Professor Acram Taji PhD- How do I get one?

What will I cover? Some background Global picture The Australian situation QUT status What is a PhD? Why do we do a PhD? Skills required to do a PhD What makes a PhD student successful Skills to be developed during PhD Supervisor’s role The changing nature of PhD Questions to reflect on

Our place under the sun

Background Brisbane Australia’s fastest growing city with a population of 2 million 26% of residents born overseas Over 15% speak a language other than English QUT in the top 10 universities in Australia Total number of students44,327 International students7,093 Domestic students37,234

Global picture China is world leader in producing PhDs- surpassed US in 2008 In US >1.35 million PhDs produced between 1920 to % in STEM Asian giant have awarded >240,000 PhDs in the past 30 years Brazil doubled the number of doctoral students in the decade to 2010 Number of science doctorate in OECD member countries increased by 40% in the decade to 2010 Egypt PhD enrolments doubled in the decade to 2010 Zimbabwe wants every university lecturer to have a PhD by 2015 Malaysia has a target of 60,000 PhDs by 2023 India’s plan is to graduate 20,000 PhDs per year EU plans to create 1,000,000 research jobs by 2020 Sri Lankan Status?

The Australian situation 1970s Australia had 11 universities and ~500 PhD students Today >25000 PhD students in Australian universities Last year >7500 PhD graduated from Australian universities Federal government largely controls the number of PhDs via available scholarships- e.g. APA

International students in OECD countries The percentage of all tertiary students in Australia who are international students is one of the highest among OECD and G20 countries with available data (2010). (OECD average = 6.9%)

% of HDR graduates The percentage of today's young people expected to graduate from advanced research programs in Australia ranks as one of the highest among OECD and G20 countries with available data. (2%, rank 9/36)

HDR load as a proportion of total student load

Higher degree research students at QUT over the years

HDR enrolments at QUT Top countries for enrolments in 2012 are: China (84), Malaysia (57), Saudi (49), Sri Lanka (42), Iran (39) YearTotal HDRDomesticInternational% Int

HDR completions at QUT YearTotalDomesticInternational% Int Highest number of completions are in Science and Engineering For 2008 to 2012 the top 5 countries (other than Australia) are: China (119), India (54), Taiwan (49), England (40), Malaysia (39)

QUT status FacultyTotalDomestic % International % Business Creative Industries Divn R&C Education Health Law Science & Engineering TOTALS 2, At present 721 IHDR students are enrolled at QUT

% IHDR Completion to total HDR in 2012 Across QUT 37% of all HDR completions in 2012 came from IHDR

Sri Lankan HDR statistics YearEnrolmentsCompletions *Unavailable As at 16/11/2013 The highest number of enrolment (55) is in Science and Engineering Faculty

Status of Sri Lankan applicants for QUT scholarships YearNumber appliedNumber successful% Total number of applicants has increased but % of success has declined More applications from other countries Number of scholarships remained the same

The changing nature of PhD? PhD remains the pinnacle of formal academic qualification- its “elite” status is being eroded Changes in research environment- greater emphasis on large scale interdisciplinary research managed to achieve outcomes identified in advance- as distinct from research whose major aim is to advance knowledge Mismatch between supply and demand- too many STEM PhDs for the available jobs

So what is a PhD?

Imagine a circle that contains all human knowledge

By the time we finish primary school, we know a little bit

By the time we finish high school, we know a little bit more

With a Bachelor degree, we gain a specialty

A Master or an Honours degree, deepens our specialty

We start our PhD by reading research papers, which takes us to the edge of human knowledge

Once we are at the boundary, we focus

We push at the boundary for a few years

Until one day, the boundary gives in

And, that dent we have made is called a PhD

The world now looks different to us

But we must not forget the bigger picture

Why do we do a PhD? Some of the reasons are: We want to learn a lot about a given topic and become a scholar We are passionate about inquiry and intellectual discovery We have an interest in actively shaping knowledge and a fascination in new leading edge knowledge that unites teaching with research We want to become analytical and strategic thinkers To help us with credibility in our work environment To enhance our career opportunities We like the title of Doctor…

Sigmund Freud said Scholars are people who give up power, riches and romance for the pursuit of knowledge- through which they may gain power, riches and romance

The PhD Process

Understanding the PhD form Background theory Gained through undertaking a critical evaluation of the literature in the field Focal theory What we are researching and why. Establishing the nature of our problem and set about analysing it Data theory Appropriateness and reliability of our data sources. In sciences it will entail the establishment of a theory supported by evidence and justifications of the experimental approach used Contribution The importance of our thesis to the development of the field of studies

know yourself Myers Briggs Personality Test (MBTI) There are 16 personality types. Take time to do a test to find your personality type. Then work on the weaknesses of your character. I am an ESJF: Observant Cooperative Informative Expressive By becoming more self-aware, we can become more comfortable with who we are and the changes that are taking place in us and around us.

Skill audit- How can I assess my skills? Undertake a SWOT analysis- strength/ weakness/ opportunities / threats Check the following website- Key skills for PhDs:

Top 6 key skills for successfully completing a PhD Intellectual curiosity The ability to work independently and as member of a team Organisation/ time management Communication Academic skills IT skills Numeracy skills Statistical abilities E-literacy skills Belief in ourselves Tenacity Persistence

What makes a PhD student successful? Perseverance- PhD is full of: Uncertainty Rejection Frustration Tenacity- thick skin Cogency Ability to clearly and forcefully articulate our ideas- PhD is about the science of discovery and the art of persuasion Balance between clarity and precision Your supervisor Understanding one’s supervisor Their goals Their skills Their likes and dislikes Their inadequacies

What students expect from their supervisors? Strength in relevant content and disciplinary domains Understanding methodology and data analysis relevant to the field Open-minded about different perspectives Communicate with student openly and frequently with sensitivity and respect Avoid derogatory comments Avoid meaningless statements-e.g. Rephrase this Good listeners Critically evaluate student’s work not the student as a person Supervisors are their collaborators

Setting expectations but expect the unexpected too Important to set the expectations as early as possible in candidature Expectations about milestones Expectations of each other Expectations about the nature of research Expectations about writing and turn around time Expectations about meetings Expectations about communication Expectations about the extent of support Expectations about publications/ authorship/ IP

Supervisor roles and attitudes An effective supervisor serves many roles: Director (determining topic and methods, providing ideas) Facilitator (providing access to resources or expertise, arranging field work) Advisor (helping to resolve technical problems, suggesting alternatives) Teacher (showing research techniques) Guide (suggesting timetable for writing up, giving feedback on progress, identifying critical path for data collection) Freedom giver (authorises scholar to make decisions, supports scholar’s decisions) Friend (extends interest and concern to non-academic aspects of scholar’s life) Manager (checks progress regularly, monitors study, give systematic feedback, help plan work)

The four ‘I’s of success Imagination Innovation Improvisation Imitation

Skills to be developed during PhD Research skills and techniques Research management and leadership Personal effectiveness The ability to communicate with public- art of explaining our complex work to a friend Networking and team working nationally and internationally Negotiation Career management Cultural understanding Dealing with and understanding political circumstances

Questions to reflect on What is your interpretation of a PhD? Why do YOU want to do a PhD? What are the characteristics and skills you have right now that will help you succeed in your PhD? What characteristics and skills you would need to develop further along your PhD journey?

Thank you for your attention Professor (Mrs) Acram Taji Queensland University of Technology GPO Box 2434 Brisbane, Qld., 4001, AUSTRALIA Phone: CRICOS No J