1. Your strategic partner 1 TOWARDS THE DOCTORAL THESIS: EXPERIENCES Ilkka Saarinen 24.08.2001

2. Your strategic partner 2 CONTENTS TIME FRAME WHY HOW PUBLICATIONS CHALLENGES DEFENSE CONCLUSIONS

3. Your strategic partner 3 TIME FRAME Diploma thesis (in Finnish) from 1990 to 1991 –Simulation of fixed-point arithmetic by Fortran language Licentiate thesis (in Finnish) from 1992 to 1998 –Reverse link power control in DS/CDMA systems Doctoral thesis from 1998 to 2000 –Reverse link feedback power control in pilot symbol assisted systems DS = Direct Sequence CDMA = Code Division Multiple Access

4. Your strategic partner 4 WHY CDMA systems (confirmation also from industry) –UMTS standard 1998 Decision ---> goal(s) –concrete goal: e.g. to become a doctor, to publish –abstract goal: “do the best you can” Towards optimal systems Know the literature UMTS = Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

5. Your strategic partner 5 HOW Towards optimal systems –existing algorithms (simulations) --> adaptive (analysis, simulations) optimal (analysis) structure of thesis: optimal --> adaptive --> existing algorithms Aim to publish (finally journal paper(s)) –improves quality in work Literature search –by informatician (problem with providing right key words) –“Sherlock Holmes” (Srinivasan 1981 --> around year 1970) Collaboration –good advisor/supervisor –Aarne Mämmelä, Pertti Järvensivu, Keijo Ruotsalainen

6. Your strategic partner 6 PUBLICATIONS 2-3 conference papers --> 1 journal paper Journal paper –to receive comments to your work detailed answers to reviewers –iterations long delays (even several years) patience in review process “many kind” of reviewers –different kind of journals

7. Your strategic partner 7 CHALLENGES Numerical analysis with a computer (--> collaboration) Errors in the literature (e.g. numerical analysis) –cross-checkings To face the uncertainty during the work –e.g. numerical analysis (duration of more than half a year) To continuously learn new things –availability of proper courses/lecturers

8. Your strategic partner 8 DEFENCE Good reviewers –caused a birth of a new section into thesis Opponents –if not in the same area, possibly discussion in “wrong” issues Your family is present “What does not kill, strengthens you”

9. Your strategic partner 9 CONCLUSIONS Maturation process with encouraging motive(s) –“I would not give away even a single day” Publications are researcher’s credits It has an effect on salary