow long beards and find it difficult to explain our research to others. And some people distrust the wizards, thinking that they hoard the secrets for personal gain (like people who suspect cancer has already been cured and is just hidden by pharmaceutical companies). But in the end, the old wizards are only trying to understand how the spells work before they themselves return to the elements...be right back, I'ma go write a book real quick.

[@suchitrasridhar5313]

Does your work involve more chemistry or more computers/mathematics? Or is it a mix of both?

[@lukehebert6207]

@@suchitrasridhar5313 Since writing this comment, I've moved to an immunology lab. I do about 80% computer work like programming a bioinformatics pipeline and 20% wet lab stuff like prepping samples for sequencing. Rereading this comment above was hilarious; I must have been in a really creative mood!

[@suchitrasridhar5313]

@@lukehebert6207 The original comment was certainly a fun read😆 And thanks a lot for replying, I'm in my undergrad, just starting to figure what various fields actually involve!

[@b4itstarted]

On the flip side: how I realized that I DON'T want to do a PhD. I grew up always wanting to do a PhD. Like Simon, I knew I wanted to do something about the environment and I always liked science. In high school, I really enjoyed biology and chemistry (physics is cool, too, but doesn't tickle me in the same way), so I went into undergrad with the plan to earn a biochemistry degree. My idea for a PhD was to use biochemically inspired systems to inform the development of greener technology. After my second year of undergrad, I landed a summer research assistant job in a synthetic chemistry lab that focused on the development of greener catalysts. I hated it, but I chalked it up to the way the PI ran the lab (super didn't click with me). So the following summer, I got another research job in a polymer chemistry lab. This time, I was working on the development of biodegradable materials. It was fine, but I didn't love it (and this time, the PI & their management style worked for me and my lab mates were fantastic). Also worth mentioning that I switched to being a chemistry major -- dropped the bio part. After a lot of soul searching and long conversations with my university professors/advisors, I decided that a PhD isn't right for me - at least, not right now. It's really hard to let go of the idea of a PhD when you've gone your entire life thinking you wanted one, but a PhD is going to be miserable if you're not 100% sure and 110% passionate. Right now, my plan is to take a gap year to gain more experience in data science, and then maybe get a masters in data science or epidemiology down the line. tldr: I worked in a few research labs that afforded me a lot of autonomy (aka I was not just a lab tech) and I didn't love it.

[@ellab2162]

I had almost the same experience! Biotechnology major and I assisted in a lab developing biodegradable polymers but I've also decided research isn't for me.

[@daisuke910]

Go with your passion! Lab work are not for everyone. Confined in lab for 6 hours straight can test your sanity. Some research have field work which might be your thing. Best of luck 👍

[@lipton3120]

been 2 years, how's it going for you?

[@Abstractor21]

Almost the samee experience but I realized I didn't like the lab. Specially in my second year of my chemistry major. Now doing engineering physics In fluids which is almost mechanical engineering and I think it was the right choice

[@elfariligon]

This was really helpful Simon! I am doing a PhD in molecular genetics and I have been having troubles in finding motivation, an ultimate driving force within me that will help me dive in fully into my PhD. Your words in this video has somehow helped me think and renew the love I feel for my subject. Thank you.so much and keep up the good work with your videos, for your content surely has helped and will continue to help many people!

[@davidgerard5792]

I started with Biomedical Science (super broad degree), now I’m working on a Neuroscience research project (Honours), but my childhood love of Physics is re-emerging, I guess inspired by the awesome equipment I get to use (e.g. confocal microscopy, fMRI). So I plan to do a Graduate Diploma in Physics then likely a Medical Physics Masters. Not quite sure where my PhD might fit yet, but we’ll see what happens! Great video :)

[@daisuke910]

PhD usually not just one area. Most PhD now is an interdisciplinary research. Mine is on cancer biology & protein (biological) engineering. Explore your research area interest now. You can incorporate the knowledge to make your PhD more unique & fun!

[@steffliot3788]

Hello Simon, I am a high school student and I want to do physics Ph.D. Earlier I was also interested in biology but found out that physics is much more fun and interesting. I love cosmology. Your videos are flawless and are helping me a lot to deal with my goal. Thanks a million.

[@robertmines5577]

Go biophysics. You get the math and rigor of physics with the benefit of being able to work on biological problems and getting funding from biological funding agencies.

[@steffliot3788]

Wow good idea. But I wanna become a cosmologist.

[@bobfake3831]

You dont get all the maths of a regular physicist in biophysics.

[@steffliot3788]

Yes you're correct.

[@grghghh5116]

I am a student of Bio-Medical Science and I study physics by myself

[@zIHaXSaWIz]

I applied for a PhD yesterday studying the ionosphere of Mars. I basically ended up here because on our integrated master's course all the lectures give a presentation in 3rd year of what project they had and then you went to them and say you wanted to do it and I was instantly interested in a polar ionosphere project. I was drawn to it from a random lab we did on similar and interesting everyone else hated that lab but I found it interesting.

[@l33g1bb0]

I'll be doing my PhD next September 2020 have to get the undergrad done (cleared for funding yesterday woo!). I originally was a researcher in fluids, thermo and nuclear field. Mainly heat transfer fluids. My PhD supervisor I have now was actually totally unexpected. There was 3 researchers who wanted me. 2 where thermo and fluids experts and I could continue my current field and be a mechanical-nuclear engineer (the first in Ireland) but the third the one I chose was doing data centre energy management and recovery so I kind of wrote it off but I met with the supervisor and we clicked instantly the topic was in electro-thermo field which I wanted to move to but later in my career but after meeting the third supervisor he was nice had excellent expertise and was just funny. Judging off your videos saying a PhD can be lonely I went with him. Now I'm super excited for it, we're presenting both (separately) in September this year for my first conference as a third year. But the gut never lies. It made my decision too.

[@endod8708]

Can you do PhD with out a masters degree?

[@l33g1bb0]

@@endod8708 yes but I believe Ireland and the UK are the only places in the world to do this. Its much harder in Ireland to secure funding without a masters but there's no penalty to getting rejected. So I applied with the experience I had and that they accepted me and funding for 2020 PhD.

[@DarylAriawan]

@@endod8708 Just to add, you can also do it in Australia. You just need Bachelor with Honours degree

[@idkdk569]

how do you get accepted in a phd program when you're in your 2nd year of undergrad?

[@VaYomerHashem]

l33g1bb0 I made it without master in usa, fyi.

[@BeautifulFreakful]

Fusion student here. Very interesting video. Just wanted to point out that I think it's unfair to say the fusion is a solved physics problem and that it's just engineering. There are many interesting engineering challenges, but the understanding of plasma instabilities in the case of magnetic confinement fusion or proper modeling of radiation hydrodynamics or warm dense matter in inertial confinement fusion are as physics as it can get. There are also some even more interesting more fundamental open problems like spin polarized fusion for increased cross section or in situ production of mesons to catalyze fusion in warm dense matter targets. I'm sure you would have loved all this since it's basically heating a fluid so much that it becomes a plasma and suddenly you have to use what's basically Navier-Stokes but with time dependant EM fields :D It's great that you could find something you enjoyed either way!

[@SimonClark]

I stand corrected! I shall have to get a good textbook on magnetohydrodynamics and get studying

[@jokeplan9041]

Awesome video as always! I agree with all the things you said in the video, especially trusting your gut feeling and exposing yourself to a lot of different areas within your field. My story goes like this: 10 years ago in highschool when I was confronted with chosing a profession I wanted nothing more than becoming a draughtsman specialised in building construction and that's why I only looked into this job. I did some days of internship and was convinced that this is the right thing for me. I then started an apprenticeship, however six months in I realised that I did not want to do this job for another four years at least and quit. I then went to grammar school and started at university to study biology in order to become a teacher. During my Bachelor's I purposely chose courses from all different fields of biology (from funghi, over cancer into computational biology) just to prevent focusing only one thing as I did in the past. I then found a field (Systems Biology) which I was really interested in and chose it as a major for my Master's. During this whole time I always said that I'm not going to do a PhD because I wanted to become a teacher after I graduated, however I then got offered a PhD project in the field I graduated in and here I am now just started my PhD in September. So I guess the most important thing I learned during this journey was to not only focus on one thing and be open to take unexpected opportunities. Sorry for the long text :D

[@nc-broadcast]

I’m a third year chemistry student in the states, still trying to exactly figure out where I want to go post undergrad, but i will definitely apply for a PhD. My heart is drawn to physics, especially quantum systems. I came across this out of curiosity, but my gut feeling was set in once I attended an amazing talk on exploring physics outside the standard model by way of finding the electron EDM. This talk also exposed me to this idea of quantum control through Ultracold temperatures. It was “cool!” So my advice is, go and listen to as many lectures as possible that you find interesting, and get to know people in that field the best you can!

[@SyedRizvii]

Listen to this guy kids or you'll struggle getting a thesis out in time like myself! It's really the love for your research and mental strength that'll get you through to the finish line. Starting is the easiest when it comes to PhD in most cases; wrapping it up in an academic format is the hardest!

[@eswarilekhyajarajapu1808]

Hello Simon, I’ve stumbled upon your channel 3 years back when I was in my Bachelors physics. I realised my interest in atmospheric sciences and finished my masters this year and I’m glad to share I’m starting my career as a research scholar at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. I used to keep myself motivated, informed and closer to the subject thanks to your channel. Thanks from India.

[@Jamony1]

I am doing my masters in Pure Maths with my research focusing on Category theory. I was pretty convinced I was going to do research in an applied maths area (fluid dynamics or probability theory) and spoke to a lot of supervisors about topics I could work on. I spoke to one supervisor about doing some category theory related pure maths research, and when it came to deciding what I was going to pursue I followed my gut and went with them.I dont know if I made the right decision or not, but so far so good :)

[@viktorajstein]

How did it turn out for you?

[@Jamony1]

​@@viktorajstein I'll answer honestly, but it might not be an answer you want to hear if you are interested in pursuing such a road yourself. I finished my thesis last year in April, and graduated in December. And I hated it. My coursework was stressful and very hard, and it often required me to pull 80-100 work weeks. Staying back until midnight in my office was common. My research, while only requiring me to work a 40-50 hour, was even more stressful. My research, combined with the COVID stresses of 2020, and dealing with a break up, I can easily see 2020 was the worst year of my life. I don't imagine Ill ever go back to do a PhD. BUT, I now have a pretty good job as a software engineer with lots of opportunities, so I guess it worked out :)

[@viktorajstein]

@@Jamony1 I am sorry to hear that it was so stressfull for you :( By coursework you mean courses you took (like a student) and not courses you taught, right?

[@Jamony1]

@@viktorajstein Haha, no need to be sorry. Not your doing! Besides, its in my past :) Yeah, the courses I took as a student where stressful. Teaching was relatively easy.

[@barrjohnm]

Great video dude! I would love to hear more about Stratospheric Dynamics. My story is in Oceanography and from day one I wanted to learn “The Birth, life, and death of an ocean swell” Therefore I studied Applied Mathematics as Math is the language of nature, then I studied Atmospheric Science as all ocean waves for surfing at least were caused my winds, and now a PhD in Physical Oceanography to understand the physics of the oceans. It’s my first semester so I don’t have the exact question I am trying to answer. Thanks for this video!

[@ornestebuitkute9720]

You made the video at just the right time!!! I am choosing a phd....... its so stressful and competitive in UK!

[@RocaSeba]

2:55 that's why lots of us go for "applied physics" a.k.a. engineering. Just kidding, great video i really enjoy your content!

[@pabloalbarran7572]

I'm doing my Masters degree in Chemical Engineering, I'm actually working at the application of chemical kinetics to the production of biofuels. What we are doing is basically modelling the reaction velocity in such a way it can represent the conversion of biomass to biofuels in a process in which two chemical reactors intervene. How I got there? After much thinking it turned out to be a very practical choice for me. During college the discipline of chemical engineering that actually caught me into liking my major was physical chemistry, before taking that course I wasn't into what I was studying at all. In that course was when I was first introduced to chemical kinetics and chemical equilibria, I really loved the part of deriving all the mathematical expressions for the rate equations and later on how that related to reactor design, I also like how aspects of fundamental chemistry intervene and derive in the developing the reactor equation design like for example considering the reaction mechanism and things like that. Later on I got the chance to work at a project, very similar to what I'm doing right know at my masters, applying kinetics to study the reaction velocity of the conversion of lignocellulosic material into bioethanol, I really like it. So before entering the Masters I spent a whole year preparing to it in general, checking my options carefully, checking the research opportunities into the themes that resonated with me and finally I met a doctor through the internet who actually had a lot of experience within the area and that's how I got here hehe, there more details to it but I think my writing is already long enough hehe.

[@lavos88]

It would be interesting to know the area of research that most of your followers are actively working into. For me it's also fluid mechanics. In my case, I would say the motivation came after my first university class in classical physics, thanks to an awesome professor. By things of fate, this very same professor would teach me elementary fluid mechanics afterwards. I was very motivated towards working in the engineering area of hydrological power generation and I took a couple of courses in hydraulics and fluid mechanics after I finished my bachelor's degree in the old Coursera (when Coursera was starting). Little did I know that later I would be going back to 'roots' and tackle canonical problems in fluid mechanics from the hardcore theoretical, mathematical and computational point of view, which is what I do now, EHD-flows. Best regards and keep up the nice work with the channel!

[@laurensd.l.2717]

Keep it up Simon! And thanks for sharing your story, it's very insightfull

[@mattabesta]

Thanks for doing your videos Simon, they're quite unique and done so well. For me all the cool stuff went into chemistry and biology and I only belatedly have studied some physics to understand them better, god damn physics, underpinning all of existence and explaining it so well!

[@SimonClark]

MWAHAHAHA

[@hyperionman420]

I absolutely love that Malice above the Palace poster.

[@InvasiveWargaming]

Handsome Jack the new sanguinius model is so cool

[@rushikbhatti9602]

I was sitting with a list, scratching my head, was either going to lose hairs or nails and then you drop an amazing video.....Man you are AMAZING!!!

[@drandrewmitchell]

I am doing a PhD in Acoustics and Environmental Design at University College London! I came to my PhD topic via a pretty haphazard route, but the centering force along the way was always my love for physics, music, and especially acoustics. I went to high school in the US, where I focused on math and science pretty much the whole time, including a summer internship where I helped build part of a particle detector for Jefferson Labs in Virginia. But by senior year I had fallen so in love with playing trombone that I decided to study music instead of physics or aeronautical engineering which were my original plans. So I applied and auditioned for music schools and only got into one for music education. I spent a fantastic year there, where I learned a ton and ended up winning an audition for a proper job as a musician the summer after. But while there I took a course in the physics of music, and absolutely fell in love. So I looked at how I could study that! It turns out, acoustics undergraduate courses aren't really a thing in the US, so I looked elsewhere and ended up doing a BSc in Physics and Music and Cardiff University. I'm so happy I did, it was amazing. But when I started I had no idea what I would or could do with an acoustics degree and just had to trust that going with my gut and with what I loved would work out. It did, and I got hired as an acoustics consultant specializing in wind farm noise in the UK straight out of school. Due to immigration bollocks I was forced to move back to the US where I worked in Architectural Acoustics in LA designing office buildings and concert halls for several years. Eventually I started getting antsy and frustrated with the state of the field and realised what I really wanted to be doing was research. I managed to get on a project at the UCL Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering working to develop a new index for describing and designing urban noise. Our team has me, with an acoustics and physics background, but also people from psychology, neuroscience, computer science, all studying the perception of noise. I love the process of collecting data in the field, of the immediacy of impact whihh sound has on all of us, and on the almost primitive state of much of acoustics research. At times it feels closer to the work of early modern scientists because of how interdisciplinary and basic it can be compared to some other fields of science research which can be very specialized and require millions of dollars worth of equipment. I love that the fundamentals of my work can be done with just a few thousand dollars worth of equipment. Working with super sophisticated equipment, or massive datasets that couldn't have existed even 20 years ago can all be incredibly exciting, but for me the amount of potential knowledge there still is left to find in the field of acoustics is wonderful to think about. My advice definitely mirrors yours: I never went with what I was best at (biology and English were my best subjects at school) but instead with what I was most passionate about. I always figured if I'm passionate about what I'm doing, I'll work harder at it, and be better at it than I will at anything else. And it's proven true so far!

[@claudiajade624]

Similar to me and the third year course bacteria and disease! Did my Honours in the lab of the course coordinator, now completing my PhD in host-pathogen interactions, i.e. innate immunity/microbiology :) I also picked project/lab based off what sounded interesting, and gut instinct that the supervisor seemed like a champ.

[@MrN0nex]

I had almost the same experience just in reverse... I startet out studying physics and then realized all the cool nano machines I wanted to make had already been built by nature ... in biology :D

[@fishdoneraw]

I’m a PhD student in seismology. I first became fascinated with the geophysical sciences as an undergrad when I did research in planetary science (looking at lunar impact craters). While I was super jazzed at doing research on Mars or basically any other rocky body except earth in our solar system, I realized that I probably would not have job prospects outside academia. So after graduating with a BS in geophysics, I decided to work for a while in an earthquake lab. It was this experience that sparked the flame for seismology. So after learning a lot of hands on skills (ie coding), I decided to apply for a Masters in Geophysics, which brought me to using controlled source seismic waves to image marine faults offshore Alaska. I wanted to go into the oil and gas industry. But during the course of my masters, I started to get interested in the physics of the really big earthquakes - called subduction zone earthquakes (magnitude > 8). My masters research was related to earthquake hazards, but not concerned with modeling them or generating the seismic waves faults produce. I wanted to go numerical. I wanted to gain experience in high performance computing. I wanted to study subduction zone earthquakes. All that led me to apply to PhD programs (I turned down a 87K/yr job offer at a defense company). So here I am, performing end-to-end dynamic earthquake rupture simulations for the Cascadia subduction zone fault below the northwestern United States coast. Just like what John Greene said, you fall in love slowly, then all at once. I can’t imagine myself doing anything that isn’t earthquake-related. But I always remember my first experiences in planetary science. When the data is there (and more than just one seismometer), perhaps I’ll get the opportunity in the future to simulate moon-quakes, mars-quakes, titan-quakes, Venus-quakes (nah, the instruments would probably melt). Anyway, good video, Simon! It’s nice to hear that other researchers have highly non-linear, yet surprising appropriate paths to what they end up doing in science.

[@AnaandTheBooks]

this has truly helped me! I went into university as a pre med student, even though physics has always been my passion. I am trying to choose whether I want to delve more into weather and atmospheric physics or astrophysics

[@cytonicstarspren4384]

Hey! What did you choose?

[@AnaandTheBooks]

Trisha Bansal hey!! i actually switched to environment science and policy and focusing on conservation!

[@cytonicstarspren4384]

Good to know :D I am looking forward towards pursuing astrophysics but I am still not sure... I would be very grateful if you told me why you didn’t take it or was it just personal interest.

[@AnaandTheBooks]

Trisha Bansal i decided it wasn’t for me mostly because so much of it is intangible and based on mathematics but environmental science was essentially astronomy but you’re focusing on a single planet, Earth, and how it functions

[@mpilosov]

Great video! Much enjoyed it. I'd tell you how I fell in love with my math degree... slowly and then all at once... but I should be writing my thesis right now. Cheers.

[@terribilisrex]

I'm an audio engineering student with a specialism in loudspeakers, electrodynamics of loudspeaker motors and acoustics. Started off as a guitarist when i was 12, worked in a recording studio as an assistance mix engineer during my GCSE's and A-Levels and then went to university to study BSc Music Technology. I had a placement at an engineering firm between yr2-3 and suddenly changed my mind and switched to BSc Audio Engineering. I much prefer the physics and mathematics of engineering now and i very rarely do anything musical anymore. Similar to yourself. it was a very late decision manifest of many years of doing similar things that eventually led me to my current specialism.

[@twixeater1]

In my PhD, I work on a bizarre mongrel of diagnostic medicine, physical chemistry, engineering, microbiology, and forensic science. My primary work is on detecting the release of bioweapons into the atmosphere using Raman scattering. I basically got into it because I like vibrational spectroscopy, my undergraduate degree was in forensic chemistry, and I really like the mandatory time spent at an industrial collaborator. Plus, y'know, I work on SERS at the uni where the SERS phenomenon was discovered, and I just think that's hella cool ;-)

[@patriciapoths7806]

So, I'm a few months into starting my PhD in theoretical/computational chemistry, and I have to say that my path more or less was similar to yours! Although I am going into a field that is maybe not what I thought I was exactly interested in due to circumstances and where I got in, but I am still super interested in the field I will be joining! I can't wait to see what the future brings for my research, and I especially can't wait until my classes are done and I can finally sink my teeth into research again- I've missed it since I finished my MSci.

[@dr.kangdifoodtravel1162]

Glad to see a PhD fella on youtube! I am doing working on QWASI (Quantitative Water Air Sediment Interaction) fugacity model to simulate the occurrence and transfer of pollutants. Sounds pretty similar model? BTW PhD final stages in Enviro-Geography!

[@abhiastronomy]

I will be applying for my Ph.D. in fall 2020. I am finishing with my postgraduate thesis in Remote sensing land cover classification this year. I am learning a lot about image processing, ML algorithms, remote sensing jargon and spectroscopy through my thesis work. And there was lots of coding sklearn and tensorflow libraries, manipulating the optical data from various satellite images. I am planning to do my Ph.D. on the lines of stellar astrophysics and the study of accretion. I do have some background of physics in my undergraduate and I like solving differential equations. Videos like this help me a lot in getting motivated and feel driven about my decision. Happy Physiczing!

[@JoshHullKR]

I had a very similar experience of being accepted for a project then funding issues. I'd applied and been accepted for a project looking at applying machine learning to estimate fluid flows in nuclear reactors, unfortunately funding fell through last moment. Luckily, another project in the same CDT, this time applying machine learning to stress estimation in microstructures, had funding secured but the candidate had decided to pull out. As for the field of machine learning, it was something I'd messed around with but wasn't something I thought about doing a PhD in until the end of my Masters when I came across some of the research applying it to scientific modelling. Solid mechanics I was not expecting to go into, as my Chem Eng undergrad mostly focused on fluids but so far I've found there is a lot of common ground and my supervisors have been very good at pointing me to resources to brush up on my skills. For anyone reading, if you find something really interesting, don't be too put off if it's a little bit outside your wheelhouse if you think you can pick it up, by the time you're deep into your project you'll have gone beyond the material of your undergrad.

[@arnolddalby5552]

Great advice, fall in love with your field of research. Brilliant.

[@evertonfernandesdacunha5633]

I found this video very interesting for a few reasons. First, because I also wanted to work with fusion, especially after I discovered the great tokamaki that is being built in Europe. But it turned out I went the other way. At college I worked with mathematical modeling of chaos, which started to give me the notion of complexity and now finishing my master's degree (I'll defend it tomorrow) I'm wo rking with complex networks. Nonlinear dynamics and complex networks are two, of many, of the foundations of complex systems, so it turns out that even though we have completely different backgrounds and are working with different problems, we are reasonably within the same area. If you're interested, we can talk about these things someday, maybe we can do a collaboration :) Excellent channel, I'm loving it.

[@saavestro2154]

I just finished my MSc in fusion. It was fun to use statistical mechanics and numerical simulations as tools to investigate plasma transport. But now I have the same feeling as you about fusion and I want to change subject for a PhD. My gut tells me that I want to (again) use statistical mechanics + simulations but now implemented to molecular biology (soft matter physics).

[@vishwasshankar3929]

Did it affect you to choose your phd in something that you did'nt specialize in your masters?

[@saavestro2154]

@@vishwasshankar3929 Hey, I am currently in my extension year of PhD in soft/active matter, so as a follow up YES it has affected me. It took me a while to catch up with the literature and define well my PhD project. I already knew most of the important methods I am using, but still this is not enough to catch up fast.

[@vishwasshankar3929]

@@saavestro2154 thanks for replying man! I too am currently yet to start my 2nd year of masters, I initially took my specializtion as nuclear physics but the only other option was solid state physics Can I still do my specialization in solid state physics and end up pursuing research in highenergy physics? Or something even in the fields of atomic and nuclear physics?

[@saavestro2154]

@@vishwasshankar3929 I am unfamiliar with those fields, so it is hard for me to say anything specific. From my perspective what is really important is to start a project in the master's which you can continue during the PhD. In the courses you will learn methods (either theoreical, experimental, or numerical) which you can apply to your research problem. However, you can also learn those methods along the way as you need them.

[@Law9652]

To note, for non-STEM, it's fairly uncommon to have a pre-set research proposal. Instead, you usually go to the funders with your own idea and see if they say yes.

[@TheMisterM123]

My research journey in higher education began with investigating the mechanics of carbon fiber composites in my Master's. I thought I would continue with the mechanics of nano-composites, since I had always been a solid mechanics person, but after I enrolled in a different university and did some industry work involving automation and machine control in the beginning, a turn of event took me to a whole new world of acoustics. Long story short, my current adviser was impressed by my research method and presentation and decided to hire me to replace his dropped-out PhD student. Since then, I have fallen in love with vibrations and acoustics. I may make a video on my channel about that, too! BTW, I'm doing my PhD in Mechanical Engineering which is somewhat related to physics!?

[@karl4861]

I am doing a PhD in pedometrics (statistical soil science). Came from geography and remote sensing. Always thought my knowledge from my degrees were applicable in agriculture. I always liked soil and its interactions with various systems. Is the PhD exactly what I want? No, but more or less :) The subject was predetermined just as Simon's. I wish I had more remote sensing in it for instance. The poster pleases the omnissiah btw.

[@liammargetts]

I looked at your thesis, didn't understand any of it, except for the amazing quotes throughout it.

[@johnlo4952]

I am going to do my PhD in biorobotics and biomechanics in the coming April. Since the early days of my childhood, I have been a robot lover especially for Gundam and Macross (just like the transformer in the western world) but I never thought I would be someday actually working in this area!

[@brandonmatthews9420]

I'm currently undertaking a PhD in haptic interaction technologies for Virtual/Augmented reality, specifically looking at applications and effects of Visuo-Haptic illusions. All through school I wanted to work in electronic engineering but settled on a degree in software engineering after my work placement. I went into industry after Uni for a year or so and the company went through some sudden changes into a direction I wasn't heavily interested in so I decided to apply for a PhD. In Australia, under an RTP scholarship you can choose exactly what you want to research, and I was interested in graphics and rendering but also electronics on the side so I started out focused on physical rendering or Shape Changing Interfaces. I spent a couple of months just reading random papers related to it and stumbled upon visuo-haptic illusions which seemed interesting, so I started looking into it and ended up at what is effectively a perfect crossroads of physical rendering, virtual reality and electronics all at once. It was never what I was interested in as a child or even through most of University, and I have had doubts that I made the right decision but I do find it extremely interesting and it gets me up in the morning.

[@blizzardgirl1365]

I always knew I wanted to learn as much about Astrophysics as I could, that’s why I did Physics with Astrophysics at university. It was when I did a summer placement in the astrophysics department that I really enjoyed the combination of coding and applications to astrophysics that I knew astrophysics was definitely for me! In that summer placement I spent 8 weeks improving a radiative transfer code (that had been worked on before me and will continue to be worked on!) and trying to model the light curves of supernova. While I did enjoy it, I knew I couldn’t just look at complicated code all day and understand the theory behind it. In my Masters year, I did an Exoplanet project, however it was mostly based on simulating transits on images from the solar dynamics observatory. There were a lot of data issues that could not be solved for a long time and I didn’t really get into the actual meat of the project (so to speak). I still wanted to study exoplanets and I applied for that PhD at my uni along with a couple of other projects. I ended up being offered the supernova project which I decided was not for me. I spoke to the people in charge of the PhD application and said it would take me longer to do decide since it wasn’t the Exoplanet project I wanted. They ended up calling me in and telling me that basically they were offering the funding to me and that they would find a project that I wanted to do! The Exoplanet group had two new staff starting at the same time as I was starting my PhD and the head of the group asked them if they would be willing to take me on. My now supervisor said yes and I ended up doing a project that is probably more stellar physics than exoplanets (it’s only loosely connect to exoplanets) but I have had the most amazing supervisor and wouldn’t change a thing for the world. Sometimes things just fall right into place as they’re supposed to!

[@UncoveredTruths]

follow your gut! (computer science + robitcs -> general AI -> deep learning -> deep reinforcement learning -> deep reinforcement learning for meta optimisation of residual graphs)

[@leelicayan2180]

The Yogscast helped me a lot to get through secondary school and my undergrad. Now Simon Clarke, who I found through the Yogscast, is helping me out with my Postgraduate thesis. Funny how things work out

[@spungebob2498]

cool video! Its freaking cold here in the east coast of the US and they tell me its to do with a polar vortex. Your thesis probably talks about the dynamics of these actual events I am guessing.

[@SimonClark]

Yeah I think I'll try and get a video out about it later this week!

[@edateverything6986]

Thanks man,this will help me in future a lot.

[@Samuel-tx2cl]

Is choosing a research field like choosing a couple? What a great advice. Good video.

[@himanshuagrawal2920]

This video is literally a video version of SOP/Statement of Purpose. Can relate to that completely buddy

[@calebchan5704]

Can you do a video about LaTeX? like tips/tricks/how you used LaTeX to make your thesis paper look so good

[@EfrenMunoz313]

I finished my applications a few months ago. Perhaps for a PhD in physics you choose from proposed projects (nothing against physics as it was my undergrad) but when I applied to Oxford back in November for. DPhil in Engineering Science, part of my application was a research proposal with references showing my proposed idea was feasible in the three to four years I'd be attending. Definitely the most stressful applications I ever submitted. It's now February and haven't heard back so I'm at the University of Chicago today for their prospective student weekend. Molecular Engineering (interested in regenerative medicine and immunotherapy)

[@mastershooter64]

This kids is why you teach yourself abstract linear algebra, multivariable calculus and differential equations before you finish high school and learn the university stuff before finishing high school

[@amaeder94]

Did/Do you still follow the research/engineering going into fusion energy? If so, might be a worth putting a video together, I personally think that we're actually not going to live to see a net energy gain fusion power plant. But would be interesting to get your take on it :) In general a series on alternative energy sources (maybe also some fun ones that are out there) would be interesting. In any case, keep up the good work!

[@eloy2133]

Perfect video for a second year undergraduate Thanks Simon

[@CenturyChild1102]

I'm writing my master thesis in theoretical particle physics and i want to do a PhD later because i am very interested in research work. And i am also very interested in atmospheric physics and i feel like the research in this field is more important (even though i also like particle physics a lot). But my university does not offer research in atmospheric physics and i also only had very little experience with fluid dynamics.

[@uthgartwillhelm5676]

Currently enrolling for PhDs in Social Biology. I never realised until like a few months ago that most of my interests in Animal Behaviour/ Behavioural Ecology tend to revolve around the costs/benefits of sociality and their implications on other aspects of life (eg. cognition and how resources are distributed within the group). Hoping I get a couple of responses back.

[@AndrewVasylenko]

I graduated university 5 years ago as a teacher of geography, but didn’t follow the career (you know, here in Ukraine even cashiers can be paid more and get less stress than teachers). And now I am getting back to geography. I feel like figuring out climate processes mathematically is the most practical and useful way a passion to geography can be realized. But differential equations freak me out and it’s too late for me too step into physics (unless I give up everything - my jobs, hobbies, wife and daughter - in my 27 and spend next 5 years studying it). So maybe a more rational way to go would be to continue following the pedagogical direction and become a popularizer of geography and climate science.

[@dougdimmedome5552]

Actually in plasma physics, or the bigger study of nuclear fusion, there is still some big theoretical work that has to be done in better understanding how turbulent transport works, so there is still some new physics to be done.

[@xpuresinx]

That’s exactly why i’m a physics remote sensing student.. it’s all about doing physics to study the earth from space to help with the environment.. I apologize for my bad english

[@astronomerphysicist3180]

Wow, i'm really similar to you considering biology. I have a B.S in physics, and i'm gonna do my PHD soon, but one thing hindrance my straight decision is i like many things, especially paleontology/dinosaurs and others like volcanos, earth's structures and so on. I like physics too, but i'm thinking of combining my interests like you.

[@kumarashish2051]

I also want to be a researcher and become an astrophysicist in India. Your videos are really helpful . Thank you. I like your book recommendations the best.

[@5hadow5talker]

Well this is weird/coincidental. :) I also grew up loving dinosaurs and learning from the Attenborough documentaries that global warming, climate change and the 7th mass extinction were the defining issues of our generation. However, I stuck with biology and got into geography to continue to develop my career in environmental sciences and conservation in general as my way of "I want to do something to help" :)

[@grghghh5116]

I'm a medical lab student why I'm here because physics is a piece of my heart❤️

[@astroallycat]

I just turned down a PhD in atmospheric physics (an amazing project) because it didn't feel right in my gut... and I am so scared I won't find my passion and a future project!! fml

[@elilouise9854]

Love your contents mate

[@sky_kryst]

Can you make a video about managing aspects of life like money and time while still pursuing education? I've not done a PhD but when I was doing engineering I found it really hard to find time to go to the gym or go out with friends much less save money for it. Always felt that that affected my life in many ways. Thinking of pursing a higher degree and those are the things( not getting time and having enough money) scare me the most before applying. How do you manage or look at it?

[@ametrinemoon]

I've just started my MSc project in hydrogels that are used in ocular therapies. Physics in there with rheology! I went with my instincts as a lot of my family suffer from glaucoma. I would hope the research would help with formulations. The difficulty with me is that I am a carer as well as doing my MSc and unable to move from home. Saying that I haven't received a no from St Andrews Uni yet! I got interested in optics and the eyes whilst finishing my undergrad. At school, I wanted to be a pharmacist but not deemed good enough. Now many years on, I am doing my research in the pharmacy department of my local uni!

[@Alarm4d]

You found you’re research area by research, jk. Great video as always Simon 👍🏻

[@takiyaazrin7562]

Great video!

[@TheNose8912]

Pretty sure everyone here seems to be a science student, so mine is a somewhat different path. I've just been offered a PhD place in political philosophy and I'm going be looking at how universal theories of justice could better incorporate duties based upon colonial pasts. Quite a strange outcome for someone who originally wanted to study maths... Originally wanted to do maths at undergrad, but was convinced by my dad to do economics instead because of the money. Whilst looking at intervention in economics I became interested in politics, took economics and politics at undergrad, became infatuated with political theory and then turned to philosophy in my third year...

[@axz60]

I am doing a masters in theoretical particle physics, and I feel like the same way!

[@ivarangquist9184]

It's like asking "How do you know you're in love"

[@TheKristofdv]

As this video was released 3 years ago, are you already a professor yet, haha? ;-) Very inspiring story! I'm currently in the last year of my PhD in the - more humble - field of pharmacology... Kudos for doing a PhD in physics!

[@bobbobby3085]

Pharmacology aint humble whats more prestigious then saving lives?

[@Spectacurl]

I also got into physics with Nuclear Fusion to do something for the world (actually loving that Spider Man movie to be honest) and changed to complexity haha

[@dgblitwin]

I started my PhD in environmental hydrology this past fall, and I have to say my path to it was based on a lot of following my gut as well. The advisor I wound up choosing was a last minute addition to my application list, but as soon as we got to talking, we clicked. Sometimes in the US, the PhD is much more open. I didn’t come to Johns Hopkins knowing what my PhD would be about. Determining a topic is part of the journey for me, rather than something baked in from the start. I actually chose that in particular against other programs that were much more prescriptive. I think that is something to keep in mind when you’re looking - do you want to know what you’re doing from day one, or do you want to struggle with that a bit?

[@fwcolb]

I think you chose well. Better than I did.

[@exhalerwolf1272]

You and me went through pretty similar thought process, but in reverse order 😂 I have been curious about friction and gears from childhood and later found out there's a whole subject on similar 'all the cool stuff' called physics. At around the same time I also became aware of the continuous degradation of environment that the ignorant illeterate humans are causing. I'm aiming for working on a fundamental theory of everything as soon as possible cause I believe if you know the fundamentals of nature you will know the roots of the problems.

[@ironbreacker500]

Currently finishing up my Hons year and writing my dissertation on UAV propulsion and the design and manufacture of a force/torque sensor to be used in an UAV prop motor testing rig. Was wounder if you could do a reflection video on your first dissertation/academic project and compare it to your PhD work to see how far you have come as a researcher.

[@brookehunter8573]

I am still in middle school, but I am the type of person that often plans ahead, and after doing a lot of research I figured I want to be a physicist. I am still quite young, so I was hoping somebody might share their experience, and share if they think getting a bachelors degree, masters degree, or a PhD in physics was worth it?

[@jangapardhu5300]

I went through a similar arc from biology to physics. I changed my mind because of astronomy though.

[@varunkumar6129]

I would have started my PhD in Structural Integrity of Composite Structures this month, but the funding couldn't be secured so had to let it go!

[@abhirupan7630]

what a legend!

[@joweezer9420]

I know my field of research is completely different to yours (Criminology) but I am totally lost trying to work out what I should do my masters thesis on right now, I know I want to focus on drug use amongst the homeless however not a clue what my question should be... someone help lol

[@emilykatharina2508]

Hi Jo! Just finished my masters last July. The question part is always hard! I'd suggest A) Thinking about what appeals to you about your broad topic first and B) Thinking about what solution you want to come out with (i.e. "Drug use is common among the homeless, so these types of methods will help.) This is sort of the English "so; so what?" type of question and answer thesis. You'll probably end up changing bits and pieces of your thesis as you work along, so don't be afraid if you find you're answering a different question than you though you'd be. Also, remember that it's ok to have a seemingly simple thesis statement. One of my best profs in grad school told us to remember that our theses are definitely not the last thing we'll write, so don't worry if there's more to answer later on. Best of luck! :)

[@user-oj4hr5rh6i]

Surprisingly found out your supervisor is Mark Baldwin

[@AddittiAgrawal]

really interesting!

[@sebucwerd]

John Green stole that from Hemingway, who wrote that a person goes bankrupt slowly, and then all at once.

[@SimonClark]

I didn't know this!

[@teodoras9611]

I was the 1000th like hehe. And the climate change as the defining problem for our time - yes. It is. And that's how I grew up thinking about it too. I guess that really makes sense :D

[@litoamit674]

I ended up choosing ergonomics intervention as a field of research after realizing that its one of the least but necessary area for ergonomics research in my country.

[@omarkhalifa4621]

And that is a fine-tuned SOP...

[@LoloWars313]

you should make a vid about nuclear physics. I'm getting a masters in robotic Engineering, but i always thought nuclear was very cool.