A PhD in Snapshots

Summary

A PhD on average takes 5 to 6 years of time. For those who aren’t familiar with the academic world, this length of time often causes some confusion. What can you possibly keep learning for 5 years? To help answer this question, I’ve joined together progress reports I wrote up during various stages of my PhD. These reports were a condition of my funding from the Hertz foundation,which kindly supported me through 5 years of my PhD. The Hertz foundation requested that I provide reports of my research progress twice a year to demonstrate that I was making effective use of my scholarship. Each progress report below was written at the date indicated and has only been lightly edited, and consequently provides a glimpse into my thoughts as I progressed through the PhD. My progress reports started from the Spring of 2014, my second year in the program, so I’ve written a brief introduction for the 2012-2013 year to provide context. The reports were written for my scholarship committee and don’t discuss all my emotional highs and lows, but do provide an accurate snapshot of my progress and hopes through the degree. Prelude: Fall 2012 to Fall 2013 My first year in the program was mostly taken up by coursework. I took multiple classes on the theory and practice of machine learning, and various classes of algorithmic design. None of these classes particularly set my mind on fire, but machine learning was in the air, so I figured it was worth learning. I also “rotated” in various research groups. Stanford’s computer science department asked students to rotate between research groups, spending 3 months in each, to assess mutual fit between students and faculty. For those not familiar, the PhD is basically an extended apprenticeship between the student and their faculty advisor, so personal fit is absolutely critical. I rotated with two machine learning groups and a system software group. None of these particularly felt like a fit for me. The one bright spot in the year was landing ...