Questions tagged [career]
For questions about careers and jobs in mathematics (inside and outside academia)
178 questions
13
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Is it possible to get another math PhD
My undergrad being in a field other than mathematics (and not in the US), I couldn't get into the Princeton/Harvard/MIT tier of universities for my math PhD. I settled for a lesser program and got my ...
26
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5
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Presenting work in progress [closed]
At some point in the evolution of a project, one has to decide when to start talking about it in seminars and at conferences. I am interested in hearing about how other mathematicians make this ...
7
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5
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What does a mathematician expect from mathematics education? [closed]
Consider that my question is not a personal and/or subjective question. Perhaps, you have hired a mathematics educator in your department and you are interested in finding a way to communicate with ...
26
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2
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When a journal doesn't give your work a fair chance [closed]
There is no way around the fact that determinations about the relative contributions of papers and journal acceptances will always be highly subjective. In addition, editors and referees are busy ...
13
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8
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What to look for in applicants to graduate programs (in mathematics)?
Hello,
I was thinking about what should be looked at when deciding on the admission of applicants to graduate programs in mathematics and I thought MO would be a good place to get opinions. What do ...
4
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1
answer
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Should a job application research statement include a "research plan"?
I am wondering whether I should include a "research plan" as part of my research statement for the academic job market. My concern is that my research plan may not exactly match the projects being ...
8
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7
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Notable math from those without math PhDs [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What recent discoveries have amateur mathematicians made?
Can anyone give historical examples of people outside of mathematics that have contributed to the literature? I'm ...
13
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2
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Does this qualify as "self plagiarism" or something?
Over the last few years, I have been writing several papers in the same direction as part of a research program. This means that the same exact setup is introduced at the beginning of each of my ...
8
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2
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2k
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Publication in proceedings
Why and how publishing a paper in proceedings?
What are the difference with a "classical" journal?
What's the list of the main proceedings in which one can publish?
Do proceedings papers (never, ...
36
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7
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2k
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Informal online seminars or reading groups via videoconferencing?
Does the following exist, and if not, does anyone besides me wish it did? A web site where a mathematician (say) could find other mathematicians who want to study the same book or paper, and arrange ...
3
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1
answer
1k
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"Significant results" vs "Key outcomes or Other achievements" [closed]
The NSF annual report asks for "Significant results" and "Key outcomes or Other achievements." What is the difference between these two categories?
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33
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3
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How to transition from pure math PhD to nonacademic career?
I'm finishing up a PhD in math and am thinking about options outside of academia. So far, I've really only focused on pure mathematics, but I have a year left of grad school. Suppose I am interested ...
16
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4
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How important is it for one on the job market to have thought about suitable REU projects?
An REU is a "Research Experience for Undergraduates" and entails undergrads (usually after their junior year) coming for 8-10 weeks out of the summer to University X to learn about and work on a ...
27
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3
answers
1k
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Graduate program applications that require questionnaires and other non-letter material
In the December 2014 AMS Notices, a letter to the editor (http://www.ams.org/notices/201411/rnoti-p1311.pdf) by Deconinck and Medlock addresses the problem of (math) graduate programs requiring letter ...
18
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5
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5k
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Advice on changing topic for thesis problem
I am starting to find my thesis problem not meaningful nor interesting and too technical. As I learn more mathematics I am finding myself attracted to other topics and only started on my intital ...
2
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1
answer
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Can NSF Broader Impact be an unrelated volunteer activity? [closed]
I’m a graduate student preparing to apply for an NSF fellowship and I volunteer a few hours a week working on what I think is a pretty important cause. It has nothing to do with my research or science ...
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18
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2
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4k
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The non-traveling mathematician problem
This is a career question. I have just begun a research postdoc position in Southern California. It has been hard, but I've enjoyed teaching my first graduate courses and working on research and ...
17
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1
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Seven pages -- too long for a research statement for postdoc application?
My question is rather straight forward. I am currently applying for postdoctoral positions in (pure) mathematics. I am almost done writing my research statement and it seems to come out to about seven ...
36
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3
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What counts as an 'invited' talk?
When you write your CV, what do you count as an invited talk? Does it count if you're invited but not provided funding (this has happened to me several times at AMS special sessions)? What if someone ...
17
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2
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5k
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How to make the move to a research university from a liberal arts school?
Some mathematicians are in positions that emphasize teaching at predominantly undergraduate colleges but find themselves desiring positions at research universities. This may happen because their ...
23
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5
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7k
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Moving to academia from industry
I hope that the following question is suitable for MO. There have been several others in a similar vein, including this one about moving from maths into industry, this one about careers advice for ...
10
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7
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5k
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How to/Can you get a PhD position when you need more experience first?
My friend loves mathematics and wants to continue research as a
mathematics PhD student, but this doesn't seem possible!
She did a prestigious but inadequate bachelors program (almost no math) and
...
23
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0
answers
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"Matchmaking website" for project-specific mathematical collaborations [closed]
It seems that even in the age of Internet, most mathematical collaborations are born (and pursued) off-line.
However, I wonder if there exists a "matchmaking website" for mathematical ...
user60665
4
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2
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1k
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How hard is it for a teaching-oriented lecturer to get tenure in mathematics in the United States? [closed]
My questions is different from this post.
Suppose a math's PhD is
1) not very successful in his PhD program research and fails to find an ideal postdoc.(But he is still eligible to gain a PhD ...
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19
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2
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5k
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Training towards research on birational geometry/minimal model program
Being a not yet enrolled independently supervised graduate student in mathematics, with prospects of applying to American graduate schools hopefully in a 1-2 years' time, I have a background of having ...
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16
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6
answers
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Curriculum vitae: including grants you've applied for, not received (or not yet received).
I've heard from multiple sources now that one's CV should include grants you've applied for, even if you didn't receive them or won't find out if you've received them until after your CV goes out. I ...
22
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2
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3k
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Publication and Career as a fresh Ph.D
This may be a little off topic.
But as new Ph.D in geometry/topology area, I have a feeling that it is relatively harder to publish a descent paper. However after seeing some peers who study PDE or ...
28
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5
answers
4k
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How does one handle two-body job searches?
One thing I've heard conflicting advice on is how to handle a job search for two people simultaneously; especially the strategy of things like: when do you mention your situation to the departments in ...
0
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1
answer
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Thematic programs for collaborative research (similar to the one in Bonn) [closed]
The Hausdorff Institute in Bonn periodically organizes thematic junior trimester programs, which "give young mathematicians (postdocs, junior faculty) the opportunity to carry out collaborative ...
24
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5
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4k
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Choosing postdocs
In this period I have been applying for some postdoc positions. One of the main difficulties is that there is no central organization, so the times and practices for applying vary considerably even in ...
9
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1
answer
1k
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How common is it for universities to create new positions for dual hires?
Let's say you happen to be a mathematician, and your spouse is also an academic and in a humanities field in which there are very few jobs advertised. Assuming that you can convince universities to ...
14
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3
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4k
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Things to keep in mind while looking for a Postdoc overseas
Hello,
I would like to receive some suggestions about what you think to be the best important things that should be kept in mind while looking for a postdoc position. I'm not considering (in this ...
9
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0
answers
1k
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Can the Math 2.0 Forum's Closure be prevented? [closed]
Apologies if this is not regarded as suitable for MO, but I have noticed other "soft" questions and feel this deserves some attention by the community, and did not know where else this could be asked.
...
2
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0
answers
562
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How practical is it to change research areas within math after a PhD? [closed]
The title says most of it really. How constrained are you in an academic career based on the topic of your PhD thesis? Is it plausible for someome to be researching in an area of math vastly different ...
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17
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3
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Contacting an eminent mathematician
I have recently started a PhD. and am researching an area that two now eminent mathematicians devoted considerable time to in the 1980s. However, there appears to have been fairly moderate focus on ...
4
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6
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Level of detail on a Phd application [closed]
I am a graduate student planning to apply in Australia for a PHd very soon.
I have observed that most of the universities require the applicant to provide a 100-words summary of the research they ...
1
vote
0
answers
202
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Doubts related Shifting from Pure to Applied math [closed]
I am a second year (Pure) Math and (Theoretical) Physics undergraduate in India. I want to do a masters in Applied/Computational Science or Math, for which I have apply after next 7 months.
I have ...
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27
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3
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Broader impacts and synergistic activities
Since it was suggested on my last NSF proposal question, I thought I might also tap the collective brain on the question of broader impacts and synergistic activities. These concepts are still ...
16
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4
answers
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Is it possible to write a research statement which is too short?
We all know that it is possible to write a research statement which is so long it becomes counterproductive. At some point people will give up on reading it.
But can you write one (let's say for job ...
14
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5
answers
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Reference letters for graduate school after a couple years in the industry
How does one return to graduate school after spending a couple years in the industry? In particular, what are ways of getting good recommendations? I'm not concerned about the "adjustment" to the grad ...
10
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1
answer
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Shortlists and job offers [closed]
I hope this question is appropriate for MO. I started application process this year. I've searched several online ads for a job and found a wiki page, which contains names of people that have been ...
4
votes
1
answer
8k
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how do I withdraw my submitted paper? [closed]
I submitted a paper and unfortunately, about a week later, found a glaring error in reasoning in one of the proofs. Since the paper had been submitted only 1 week, the journal website said it hadnt ...
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8
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3
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Switching tenure-track position [closed]
I have a tenure-track position at a research university (among top 20 in USA) in a decent city. This has been my fourth year as a tenure-track. I still have not heard from my department regarding the ...
24
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3
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2k
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How to assess research "impact" for tenure/promotion committees
Over the last several years, the college-level promotion & tenure committee at my university has increasingly been seeking to apply "objective" criteria for assessing the impact of candidates' ...
24
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3
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How do you make a good math research poster for a non-mathematical audience?
I have the opportunity to prepare a research poster for a non-mathematical, yet scientifically savvy audience, and I want to do it well. I have asked a few mathematicians, and I have heard the ...
5
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5
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Universities not listed on mathjobs
I am now applying for postdoc positions and faculty positions at teaching colleges, all through mathjobs. I have a location constraint, and so am applying to universities all within a single ...
5
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1
answer
3k
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Preparing for Set Theory Research
Is reading Jech's text on Set Theory too little, just enough, or overkill to prepare oneself to do independent research in set theory? This would be my first attempt at doing independent research ...
3
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0
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Website for temporary instructor/lecturer positions [closed]
Is there any website for temporary instructor/lecturer positions in mathematics? Or do we have to check school's websites one by one?
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6
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Is there any disadvantage from non-academic job turn to academic job in math
If you get your PhD in math , and then work for 1 or 2 years in a non-academic institution and then turn to apply for postdoc or tenure-track position in math like usual, is there any disadvantage (I ...
12
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2
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How should I publish my "story"? i.e. strategies and advice on chopping up a thesis [closed]
Background
In my thesis I look at same problem from a couple of different angles. To state it roughly, in each chapter I use a different technique or area of mathematics to try and gain further ...