Whom to prefer as PhD guide: New Prof or Senior Prof? | IIT prof's tips

Just before students go for PhD, a number of confusing questions come to their mind:
Whether to give precedence to the institute or to the research topic or to the supervisor?
There is no one correct answer. Each student has unique needs and has a career situation individual to him. And so answers to such questions need to be understood in the context of various nuances and subtle questions.
In this video, I focus on the important question that often comes to many students' minds: Should they go for a new professor or a senior professor as their PhD guide.
I discuss various advantages and disadvantages in working with both new and senior professors.
Ultimately, however, it is up to the student to decide what is best for him depending on his personality type, his working style, and the level of academic maturity that he is at.
This video is part of a KZbin playlist where I give various general advice to students at different levels (Bachelor, Master, PhD):
• Advice to students
Video by: Dr Jeevanjyoti Chakraborty, Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT Kharagpur
Website: www.facweb.iitkgp.ac.in/~jeeva...
GitHub: github.com/jeevanjyoti4
Twitter: / jeevanjyoti
Blog: jchakraborty.wordpress.com/
Disclaimer: I am a faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur. However, the views expressed in this video are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my Department or my Institute.
#jc #PhD #PhDAdmission

[@satish918]

A couple of other points in favour of opting for a NEWLY JOINED Professor: 1) Lesser chances of getting USED as subsidized labour !!... It is commonly known that some senior professors use/ exploit their PhD students for their projects and publications without giving co-authorship, or even an acknowledgement. 2) Lesser chances of getting trapped in departmental politics and ego issues (every organization, including premier academic institutions, has its internal dynamics and personality issues, like it or not !!)

[@sen1694]

I will prefer a professor who will treat me well, behave nicely, give good advice during phd, rather than order me like his/her pet.

[@yourofficialfan]

"Desi American Professor " and "jc" are the two channels where students get genuine information... one from US one from India... ❤😇

[@abhishek001ghosh]

Being a PhD student myself at IIT Kanpur in Solid Mechanics and now a postdoc at the University of Glasgow, I believe there are certain things a fresh PhD candidate is still unable to identify despite their thorough research before joining. These are the few difficulties I personally faced in my lab under a senior professor, and this has been continuing with the students for years now: 1. A toxic lab culture that I could only identify after a year or so. A narcissistic attitude is cultivated amongst the lab members by bad-mouthing other professors and their students within the same department in the institute or other IITs in the same specialization. Therefore, the senior PhD students in the lab become so rude that the new students, in turn, suffer because of this. 2. No active collaborations, and even people are not encouraged to have exposure to the ongoing research on the particular field they are working on. Also, there is no proper repository in the lab and no scheduled group discussions. 3. Micromanaging in every aspect, for example, discussing with the other experts or professors on a particular topic, sometimes becomes a great deal because of the ego clashes between the faculties ( In turn, the students ultimately face the consequences, and in general, this is pretty common in almost every premier Indian Institutes, and there is no denial of this fact). 4. My professor always diverts the discussions regarding the students' career prospects after their PhD, which is of utmost importance. He always tends to philosophical speeches which serve no purpose in moulding someone's future or career from a practical point of view. A student's first paper is published after 6 years. Publications after 7 or 8 years are still not impressive, and frankly speaking, this issue arises during the postdoctoral interviews. The students already fall behind in the competitive market and hardly get any fair or reasonable industrial and postdoctoral offers. On top of that, the unwanted delay in the thesis completion welcomes the issue of the age barrier from the perspective of various scholarships and other vital academic opportunities. I know how I got my postdoctoral offer and under which circumstances. The senior professors usually seem to have the slightest accountability for the student's future prospects. 5. Most importantly, no proper boundary exists between the personal and professional lives of the students in my lab. There are plenty of other issues. I do not mean to be rude, but the above points are valid on a somewhat more significant scale, especially for PhDs in the Indian context. The mental and physical health of a student degrades through time. I don't want the fresh innocent minds to unknowingly get into such a black hole and regret it throughout their careers. Identifying and tackling such things is also crucial because many aspects remain opaque to the newcomers even after extensive mailing, interaction, and research about the lab. Having presented my point of view, I am also aware that every faculty is not the same. There are great individuals, too, and I consider you one of them. I am highly thankful that you educate people on these crucial things, and I respect you tremendously. As many young people look up to you, keep up the excellent work.

[@sanjeevkumarnitrourkela6637]

You are right sir, many scholars face such type of situation

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you, Abhishek for candidly sharing your experiences. You have rightly pointed out some issue which, unfortunately, do very much exist. But thanks, also, for the note at the end that there do exist great individuals also (senior, new, young, old ... doesn't matter!) We have to also remember that toxic situations and group dynamics exist even abroad. And, before joining any group it is extremely hard to really know what goes at a particular place.

[@ManishSingh-gc5fv]

You are right. There is a lot to improve (for faculty members) in India if we want serious and motivated students to do research in Indian Universities, otherwise, students always prefer the US, Europe, etc.

[@abhishek001ghosh]

@@Prof_JC You are absolutely right, and again I thank you for making videos with excellent content, and these are specifically required for research scholars in India. Being from a background of non-linear elasticity, your lectures on the linear theory of elasticity are pretty good. You should also add snippets of some of your other advanced courses in your channel, which may be helpful to others.

[@abhishek001ghosh]

@@ManishSingh-gc5fv, You are absolutely right and unfortunately, the improvement is only possible if the faculties themselves work in a collaborative and sensible way.

[@yourofficialfan]

Best thing about you is that you reply to all the important comments with so much details... you devote so much time to your viewers despite having a busy schedule in IITkgp... respect to u sir

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you for the kind comment. However, recently, I have not been able to reply to many of the comments.

[@suchetadas7717]

Thank you so much professor Chakraborty! This exact question was bothering me! I've some insights now. P.S- yours is the only channel in KZbin whose notifications I've turned on. I love your videos, they're so helpful 😊

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you for the kind words! And, I am glad you found the video helpful.

[@PhysicsInmyway]

My suggestion is for PhD to complete within timeline mostly go with new prof. He/she will devote more time in your topic. But one more advantage with senior prof if he/she has ongoing projects there will always be lots of funding which is useful for experimental research, also collaboration opportunities are there. Sometimes people get fellowships even after 5 years but that solely depends on the guide. The aim should be to finish your Ph.D. within time. For me always better to go with new profs. Most of the senior profs will be so busy that he will not care about the completion of your PhD. Your career will be ruined unless there is a good senior who will actually guide you. Go with junior profs. Do not fall into the trap of facilities and all.

[@avneetsingh5839]

Proud to have serendipitously discovered this channel:)

[@Prof_JC]

I got the reference! :)

[@jagannathck]

Courageous effort for analyzing a very complicated question - new or senior. Even not being in the academic arena I got a very good idea for selecting PhD supervisor had I been a PhD student. This topic must be helpful to the students. Thanks for the fantastic effort.

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you Baba!

[@nabarunchakrabarty5712]

Given another chance to do a Ph.D., I would surely choose a young faculty member as my supervisor THIS TIME! A personal note of thanks to professor JC to choose to speak on this very relevant issue.

[@abhishekkumarjaiswal7397]

That's really great information and some to the point advice for prospective PhD students. Thank you Prof.

[@sundernarayan2643]

A very logical and clinical presentation of facts. The point you made about the association with the supervisor being life-long is so true. Honestly that is actually a crucial aspect in choosing a supervisor for PhD. Interestingly, in my interview, I made this point that since the supervisor I was going to work with was already my supervisor in masters, we have developed a good rapport.

[@sanjaydey705]

Thank you professor for such invaluable guidance.

[@manuk4771]

Thanx sir...no one giving such honest advice.thanx a lot

[@vishalsharma-co4ex]

Very to the point info Sir. Thank you

[@MISSIONAPSCAEANDJE]

If a candidate having PhD from any central university of India who has good research work in respective engineering fields will he get less importance in assistant prof post as compared to a candidate having PhD from NIT or IIT just because of IIT tag??

[@shaileshkundalwal8195]

Great, almost all substantial points covered, OS. Keep it up!

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you, Prof. Kundalwal!

[@shaileshkundalwal8195]

@@Prof_JC You are welcome Prof. Chakraborty. Keep contributing as you are providing crucial info briefly which is available at fingertips to anyone, especially engineers.

[@maitreyo137]

Very important points covered. Thanks a lot Sir! I am sure many students would benifit from this.

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you!

[@raghavdeshpande3415]

Thank you professor Chakraborty for these helpful videos !

[@RKYOKMUSIC]

Very Well Explained, Thank you so much Sir🙏😊

[@amalms9201]

Thank you so much professor!

[@rooufunnabidar2409]

Respected sir, I will second the thought you have put in. I have worked with a most senior professor of my college during my MTech course. And Now I am a PhD scholar at one of the IITs under the supervision of a new professor. I am the witness of exactly what your good self has pointed out.

[@Prof_JC]

All the best for your PhD!

[@rooufunnabidar2409]

@@Prof_JC Thank you so much Sir. I am working on Projectile impact on concrete @IIT Madras

[@TheSmartymaddy]

Love your videos. 😊 Articulately explained, Prof. Chakraborty. I have worked with Asst., Assoc., and Senior Professors at different levels. My experiences corroborate all the points explained here.

[@Unlock1673]

so what is ur suggestions for a freshers like me...which one would u suggest....🙏

[@Sona-yf4cl]

Very genuine guidance 👌🙌

[@shreyaghosh2991]

After watching this video I remember a story told by one of my favourite teachers. A farmer spread same seeds in two lands lying opposite to each other and separated by a narrow path.He did the same thing for proper growth of the seeds in both of the lands. Few months later he was surprised to find that one land was filled with new yields and the other was empty! Our teacher asked why did it happen?Then he himself answered that one land was prepared from within to be yielded and the other was not.So is the case of students.Teacher is imparting the same knowledge but students are obtaining according to their capacity.Even it is true that a good student learns more from a bad teacher than a bad student from a good one.So I think whether senior or junior, if research scholar is prepared from within for research, he or she will find the way. I wanted to share my point of view. People may disagree. Anyway, thank you for valuable discussion!

[@ashishchittora22]

A senior professor also has the "influence", which works after completing the Ph.D. under him, either in getting an academic job or postdoc position. [harsh reality]

[@sarveshgharat449]

Thank You so much sir for this video. You had already replied to my couple of comments on similar confusion and now this video..... It is very helpful for direct PhD students as most of us are from t3 institutes and we lack in such knowledge. To be honest indirectly you have and helping me a lot and many more students like me

[@Prof_JC]

Yes, I remember. And, I am really happy that you are finding the videos useful!

[@sarveshgharat449]

@@Prof_JC Hello Sir, sorry for asking again but this time I have got another offer from another older IIT and the Department is exactly related to my interest. However the problem is the Department is new but all the Profs there are quite experienced. Will it be fine to go with it? Also in case I had to go into industry (backup option) will department matter or having research work as well as thesis with skills related to industry will be fine?

[@sarveshgharat449]

Also is it fine if I mail you with my doubts, so that I can particularly mention the name of IITs and departments which I am talking about?

[@Prof_JC]

@@sarveshgharat449 If it is an older IIT and the profs are experienced ones, it seems there should not be anything to worry about. However, I think it will be better if you directly contact some of the profs there about the kind of things you may be interested in the future and ask whether that Department/Centre will be helpful in that regard.

[@Prof_JC]

@@sarveshgharat449 Sure. You can email me. But please do note my previous reply.

[@RuhulalamChoudhury]

Really very helpful

[@adityapratapsingh7382]

Sir please make a complete guidance video on MS/Mtech (research).

[@aryanmandal4109]

Hi Sir, I would like to give my personal preference here( if I ever decide to do a PhD) 1. First Priority- Brand Value Factor of the research institute( for example, IISc would be my top priority above everything else). 2. Second Priority- Would like to work with a very new and fresh professor who has just completed his/her PhD and joined academia in my field of interest.

[@Prof_JC]

IISc is indeed one of the best places in India to do a PhD. If you wish to do work in a theoretical area (modelling, simulations and so on), then working with a very new and fresh professor can be great. Of course there are some great senior level professors also in the theoretical domain but as I mentioned in the video they may not get as much time to get to the nuts and bolts details ... but then again there ARE exceptions!

[@aryanmandal4109]

@@Prof_JC ❤

[@vivekkrishna193]

Sir, you won't believe I was thinking about this today afternoon. :D

[@Prof_JC]

Awesome job by the KZbin algorithm then! :)

[@vivekkrishna193]

No, I didn't search for it anywhere; just the thought crept into my mind. Hence the coincidence! Thanks for the video :)

[@curioussrinija8738]

Thank You sir for the valuable info. Can u through light on "QUAD Fellowship" details.......😇

[@thecontrolresearch273]

Sir my phd supervisor is a new professor. He believes that you should not stick to one particular research area throughout your phd and career and keep on exploring all new areas that are coming up recently. And broadly I also find many phd students keep on changing their areas (I believe after registration seminar they cannot change, I am just first year student so not aware of that). But sir my point is to expertise is one area , I need to stay in that area and keep working for a very long time. Isnt it true that if I switch areas frequently, finally it may turn out that I have not mastered anything at the end. Also , I have ssen many profs who have dedicated their entire career and life to just one research topic and at the end, they have done really well in terms of quality research and publications. Please give your view on this and what should I do?

[@kingarthur7863]

You can know how busy his schedule is just by looking at that telephone behind him

[@Prof_JC]

Hahaha ... actually my phone does not keep ringing. But I didn't want to take a chance while recording the video.

[@386gladiator]

What If I am allocated an area/topic which is not I am familiar or like it? Can stick on to my area or go with their decision?

[@rupachowdhury6164]

Thank u sir.. It is very very much benefical for students including me those are preparing for phd interview... There is another question which most iit phd entrace "why you do you want to do phd".. The fact same question was asked other research Institute but they accept the ans,. I don't know there is a specific things and ques iits prof wants to hear.. (I was recejected in 3 phd interview but accept 2 research Institute).. Waiting for you valuable feedback

[@Prof_JC]

If you don't mind me asking, in which Department(s) are you appearing for your PhD interviews at the IITs? I am asking this because in my experiences here in the Mechanical Engineering Department of IIT Kharagpur, we hardly ever ask that question "Why do you want to do PhD?" ... perhaps only in some special cases. But if you are being asked this question, my personal opinion is that it is best to be authentic in your answer instead of thinking about what the profs want to hear. For instance, back in 2009 during my own PhD interview, if I had been asked that question, I would have simply and honestly answered that "I want to become a faculty at IIT one day, and I have learnt that doing PhD is the first step towards that. That is why I want to do PhD."

[@rupachowdhury6164]

@@Prof_JC sir i am appearing for BSBE and Biotech department interview on 24th may

[@Prof_JC]

@@rupachowdhury6164 All the very best!

[@soumyadeepdas9824]

Sir at IIT Kharagpur, after written test and interview how final selection is done for PhD in mechanical department ?

[@direction5338]

Today i had interview with a very new professor for my MSc project. But my topic is in experimental condensed matter physics so everything is experimental but since he is new professor his lab hasn't established yet. He said he will be sharing lab with one of the senior faculty member of our department will it work in a long run??

[@Prof_JC]

Since this is a MSc project, there is no question of "long run". If you see that the new professor is enthusiastic and energetic and has a good arrangement with the senior prof's lab, go for it.

[@sidhartharoy2163]

Sir its an request to you to clear a big confusion of so many students like me. Are the professors looks down upon a tier 3 college student in phd interviews who somehow came in there with good csir NET or gate rank or its just how the interview goes thats dicide the selection.

[@Prof_JC]

All professors are after all human. So, of course, they view a student who has done his M.Tech at an IIT more positively compared to a student who has done his M.Tech from a private college (not talking about BITS). But at the same time, the expectation is also more from the former student ... so if he messes up on easy questions, he is easily rejected. On the contrary, if the student from the not-so-renowned college starts answering questions reasonably well, he may be given a benefit of doubt. So you can say that there is some initial impression depending on where the student has graduated from ... but ultimately it boils down to the student's performance.

[@rohonroy2301]

Sir, can you make please a video regarding steps a phd student should follow to complete his phd within 3.5 to 4yrs in old IITs... Because from july, new session will start.

[@Prof_JC]

That's a good idea. I will think seriously about it!

[@ayandas2346]

Hello Sir, with all due respect, please make a video on GATE exam. How to approach or prepare for the exam, where to focus on etc. I am from EE dept, but still some overall tips may be of genuine help. Thank you.

[@Prof_JC]

I never sat for GATE myself and I have never helped anyone directly in preparing for GATE. So it would not be okay for me to give expert advice on something on which I don't have proper experience.

[@ayandas2346]

No problem Sir. Thank you for replying.

[@iamritpal15]

Sir, are new IITs (3rd Gen. IITs) a good option to pursue PhD ?

[@utkarshpuri3739]

Hello sir, please guide me through my case. I'm currently a 3rd year student of NITW, civil engineering. I'm selected for direct PhD at IITD under a MOU. Under this, I'll spend my entire final year at IITD and then without GATE I can join PhD program at IITD. Now the thing is there's one subject that I literally enjoy doing which is not even an engineering subject. I'm talking about physics. I wanted to go for higher studies in astrophysics. But under the MOU, i'm getting structural engineering which is also really interesting. But when compared to physics, I think i can devote more time to physics. So shall i go for structural engineering? Or not, what to do! Please address my issue!

[@almostsurely808]

If you really really like astrophysics, go for it. It may be difficult at the beginning, but if you are willing to put in effort, it will be far far better than any civil engineering things. Don't end up in IITD. You sound like a person made for greater things. You are young still. Dare to dream big.

[@sandhya5236]

Very nice and informative video Professor. No one will dissect and explain such details. I think ur channel name should be changed as " An honest guide to PhD Students"

[@Prof_JC]

Thank you. Nice suggestion. But that will prevent from posting other types of videos! :)

[@sandhya5236]

@@Prof_JC yeah I know Professor, just joking, since most of ur content revolve around PhD. May be once ur PhD series gets over, pls do some series for school students, if possible Sir. Thank you

[@Prof_JC]

@@sandhya5236 Yes, yes of course I knew that remark was in jest! I am afraid I am no expert on school students ... but I'd very much like to share some things for senior school students especially for maths.

[@sandhya5236]

@@Prof_JC that would be really awesome Professor

[@siri2307]

Am a research student. Sir please kindly guide me on how to improve my writing skills in context with my research

[@Prof_JC]

I am afraid that there is no magic bullet for this. It is a process where you have to consciously invest a lot of effort. First, you have to read a lot. Both technical articles from your research domain as well as high quality text (editorials of newspapers, non-fiction books). But when you are reading, you have to very, very conscious about what you are reading. Don't go for covering huge amounts of material (we never learn anything by speed reading!). Be slow and deliberate. Go through the sentences appreciating the idiomatic usage of words, the construction, the logical flow, the coherence of the sentence structure. Second, you have to write. And find somebody (perhaps a friend who is really good at written English) to go through your write-up and give absolutely honest critical feedback. Take that feedback in a positive way. And then write again keeping the tips and corrections in mind. I know this is a very tedious and laborious process, but that's the only way you can fundamentally improve.

[@venkatahegde4412]

One silly question : do majority of PhD candidate select junior professors? Or do they see the research topics?

[@Prof_JC]

I think majority of the students just before entering PhD wish to go with the big-name profs and understandably so! Many will go for their research topics ... but every thing may not always line up perfectly ... the exact topic in which the student wants to work may not actually be actively researched in the Department where he gets selected ... in which case he would like to go with the big-name professor in the broad domain he is interested. Sometimes, profs wish to take on certain students ... and frankly speaking just after Masters, it is rare that students know that much to be able to make a genuine claim that they are "interested" in something to pursue that ... and so the profs may encourage the selected students to work on other topics.

[@pratikavinash5072]

Sir i am an upcoming post graduate student in IITDELHI. And i am very much fascinated about PhD but almost everyone told me like " agar PhD karni hai to abroad se karna ". Please share your views on this. Also i belong to a lower middle class family , so is it possible for me to get a PhD position abroad ?

[@Prof_JC]

Doing PhD abroad can be a truly enriching experience IF you get to work with a proper supervisor. However, each PhD journey is unique and don't let general pieces of advice from random people dictate your decisions. Listen to everyone but at the end decide what you think is best for yourself. It will be really great if you can directly chat with someone who is currently doing his PhD abroad. Since you are from IIT D, finding such a person from your senior batches should not be extremely difficult. After talking with such a person, you can learn about many of the ground realities. And, finally, note that belonging to a lower middle class family will not be a deterrent (at least not in a big way) to your doing PhD abroad. That decision should primarily be influenced by your academics and your mentality (you will need to have quite a bit of fortitude and self-drive to carry yourself properly abroad). I wish you all the best for you to take a wise decision perfectly suitable for yourself!

[@pratikavinash5072]

@@Prof_JC Thank You sir. I will consider your words for sure.

[@sourav_-_7038]

if i do PhD ever, i will do it from IGNOU. senior guide, new guide all are shit, at the end its me alone who have to do everything.

[@aryanmandal4109]

Sir, sorry to disturb you at this point of time but I have a really urgent request to make to you from the incident I have just witnessed. One of my sister in long relation is doing a job in a tech company but now she has decided to quit it and apply for the PhD programs. But her family is totally against this decision because PhD is a really long term game and they are saying that it would be really hard for her to get married if she crosses a certain threshold age limit which is considered optimal for marriage (according to them). She is trying really hard to convince her parents but all her efforts are going in vain. Her parents are saying that they need some sort of external validation kind of thing about the career which she is going to pursue. When I got to know about this, I thought how great it would be if some professor can help and try to convince the parents in this kind of circumstances because hardly anyone will not take the word of mouth of a professor 😃. Therefore it is my request to you sir whenever you make your next video please make the video on this critical aspect because no one recognizes the efforts of students which they make in trying convincing their parents for the career decisions they are going to take. Doing a PhD in itself is a very tough task and therefore only 0.1% of the students opt for this career. THE PERCENTAGE OF MALE POPULATION DOING RESEARCH IN ITSELF IS VERY LESS BUT FOR THE FEMALE POPULATION IT IS EVEN MORE WORSE or RATHER I WOULD SAY WORST AND THAT I HAVE REALIZED TODAY. Therefore we should not wonder when we are amazed by seeing that 'A GIRL IS DOING THE RESEARCH'. It has become such a normalized thing to say that. Therefore please make a video on this critical aspect faced by girl students so that it can help at least one family by your video. Namaste Sir 🙏

[@Prof_JC]

That is an extremely important issue, and something that I have myself thought about it. But there is a big problem involved. You see, I can very well come up with a few points that will argue for the case of more women coming to research. But doing a PhD is a very individual journey. Every student - every girl student - has to actually face this journey by herself. And, when doing so, she has to contend - all by herself - the practical difficulties that will inevitably come from lack of family support. So, even if before starting a PhD, the girl's family is not supporting her, I am afraid their mentality is not going to change through any external validation. Another point which we cannot shy away from is that there IS uncertainty in the PhD journey. There is NO guarantee that the student will end up getting a job as per her liking. What then? In the very crucial stages when she is about to finish up her PhD ... if her family starts pressurizing her unduly for marriage and this and that, you and I will not be there to support her! I think if she wishes to really do a PhD, then let her take the decision strongly knowing fully well that it will be a doubly arduous journey compared to a boy student - I feel sad even typing out these words but this is the reality. Honestly, I cannot rest easy after looking at your comment ... and this sad reply that I have typed out. I will still try to think if I can come up with a few strong points that may perhaps help a girl student and her family to take a decision towards doing a PhD.

[@aryanmandal4109]

@@Prof_JC Am really obliged to you sir!! 🙏

[@ganesharya3512]

most of the senior prof are arrogant, and one cannot do discussions with them comfortably

[@sguptzz]

Currently in class 10th but still watching for knowledge :v

[@Prof_JC]

Here's hoping that you maintain such an academic track record that one day you may actually utilize this knowledge! All the best!

[@yourguide1734]

hope we had same facility back in our days.

[@somukumar3651]

I am sorry sir if I hurt u 🙏

[@Prof_JC]

What? Sorry, I don't know what you are talking about!

[@somukumar3651]

@@Prof_JC sir ek comment me maine iitkgp and aapko kuch biaa tha regarding gate exam during covid so for that

[@Prof_JC]

@@somukumar3651 Oh ok. Never mind and no problem! Actually quite a few students were upset during that time.

[@robensonlarokulu4963]

Not true, depends on the integrity of the professor at all.