3 ms·

It sounds like you possibly aren't that interested in the field and have some doubts about the PI. What about suggesting a small research collaboration first, l

It sounds like you possibly aren't that interested in the field and have some doubts about the PI. What about suggesting a small research collaboration first, like a summer project or paid as a summer research assistant? It is very common for incoming PhD students to have research ideas that don't perfectly overlap with their advisor -- so the goal is to find some overlap that works for both. That said, if you come in hoping to research X but end up stuck on Y for five years, that likely will not result in a great experience. I would also be open about your other research interests -- in fact many advisors love PhD students who seek out collaborations. Otherwise, this might end up a point of contention. As for independent research without a PhD, that is certainly possible and many people do it as a hobby. However, a PhD would help a lot if you want to professionally be a researcher. Grant money will often require a PhD-holding PI, as will many research jobs. Some people might be successful without one, but I'd place my bet on those already publishing a lot pre-PhD. Regarding a business, people commonly start one type of business (e.g. consulting) with the real goal to fund something else -- a product/research/etc. This seems to rarely work out, since the business itself is typically more time-consuming than expected.

_xrdj 3y ago
Small research collaboration is a good point, I'll offer it for discussion. I actually don't know who would be my PhD advisor and what would be their research interests. I am generally interested in AI, but my main interest for a dissertation/experiments would be electrical biophysics/biotech, for which I've already collected some theoretical and experimental basis and which at least in the starting point may not require AI. Alternatively, I have ~20 ideas for AI, like "it would be cool to apply AI to speed up clinical trials" (there are folks at Foresight Institute, as I've watched their recent youtube presentations, who are doing that), but no knowledge of practical implementation details of these AI ideas. Or I would be interested specifically in AI used in Levin's electrical biotech lab or for epigenetic clocks etc, but there seems to be no such AI agendas in this center. in this center they seem to be focused mainly on recognition stuff, and I'd like a more generational/engineering aid AI. i wouldn't care would an AI work on quantum fuzzy logic or on a slime mold logic if it only achieves the intended result. I was not planning to do PhD specifically in AI, but it seems at least better than random jobs. I do not have any publications yet:). I have only 2 ideas for 2 articles I could write and publish on my website which I hadn't set up yet.

_xrdj 3y ago

Small research collaboration is a good point, I'll offer it for discussion. I actually don't know who would be my PhD advisor and what would be their research interests. I am generally interested in AI, but my main interest for a dissertation/experiments would be electrical biophysics/biotech, for which I've already collected some theoretical and experimental basis and which at least in the starting point may not require AI. Alternatively, I have ~20 ideas for AI, like "it would be cool to apply AI to speed up clinical trials" (there are folks at Foresight Institute, as I've watched their recent youtube presentations, who are doing that), but no knowledge of practical implementation details of these AI ideas. Or I would be interested specifically in AI used in Levin's electrical biotech lab or for epigenetic clocks etc, but there seems to be no such AI agendas in this center. in this center they seem to be focused mainly on recognition stuff, and I'd like a more generational/engineering aid AI. i wouldn't care would an AI work on quantum fuzzy logic or on a slime mold logic if it only achieves the intended result. I was not planning to do PhD specifically in AI, but it seems at least better than random jobs. I do not have any publications yet:). I have only 2 ideas for 2 articles I could write and publish on my website which I hadn't set up yet.