4 ms·
It actually sounds like the "having published no papers" bit was the primary reason he wasn't able to get a job. Not having an advisor recommendation is not a
by pmiller2 10y ago
It actually sounds like the "having published no papers" bit was the primary reason he wasn't able to get a job. Not having an advisor recommendation is not a good sign, but it's hard to argue with published work.
- ithinkinstereo 10y agoThat's a valid point. I know in Mathematics quality seems to trump quantity but having _no_ articles certainly didn't do him any favors. But the lack of LORs... that would be a scarlet letter, no? I've never heard of a PHD advisor doing that; seems quite intentional and not at all like the way he presents it in his little essay I linked in my last post.
- argonaut 10y agoTrue, but it's not unheard of for math PhD's to graduate with no refereed publications (certainly they'll have a thesis), so it really was the lack of his advisor's recommendation that killed his career.
- justicezyx 10y agoI don't think a PhD can get any interview for academic jobs at all without adviser's reference letter. It's worse than no publications.
- cma 10y agoIt is worth noting he already had a published paper before arriving in the US.
- mikebenfield 10y agoPublication rates in mathematics are much lower than in other fields, so the lack of publications isn't completely unusual. The lack of a letter from the advisor though would be seen as a major red flag.