Home Page of Prof.
David Gesbert
Why the heck do a
PhD???
This page is intended mostly to Eurecom (or other)
students who might be interested in pursuing a PhD in the Mobile Communications
Department.
Hopefully you will
get some idea of why it might (or not) be a good idea for you to steer into a
research career. The most frequently asked questions about PhD and a
researcher's career and their answers below only reflect my own views
on the topic!
If you have more questions, feel free to
walk by my office...
See also the Eurecom web page about doctoral programs.
Why do a PhD?
Having a PhD is mandatory to start a
career as an academic researcher (university prof, research director, etc.) and
is strongly recommended in the case of a research engineer in the
industry.
What career will the PhD introduce me
to?
Overall, the PhD prepares you to a
career of researcher or research lab leader (although many other routes can
be followed later on, including tech entrepreneur etc.)
The key characteristics of a
researcher's job are
-
Passion for a scientific topic or
set of scientific topics
-
Great flexibility in choosing
your topic of work and way of working
-
High level of independence (like an
artist with a monthly paycheck!)
-
Ability to create network of
collaborators throughout the world
-
Traveling to conferences to present
your findings
-
Coaching students and other
researchers
-
Often these days, interacting with
industry to obtain research contracts
-
Lower pay than business or industry
profesionals (hey, there is no free lunch!)
What skills does it require?
- Intellectual creativity
- Passion
- Scientific rigor
- Patience and calm
- (English) oral and written presentation
skills
- For students, a very good academic record in the courses
related to the considered research topic
When do
I start my PhD?
- As early as right after your Masters of Science or French
DEA (in the same area as the PhD). A couple of years of experience in industry
can be ok too.
When do I start thinking and
preparing for my PhD?
- Assuming you have the skills above (or most of them) the
limiting factor to start your PhD is to find funding to cover your
salary. Getting funding involves finding a supervisor and a topic
first.
- The process above may take up to a year (and no less than
a couple of months) so it is a good idea to go discuss with a potential
supervisor as soon as possible so he/she can start the fund raising
process.
How do I pick my topic?
- You need to choose between a fundamental research topic
or an applied, industry related topic.
- The final topic is the result of a discussion
between you and the supervisor. The topics I offer cover problems in signal
processing, communications theory and wireless networking.
How long will it
last?
- Usually, no less than 2.5 years, no more than 4 years (in
France), most likely 3 years.
Do i need to teach during the PhD?
- At Eurecom,
normally not. You simply do your research, unless you obtain a stipend that requires some teaching assistantship.
What are the requirements to obtain the
degree?
- You're expected to collect enough findings within
your topic to be able to publish 1-2 journal papers and 2-4 conference papers.
There is no grade. It is by the number of publications and more importantly by
their scientific impact (how many other researchers read and refer to
them) that you will be judged.
- You must summarize your results in a report and
"defend" orally your PhD in front of a jury.
How do we finance the
research?
- Using scholarships that cover your salary. Setting up
financing takes time (6-9 months). Some information is available in French
below: