Questions tagged [career]
For questions about careers and jobs in mathematics (inside and outside academia)
177
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3
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Advice on giving a good job talk [closed]
Dear Mathforum,
I am giving a job talk in the next couple of weeks and I am still struggling
to come up with a suitable talk.
I graduated in september of 2010 and so I have been a post doc for a ...
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26
votes
5
answers
3k
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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 ...
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 ...
1
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0
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Job applications: how important is it for letters of recommendation to be on letterhead? [closed]
Hello,
The context for this question: for liberal arts colleges, one of my letter writers is a fifth-grade teacher that I spent a year teaching with. She has written her letter, but is having ...
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7
answers
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What items MUST appear on a mathematician's CV?
Writing a CV makes me paranoid that I'm failing to abide by unwritten rules. Of course CVs are flexible to capture the diversity of accomplishments someone might have. But there must be plenty of ...
4
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6
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2k
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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 ...
15
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3
answers
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 ...
16
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4
answers
2k
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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 ...
8
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7
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5k
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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 ...
49
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3
answers
13k
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how to use arxiv?
This is a soft question. How do people usually use arxiv to put their papers? At which stage does one usually put his/her paper/report there? Someone suggests me to submit a paper while putting it on ...
17
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8
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4k
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Plagiarism in the community [closed]
I am a graduate student thinking about some stuff.
1) If I have an idea for a result but it is not yet complete, is it advisable to mention it to others (especially more experienced people)? Is it ...
52
votes
4
answers
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Changing field of study post-PhD
I am doing my PhD in algebraic graph theory, for not much more reason than that was what was available. However, I love deep structure and theory in mathematics, and I do not particularly want to be ...
11
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5
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4k
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Reference letters for teaching positions
I've been told that when applying for a teaching position, your reference letters can be written by anyone who is familiar with your teaching capabilities in detail. I feel that this primarily just ...
59
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9
answers
9k
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What universities have laid off tenured math faculty for financial reasons?
When a math department lays off tenured staff, people cry out loud.
But, 10 years later, such memories are no longer popular discussion subjects, and so the information doesn't always spread.
Those ...
158
votes
8
answers
6k
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Resources for mathematics advising.
This question is possibly ill-advised. (If it is not right for this site I will delete it.)
I, suddenly, have students.
It is very clear to me that there is nothing in my education that has ...
50
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15
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What math institutes offer research in pairs/research in teams?
Some math institutes offer programs in which a small number of researchers are enabled to meet at the institute for a week or more. A list seemed as if it could be useful.
10
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9
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Starting PhD at the age of 25 [closed]
For over an year I have otherwise been pretty active on MathOverflow but for this question I would like to remain anonymous.
I would be starting my grad school in Fall 2011 in the US while in the ...
2
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0
answers
379
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Does research-oriented position requires good teaching experience [closed]
I am wondering if the research-oriented position still requires good teaching experience, for example, is it 1 year teaching experience OK? Or not OK?I understand there is probably no absolute ...
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164
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21
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When should a supervisor be a co-author?
What are people's views on this? To be specific: suppose a PhD student has produced a piece of original mathematical research. Suppose that student's supervisor suggested the problem, and gave a few ...
18
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0
answers
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What to do when your work is 'dissed' [closed]
I'm posting this anonymously, for obvious reasons (if you guess who I am please keep it under your hat).
I recently finished my PhD and am about to publish the first paper from my thesis. No sooner ...
11
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7
answers
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
...
54
votes
8
answers
6k
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Proper way to deal with papers you've already refereed.
This question is anonymous for obvious reasons.
I referee what feels like a decent number of papers (though I don't know how many is normal!), and I try to take it seriously. Sometimes, based on ...
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14
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Webpages for specialized communities
First, my apology for this soft question. My excuse was that I really think this may be of interest to the community. I would understand if it gets closed (I have advocated closing some soft questions ...
3
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2
answers
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Advice on Giving a Talk [closed]
What advice do you have for giving a talk on a mathematical research paper to people in other fields in science (not physics nor astronomy) but without lot of math background?
Thanks.
11
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2
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What are an adviser's responsibilities? [closed]
There seems to be a wide variance in what faculty members view as their responsibilities as a student’s adviser. I understand that some advisers go above and beyond what's expected and we can't hold ...
10
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2
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Would it make sense to have someone write separate teaching and non-teaching letters of reference for one candidate?
There's a friend of mine (seriously, not me) who is facing a slight dilemma. There's a particular senior mathematician who he knows well (several co-authored papers, etc.) who also is probably the ...
28
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9
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Can breadth hurt a job candidate? [closed]
I am a junior mathematician, currently on the job market. I have been involved in a number of projects spread over several very different topics of mathematics, some being very mathematical projects ...
19
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1
answer
7k
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switching jobs when you have a tenure-track position [closed]
I hope this topic is appropriate for MO. I have a tenure-track position at a US university in a location where my spouse is very unhappy, severely underemployed, and has no real prospect of finding ...
3
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0
answers
442
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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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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 ...
6
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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 ...
8
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4
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Computational algebra: where?
I'm on my last semester of a math B.Sc. and about to start studying for a math M.Sc in the same institute.
It now seems like a good time to start thinking of a PhD.
I'm interested in both algebra and ...
24
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5
answers
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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 ...
7
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2
answers
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Does it ever make sense NOT to go to the most prestigious grad school you can get into? [closed]
I'm a senior undergrad at a top-ish(say, top 15) math school. I'm a solid, not stellar, student. This year I'm taking the qualifying exam grad courses in algebra and analysis and have been taken aback ...
72
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7
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When should you, and should you not, share your mathematical ideas?
Perhaps this is a biased forum for this "downer" question, but I've never figured this out. At what stage is it safe to share mathematical ideas? Many have told me that there is serious danger of ...
331
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16
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What's a mathematician to do?
I have to apologize because this is not the normal sort of question for this site, but there have been times in the past where MO was remarkably helpful and kind to undergrads with similar types of ...
4
votes
1
answer
451
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How up-to-date do teaching letters need to be?
Let's say that you're thinking of applying for TT jobs in the U.S., though it's not absolutely essential for you to do so this year (but there are some opportunities you don't want to pass up). Due ...
36
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3
answers
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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 ...
26
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3
answers
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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 ...
76
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6
answers
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Are there examples of (successful) NSF mathematics proposals available anywhere online?
As anyone who has ever applied to the NSF for a grant knows, such a proposal is a slightly odd piece of writing, not quite like anything else mathematicians are called upon to write. As such, it's a ...
9
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1
answer
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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 ...
34
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3
answers
25k
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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 ...
174
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8
answers
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How to escape the inclination to be a universalist or: How to learn to stop worrying and do some research.
As an undergraduate we are trained as mathematicians to be universalists. We are expected to embrace a wide spectrum of mathematics. Both algebra and analysis are presented on equal footing with ...
48
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4
answers
6k
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How much reading do you do before you attack a problem?
When going off on a tangent from your regular area, where, presumably, you have such mastery of all cutting-edge research from your routine reading that you hardly need to do any extra (if this is ...
9
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1
answer
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website for jobs in applied or industrial mathematics (or financial math) [closed]
What are the websites for general position in applied or industrial mathematics(or financial mathematics) related jobs (that is if we have to find a non academic job temporarily) ?Thanks!
136
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14
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Careers advice for Ph.D.s without current postdocs or university jobs
Hi,
I'm sure I'm not the only Ph.D. mathematician on MO in serious need of career advice. I'm sure there will be other readers in similar situations, who will find any good advice very helpful. Can ...
7
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2
answers
2k
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recommendation letter for teaching [closed]
I need a recommendation letter on my teaching. I want to ask the instructor in last semester for which I was a TA, but I don't know how his impression for my teaching. So do I need to ask him for his ...
42
votes
6
answers
23k
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"Industry"/Government jobs for mathematicians
Suppose that you graduate with a good PhD in mathematics, but don't necessarily want to go into academia, with the post-doc years that this entails. Are there any other options for continuing to do "...
25
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5
answers
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 ...
18
votes
5
answers
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 ...