1. April 12, 2006 Finding a Research Topic Anirban Banerjee and Michalis Faloutsos, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California at Riverside

2. April 12, 2006 Problem Addressed  How to identify a research area that is both interesting and exciting for you.

3. April 12, 2006 Outline  Problem addressed  The “Right” Research Topic  Identifying your Preferences  Interacting with people  Recap

4. April 12, 2006 The “Right” Research Topic  A field that compliments Your personal preferences. Your technical strengths. The professional profile which you foresee for yourself after your PhD.  Makes you feel like waking up each morning and getting to work as soon as possible.

5. April 12, 2006 Characteristics of the “Right” Research Topic  Interesting for you  Well specified Can you explain it in 3 lines, 1 paragraph, 1 page?  Scope for your contribution  Ask What needs to be done, not what can I do  Will people care? Do your best, and people usually start to notice.

6. April 12, 2006 Outline  Problem addressed  The “Right” Research Topic  Identifying your Preferences  Interacting with people  Recap

7. April 12, 2006 Identifying your Preferences  Are you interested in Theory or Implementation, perhaps visionary work?  Expand your horizons Take courses to get an idea of different areas Take up projects Read Tech. Journals and articles

8. April 12, 2006 Identifying your Preferences  Out of all the choices Which one gets you most interested Which one seems to be “cool” to you Read more on that area  You will finally identify your area of choice.

9. April 12, 2006 Doing research is a Continuous Process  Cycles of expanding and focus Try to narrow things down in each cycle  From a boring/done topic -> new dimensions  A balance between in trying an idea/direction Giving up too easily Persisting on a dead-end  Tip: often you can apply your current skills to a new problem formulation

10. April 12, 2006 Optimistic view  Good things happen to people that try  However, keep your ears open  Take advantage of opportunities Establish collaborations with people See what industry wants (internships)

11. April 12, 2006 Outline  Problem addressed  The “Right” Research Topic  Identifying your Preferences  Interacting with people  Recap

12. April 12, 2006 Interacting with people  There is no substitute to interacting with people. Talk to your advisor. Talk to fellow students Talk with people who are actively working in your area of interest Talk to few professors in other research areas  Sometimes a completely different viewpoint is helpful

13. April 12, 2006 Caution  Listen to and consider what people say  Don’t change topics every time you talk to someone

14. April 12, 2006 Outline  Problem addressed  The “Right” Research Topic  Identifying your Preferences  Interacting with people  Conclusion

15. April 12, 2006 Outline  Problem addressed  The “Right” Research Topic  Identifying your Preferences  Interacting with people  Conclusion

16. April 12, 2006 Conclusion  Be positive and proactive.  Repeat cycle to select your topic your interest.  Talk to advisor, students and people working in your area of interest.  You must be persistent and finally commit at some point.  Just keep in mind: There is no magic recipe.

17. April 12, 2006 Good Luck!