New Research Interest Doesn't Match Program

[miiu0751]

I am a first year PhD student in a Comp Sci program. The program is devised such that you are assigned an advisor upon admittance, but you're not expected to do research immediately (funding via TA-ships). Further, they allow you to switch advisors fairly easily.

I've come into the program from mathematics and neuroscience, but with no distinct research interests. They allow you to develop your research interests over the first year of the program during coursework, seminars, etc. If it turns out you've been assigned to an advisor that can facilitate these interests, great! If not, you may readily switch to another advisor given their approval. 

The good thing is that I've been honing in on the research areas of CS that I find thrilling and very much want to pursue seriously for my research: deep learning and artificial intelligence; specifically, spanning the gap between comp neuro and deep learning / ML.

The problem is that, as it turns out, my university lacks faculty that operate in these domains. There are one or two that work with neural networks and deep learning, but they apply the tools to topics that I haven't the slightest interest in.

The question is, "What do I do?"

I have two advisors, and both of them are absolutely fantastic people. They want me to start doing research this semester, and have obliged me to take their courses. Multiple problems:
First, I don't want to engage in research that isn't of interest to me (why would I put myself through the hell of a PhD to do something I don't want to do?). I don't want to waste my time, and I don't want to waste theirs. The problem is that they are a bit assertive, and I'm not. I don't know how to tell them I'm just not that into their research - despite how incredibly accommodating they've been for me.

Second, I have sat in their classes for the first week and I am just not feeling it. I would rather take other interesting classes that would definitely benefit me more. If I drop their classes, that's effectively dropping them as advisors.

And here's a big problem: I cannot drop them as advisors because I do not have another faculty that can supplant them. As mentioned above, simply no one is doing research remotely close to what I'm interested in doing.

I've drafted a few options, but I am unsure of what is reasonable. Before I enumerate them I should quickly mention that I have been able to get my offer from another university reinstated and I can begin Fall 2017. The program is in applied mathematics, but it will get me where I need to be. Further, that university has an exceptional CS department that has many people working on the problems I want to work on, and a number of those faculty happen to teach a few of the A math classes. 

Options
1. Bite the bullet and remain miserable for this semester in the hopes that things get better (but how could they?).

2. Bite the bullet and pump out one paper with current advisors this semester (we have a March deadline), do some summer research with them, then leave my current program and start at the other program, effectively starting from scratch (which I don't mind all that much). 

3. Drop both of their classes, take classes I'm happier with and that are more technical and beneficial, do something over the summer, then begin the alternative program.

4. Either beginning option for 2 and 3, but then take a leave of absence from my current program, go to other program and finish the master's, feel it out for a PhD there, and if it backfires I will have gotten the mathematical foundations I've been yearning for and I can return to my current program to pick up a second master's at minimum. At best, my research interests will have swung back into alignment with someone at my current program at that point in the future.

5. Either beginning option for 2 and 3, switch from a PhD student down to a Master's student in my current program, have no stress of needing to do research I don't want to do and just do the coursework master's, finish, then apply to a PhD program at a place that coincides with exactly what I want to do with my life.


I have fairly strong academics, NASA internships, have done very well in the program currently, and have done quality work (so-far) that my current advisors are quite happy with. The problem is that I don't want to continue on in this fashion. As a friend told me, life is short and I should be spending it doing what I want. Or put another way, since I'm not exactly sure what I want: Life is short, and I shouldn't be spending it doing what I don't want.

Does anyone have any advice for my lost soul? If so, I would immensely appreciate some outside input to the rumbling chaos that's internally churning away and gnawing at my motivation levels.

Thanks for reading this!

[TakeruK]

I think you've done a good job of thinking about your options and their consequences! My question for you is: are you going to be able to enter the research program you want at this alternate university? If you are certain that you can do what you want, that is, you have a promise from a faculty member there that shares your interests, then I think you should pick one of your options that will result in your starting at this new program in Fall 2017. I don't think Option 4 is viable---most schools will not let you start a program if you are on a leave of absence from another (unless this situation is special). Also, it's unlikely people will welcome you back with open arms if you leave them, try something different and decide you want to come back. 

So, if you are certain your Fall 2017 plans are going to make you happy, then take option 2 or 3. It really doesn't matter which one you take, do the one that you feel happier. I would pick Option 2, because it means more research experience and could result in a paper that will help you later. See also my note below on research interests.

However, if there's no guarantee that your current Fall 2017 plan will lead to the research position you want, then I think you should aim to start a new PhD program in Fall 2018, or "bite the bullet". Don't just jump ship to the other school because it's marginally better than your current situation---I think if you leave, you want to take the time to get in a place that is as close to ideal as possible. Thus, I would recommend staying the course with the current program and applying to new PhD programs this fall/winter for Fall 2018. I would not switch formally to a Masters program until after the summer. That is, give it until it's time to start writing applications to decide if you want to stay or not. If you complete a whole year at the program, your advisors will be more understanding that your research interests just don't fit the school. You would have done a lot of work for them and they will be happy to write you strong letters that can get you into the school that you want.

Regarding research interests: I agree with you that you should do what you want in life! But, I disagree that "life is too short to spend it doing what you don't want" applies here. I think it's true that you should not be spending your whole life doing what you don't want. But we are talking at most 1-2 semesters here, not the rest of your research career. As an academic, we all spend parts of our time doing research that are not our true passion. It's just the reality and nature of our line of work. I would encourage you to keep a more open mind. Your sentence,

11 hours ago, miiu0751 said:

First, I don't want to engage in research that isn't of interest to me (why would I put myself through the hell of a PhD to do something I don't want to do?). I don't want to waste my time, and I don't want to waste theirs.

strikes me as very immature, in contrast to your other well developed and thought-out reasonings in your post. I chose to say this honestly because I want to provide helpful advice and feedback. An academic/researcher should not be so arrogant that they would not consider working on things that don't line up with their interests. Again, this is not your dissertation work nor the rest of your degree. It's just something to work on until you get into another program. There are many other benefits to doing the work that aren't related to your interest in it.

[juilletmercredi]

An academic/researcher should not be so arrogant that they would not consider working on things that don't line up with their interests. Again, this is not your dissertation work nor the rest of your degree. It's just something to work on until you get into another program. There are many other benefits to doing the work that aren't related to your interest in it.

I agree with this - both for the research and the classes - if we are talking about the short-term, in which you are doing research and taking classes until you figure out what to do next. It's not a waste of time, even if it's not (or you think it's not) directly relevant to what you want to do next. You never know when your interests might evolve or interesting new areas may open up. I had to take a cognitive psychology class when I was a new graduate student, and I didn't really like the class but tried to do my best in it. Lo and behold, 6 years later I took an interest in cognitive decline in older adults living with HIV - an area I would've never previously explored. And now I work in a different field where some understanding of cognition and perception is really useful.

I agree that long-term you shouldn't work on anything you aren't passionate about, but in the short term, taking classes and doing some research in areas that aren't strictly your passion can be beneficial - especially if you get a publication out of them!