Choosing an advisor

the ideal advisor will be in the area you're interested in working in, and will actively be doing high-quality reseach and be involved in and respected by the research community.

What makes a good PhD student?

Georgia Chenevix-Trench¹

Some tips for PhD students.

Doing a PhD should be fun and rewarding, because you can spend all your working time discovering things and pursuing ideas — and getting paid for it, without any administrative responsibilities. Those who stick with a career in science do so because, despite the relatively poor pay, long hours and lack of security, it is all we want to do.

Unfortunately most new PhD students are ill-prepared, and as a consequence very few will fulfil their aspirations to be independent scientists. The main reasons for this are the 'grade creep' inherent at most universities, making it difficult to identify the really talented first-class graduates from the rest, and the pressure on universities to graduate as many PhD students as possible. The consequence is that we enrol far too many of them without telling them clearly what doing a doctorate should entail. We therefore set ourselves, and the students, on a path of frustration and disappointment.

So what should we be telling prospective PhD students?

• Choose a supervisor whose work you admire and who is well supported by grants and departmental infrastructure.
• Take responsibility for your project.
• Work hard — long days all week and part of most weekends. If research is your passion this should be easy, and if it isn't, you are probably in the wrong field. Note who goes home with a full briefcase to work on at the end of the day. This is a cause of success, not a consequence.
• Take some weekends off, and decent holidays, so you don't burn out.
• Read the literature in your immediate area, both current and past, and around it. You can't possibly make an original contribution to the literature unless you know what is already there.
• Plan your days and weeks carefully to dovetail experiments so that you have a minimum amount of downtime.
• Keep a good lab book and write it up every day.
• Be creative. Think about what you are doing and why, and look for better ways to go. Don't see your PhD as just a road map laid out by your supervisor.
• Develop good writing skills: they will make your scientific career immeasurably easier.
• To be successful you must be at least four of the following: smart, motivated, creative, hard-working, skilful and lucky. You can't depend on luck, so you had better focus on the others!

1. Georgia Chenevix-Trench is principal research fellow at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Herston, Australia.

情深說話未曾講

仍然在遠方　追我夢與想　繼續懷念你　卻又這麼漫長
從前未會想　感覺是雙方　你若燃亮我　我亦要懂得釋放
過去每日同路往　不懂珍惜那些境況
這晚我獨來獨往　卻是太後悔浪費共對時光

你這剎那在何方　我有說話未曾講
如何能連繫上　與你再相伴在旁
愛意要是沒回響　世界與我又何干
原來仍然是你　叫我永不斷自強　如晨光
(情意比天更晴朗)　(無數遠景再同創)　遙遙同往
(願再去找　更遼闊同行地方)

前進獨個闖　溫暖是妄想　每日來又往　也像隔一道牆
回頭又　再想　心裡漸奔放　你若能會意　掛念已找到方向

櫻花樹下

樹蔭有一隻蟬　跌落你身邊
驚慌到失足向前　然後撲入我一雙肩
現你腼腆一臉　像櫻花萬千

歸家那單車小徑　沿路細聽你的歌聲
沒法再三傾聽　你的感動匿稱

斷點

靜靜地陪你走了好遠好遠
連眼睛紅了都沒有發現
聽著你說你現在的改變
看著我依然最愛你的笑臉
這條舊路依然沒有改變
以往的每次路過都是晴天
想起我們有過的從前
淚水就一點一點開始蔓延

我轉過我的臉　不讓你看見
深藏的暗湧已經越來越明顯
過完了今天　就不要再見面
我害怕每天醒來想你好幾遍

我吻過你的臉　你雙手曾在我的雙肩
感覺有那麼甜　我那麼依戀
每當我閉上眼　我總是可以看見
失信的諾言全部都會實現

我吻過你的臉　你已經不在我的身邊
(雖然你不在我的身邊)
我還是祝福你過得好一點
斷開的感情線　我不要做斷點
只想在睡前　再聽見你的　蜜語甜言

不吐不快

只怕無法再有這種情懷
優美得共你同時在這世界
醜惡在於　赤子的胸懷
難敵這紛擾世態　為理想或求生在捱

默契

就是離別過　就是懷念過　便清楚愛怎出錯
便清楚你真的愛我　但往日我很傻

就是常做錯　就是求自我　未珍惜身邊一個
在此生再不想錯過　從年月裡　能全部看清楚

由始至終　只有你一位　難以代替　愛得多仔細
靜看著對方無言語　仍然是覺安慰
明天世間　怎去作估計　和你默契　愛一生一世
是你令人生能完美　誰人及你　等於我一切