Questions tagged [career]
For questions about careers and jobs in mathematics (inside and outside academia)
37 questions
338
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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 ...
175
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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 ...
164
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21
answers
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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 ...
52
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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 ...
17
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3
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4k
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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 ...
51
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8
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14k
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The "derived drift" is pretty unsatisfying and dangerous to category theory (or at least, to me) [closed]
I'm currently a young, not-so-young mathematician, finishing its second postdoc. I developed an interest for rather different topics in the last few years but constantly, slowly converged towards ...
42
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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 "...
31
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11
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9k
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Switching Research Fields
I am a recent PhD specializing in algebraic geometry. But I also want to do research in some other areas of math (e.g. quantum computation, compressed sensing, and PDE's). What would be a good way of ...
29
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5
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5k
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Collaboration or acknowledgment?
This post is a sequel of: When should a supervisor be a co-author?
This time the topic is about the interaction between two professional mathematicians (in particular junior-senior, but not ...
18
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2
answers
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 ...
10
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9
answers
29k
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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 ...
158
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8
answers
7k
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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 ...
122
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16
answers
34k
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How do you keep your research notes organized? [closed]
One of the things I struggle with most in doing research is keeping my notes organized. Since research tends to do a lot of branching, keeping notes in a linear fashion seems useless to me. On the ...
104
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12
answers
32k
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Where are mathematics jobs advertised if not on mathjobs (e.g. in Europe and elsewhere)?
My impression is that in the US, there is a canonical place for finding math jobs, namely mathjobs.org. For those of us who live and apply for jobs elsewhere, life is more complicated, and searching ...
53
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8
answers
11k
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Publishing a bad paper?
First, I apologize if mathoverflow is a bad fit for this question, but it is the only place where I can think to get advice from professionals given my circumstance. I'm also sorry about any vagueness ...
49
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3
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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 ...
46
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8
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23k
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How hard is it to get tenure in mathematics?
My curiousity provoked by this question and Igor's answer, I'd like to know: how many mathematics PhD's who want to get a tenured job as a research mathematician actually get that job?
As a first ...
44
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3
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13k
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A second Ph.D. in mathematics?
I have now some problems about my research Career, I would like to tell my stories. I am a Chinese guy, but now a Ph.D. candidate in Germany, in the field of so called 'Geometric Analysis', but I do ...
43
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8
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7k
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Should one attack hard problems? [closed]
When I applied for a PhD student position I had an interview with two professors. Somehow we touched the problem if $P$ is $NP$ and, once we got there, for some reason both professors made it clear ...
39
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3
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4k
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How to write mathematics without typing?
What solutions exist for mathematicians who need to write papers, but can't type? (I'm an early-career research mathematician and I can't type for the next few months.)
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36
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7
answers
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 ...
36
votes
7
answers
14k
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Changing Careers: Becoming a Professional Mathematician
First, I apologize if this question is too soft or doesn't comport precisely with what is considered a good question, but I know of no other place to ask it.
A little background: I obtained an ...
33
votes
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 ...
31
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6
answers
8k
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Pros and cons of specializing in an esoteric research area
If a mathematician specializes in a popular research area, then there are many job positions available, but at the same time, many competitors who are willing to get such job positions. For an ...
31
votes
19
answers
7k
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Research-only permanent positions worldwide
Most academic jobs involve some amount of teaching. Post-docs generally do not, but they are only short-term positions.
Question: in which countries can one obtain a research-only permanent ...
30
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4
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7k
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When to start reviewing
Recently I had a few papers published, and I suppose in response to this, I received a request from Zentralblatt to be a reviewer. They ask some general questions about what I would feel comfortable ...
27
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3
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13k
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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 ...
24
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8
answers
6k
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Does your dissertation matter for industry research jobs?
Suppose Mr A. is a graduate student who, for some reason, does not want to go into teaching or academic research. Mr A. did a Doctoral dissertation, but it is in a narrow area. This area is not ...
22
votes
7
answers
3k
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Where to find (personal) motivation [closed]
I think it would be appropriate to make this question CW...
It is likely that this question will not survive here on MO for long, but I do hope that the community gives it a chance. I also hope to ...
19
votes
2
answers
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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17
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8
answers
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 ...
16
votes
12
answers
18k
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How important are publications for undergrads?
I have heard vastly conflicting statements about whether undergrads applying for PhD programs should have published already, or what level of research will be expected of them. Looking at CVs of some ...
16
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6
answers
17k
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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 ...
13
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2
answers
2k
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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 ...
13
votes
8
answers
21k
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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 ...
8
votes
4
answers
7k
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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 ...
-1
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1
answer
1k
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Publication Of 50 pages [closed]
Does anyone know of a research journal in mathematics that is willing to publish 50 pages of peer-review research? I would like to submit research that explores how to develop predicate models for ...