Shall I just focus on getting a good job?

[Almeisan]

I have no such experience.

 

[micromass]

Alright, that's what I thought. Maybe you shouldn't be making such statements if you have no experience in the academic world.

I actually do have such experience. I'm a post-doc in mathematics and I work with professors every single day. Yes, writing grands is a big part of their job. But so is teaching. A professor here usually has an assigned amount of hours that he has to teach, it is very rare that he doesn't have to teach (this is probably different at other universities). But the main job of a professor is research. I know that all the professors I know actively do research and wouldn't be professor if they had to write grants all day and not do research. Furthermore, while a professor supervising 50 people happens in experimental science, I don't know any such example in theoretical science like physics or math. My current supervisor has about 7 students. Yes, she has a very busy job, but supervising students really doesn't take as much time as you think it does.

 

[Almeisan]

You got to be kidding.

Anyway, mathematics isn't strictly science and since mathematics differs so vastly, we should be applying it strictest sense. Come back when you have actual academic experience in an actual science.

In my setting it is the PhD candidates that supervise the students. Professors can manage PhD candidates, but that depends on how much staff that lab has. If the lab is big enough, there's likely to be an assistant or at least a post-doc that can do a better job.

If all your supervisor has is 7 students and you, how is that person a professor. How do you call the person she/he reports to?

 

[micromass]

OK, I'm going to ignore your troll comments about math not being science (it's not a science, but you're intentionally missing the point). Just know that this forum isn't like youtube comments. I think you'll find that out quickly.

In my setting it is the PhD candidates that supervise the students.

And what is that setting? You said you had no academic experience.

 

[Almeisan]

Ok so now I am trolling. I put down a wall of text and you put down a one-liner that's a veiled insult. Take your bullshit elsewhere, Mr Emeritus post-doc.

I have been at this place for over 10 years. Why should I be insulted by you and just suck it up?

 

[micromass]

Again, what is your exact status at the moment? Undergrad student? Grad student? In what field?

If all your supervisor has is 7 students and you, how is that person a professor. How do you call the person she/he reports to?

Professors work independently. But in terms of academic structure, above the professor is the department head and then the faculty dean. They're not exactly the bosses of the professor though.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Again, what is your exact status at the moment? Undergrad student? Grad student? In what field?

Here is a thread started by Almeisan below, back in Oct 2014.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...ith-phd-in-physical-molecular-biology.778153/

 

[micromass]

OK, so his background is biology. That makes a lot of sense, because such large research groups as he describes do happen there as far as I'm aware. So given that background, his replies make a lot of sense. I just wish he mentioned this immediately so we could have a constructive talk about this.

 

[atyy]

Even in biology, there is a lot of variability depending on research group. 50 is pretty much the upper end, even for a big lab. I've worked in 4 biology labs in the United States with 2 professors and 2 assistant professors, the largest lab had not more than 10 people at its largest, and more usually the size was between 4 and 8 people. My experience might be on the smaller end of things because I specialized in "small data" :)

 

[micromass]

I guess we have to take country in consideration too. From his writing style, I think I can deduce he's from the netherlands. So I don't really know what the specific culture there is. Aside from country, it depends a lot on the specifics of the university too. I'm just surprised that he said that professors don't have to do teaching. In my country -which should have the same specifics as the netherlands- university professors are required to teach a certain amount of courses; sometimes that is a lot of courses, sometimes it is only one each semester. The PhD students are usually there to guide the exercise sessions, but rarely to do the actual lectures themselves. I really wish he would return to this thread and clear up that he is in fact from the netherlands, and what the teaching requirement is on professors in his university. I'm really curious now.

 

[Dale]

closed pending moderation

Edit: we will leave it closed at this point.