Building an Academic Career Abroad: A Personal...
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Building an Academic Career Abroad: A Personal Perspective
Halim Kusumaatmaja
Department of Physics, University of Durham
Universitas Negeri Padang
Selasa, 20 Agustus 2019
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Career Trajectory
Education:
• SD-SMA: Jakarta (1988-2000); Bronze medals APHO & IPHO
• UG: ITB (2000-2001);
• UG: U. Leicester, UK (2001-2004); Full Scholarship
• PhD: U. Oxford, UK (2004-2008), Full Scholarship
Postdoctoral Training:
• MPI Colloids & Interfaces, Germany (2008-2011)
• U. Cambridge, UK (2011-2013)
Independent Career:
• Assistant Professor, U. Durham (2013-2017)
• Associate Professor, U. Durham (2017-now)
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University of Durham (United Kingdom)
About Durham and University of Durham:
• 3rd oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge
• Top 5 university in UK rankings
• Top 100 university in world rankings
• 4 Faculties: Arts & Humanities, Science, Social Sciences & Heath, Business School
• Host one of two soft matter Centres for Doctoral Training in the UK
• Durham Castle and Cathedral are World Heritage sites
• Durham Cathedral was used to film Harry Potter and The Avengers, among others
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My Research Group
Current composition:
• 1 PDRA
• 9 PhD students
• ~2 UG final year students
• ~2 UG summer internships
Past group members:
• 4 Postdocs
(2 are now assistant profs in the UK)
• 12 UG final year students
• 14 UG summer internships
Topics:
Soft Matter and Biophysics
• Interfacial Phenomena
• Membrane Biophysics
• Phase Separation in Biology
• Self-Assembly
• Mechanics and elasticity
Methods:
• Lattice Boltzmann
• Molecular Dynamics
• Monte Carlo
• Pen & Paper
• Energy Landscape
• Collaborations!!!
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Steps to Become An Academic Abroad
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A PhD
What are supervisors looking for in a PhD student:
• Good communication skills: written and spoken English
• You can think for yourself; Have a curious and open mind
• You have useful skills FOR THEM
• Being independent and a good team player at the same time
What do you need:
YES: well-written and specific CV*
YES: good grades, in the UK usually GPA > 3.3/4.0
YES: good TOEFL/IELTS score
YES: has some research experience
YES: positive recommendation letters
* Include relevant prizes and anything that separates you from others academically.
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What is a Postdoc?
• Usually a PhD is not enough to get a position at a reputable university. A PhD is like “a license” that shows that you can do research.
• Characteristics of postdoc positions:
Temporary: 2-5 years
Usually work on a similar broad area, but on a new problem
Have more independence
• What you need to show:
You can do well in different environments and different problems
You can lead research, at least in a small scale
You have become a unique scientist
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Getting a Faculty Job Abroad
• The Job Expectation
Lead a sustainable research program
Write papers & speak at conferences
Supervise research
Teach at at BSc, MSc and PhD levels
Obtain funding, write grant proposals
Service for your department/university
Service for your research community
• Typically the proportion is 40% research, 40% teaching and 20% service (or something similar)
• Why it is an interesting job
I do what I want – academic freedom
Get to travel and share your ideas
Working with young bright people
Inspiring the next generation
Ok, not fun, but it’s taxpayer’s money
Make your institution great
Keep standard, get to invite people
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What is Soft Matter?
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Soft Matter refers to 'all things that are squishy’!
Soft Matter: Condensed or semi-fluid matter that is easily deformed by relatively small external forces and thermal fluctuations
A small object is made of Soft Matter if it makes you uncomfortable but does not hurt you when someone throws it at you…
What is Soft Matter?
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Soft matter is everywhere
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Composite materials:
Mayo, Paint, Blood,…
Pure liquid:
water, alcohol,…
Stretchy material:
Polymers, proteins,…
Examples of Soft Matter
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Soft materials are often a mixture of solid, liquids and gases structured on a particular scale. The details of this structure gives Soft Matter its properties
Solid
Solid
Liquid Gas
Liquid
Gas
Polymers
(mm)
plastics, fibres
Colloids, gels
(nm - mm)
cement, cosmetics
Foams
(mm - mm)
wools, insulation
Mixtures, emulsion
(nm - mm)
dressings, drinks
Foams
(mm - mm)
foodstuffs
X
Colloids, gels
(nm - mm)
cement, cosmetics
Foams
(mm - mm)
wools, insulation
Foams
(mm - mm)
foodstuffs
Better Together
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Typical Soft Matter can exhibit different properties on different spatial and temporal scales.
Timescale and structure are often related.
Complex Materials
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Soft matter can behave as a solid (elastic) or a liquid (viscous) depending on the timescale considered: this is called viscoelasticity
Youtube
Discovery Channel
The Viscoelastic Property of Corn Starch
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Weak bonds
Order on a particular spatial scale (mesoscale)
Self-assembly
InterfacesComposite materials
Soft
Matter
Some Key Themes of Soft Matter Science
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Soft Matter & Biophysics
Many concepts of soft matter in the context of materials show up in many biological contexts, e.g phase separation
Stress Granules
Bird feathersVinaigrette
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Building International Collaborations
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Interdisciplinary Science – Virtual Centres
UKCOMES
UK Consortium on Mesoscale
Engineering Sciences
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www.dur.ac.uk/soft.matter/cdt/
www.facebook.com/softmattercdt/
16 funded PhD studentships
for graduates per year in
Chemistry, Physics, Food
Science, Mathematics,
Engineering or related subjects
Centre for Doctoral Training in
Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces
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• Ideal preparation for career in industry or academia
• Multidisciplinary PhD programme – great science for many
student backgrounds
• Initial integrated training based in Durham
• PhD places at Durham, Leeds, Edinburgh, across a wide
range of schools and departments
• Mini-MBA summer school
• Industrial and international secondments
Centre for Doctoral Training in
Soft Matter and Functional Interfaces
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My Group’s Collaborators
• Industrial Funding
• Exchanges Grant
• Consortium
• Self-Funded
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Example 1: Global Challenges Research Fund
• Durham GCRF CDT: support a cohort of around 20 students working on a
specific challenge in one or more of the areas of the UN Sustainable
Development Goals with all PhD students coming from a DAC nation.
The Water Problem
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Water Harvesting Project
Raymond Christianto
PhD Student
Dr Yudi Rahmawan
Universitas Pertamina
Prof Jas Pal Badyal FRS
Durham Chemistry
• HK Visited Pertamina U for
SCKD 2017
• Indonesian student funded
by UK starting in Jan 2019
• Pertamina U will host
student during placement –
signing MoU this year
• YR visited Durham funded
by Pertamina
• Joint workshop in Dec 19
co-funded by Durham &
Pertamina
• YR is applying for grant from
DIKTI with us as partner.
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Example 2: Unpad Collaboration
Dr Irwan Ary Dharmawan
Universitas Padjajaran
• IAD visited Durham in 2018 funded
by Unpad
• Project: Modelling advanced oil
recovery
• Trained IAD & his students to use
our group’s software
• HK visited Unpad and gave public
lecture in 2018
• IAD won grant from DIKTI with us as
partner/collaborator for 2 years
• IAD visited Durham in 2019 funded
by DIKTI grant
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Opportunities
Various possibilities:
• Undergraduate Internships
• Durham Doctoral Studentships
• Beasiswa DIKTI
• Durham International Engagement Travel Grants
• Newton Fund Researcher Links
• Newton Fund Institutional Links
• GCRF Networking Grant
• GCRF Project Grant
1) What is the project/the aim of the collaboration?
2) Who are the people with suitable capabilities?
3) What are the benefits for both groups/institutions?
4) What are the possible funding schemes?
5) How do we get it done?
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Thank you for Listening!
Any Questions?
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Water Harvesting Project
Raymond Christianto
PhD Student
Dr Yudi Rahmawan
Universitas Pertamina
Prof Jas Pal Badyal
Durham Chemistry
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For a material to be ‘soft’, the interactions holding it together must be weak; comparable to the thermal energy available or the external forces
Solid ice Liquid water
Thermal energy ET available ET
~ kBT
A Question of Structure
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A PhD
What are supervisors looking for in a PhD student:
Step 0) Find a potential supervisor
Key Point: You are actually interested in their work
YES: read 1-2 of their papers, send a specific email
YES: say how your skills fit in their group
Hint: Do consider the funding issue early.
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A Real Example
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A PhD
What are supervisors looking for in a PhD student:
Step 0) Find a potential supervisor
Key Point: You are actually interested in their work
YES: read 1-2 of their papers, send a specific email
YES: say how your skills fit in their group
Hint: Do consider the funding issue early.
Signs of good supervisors:
• They publish well with their students
• Their students get good jobs after they leave
• Their students are enthusiastic when talking about their supervisors
Hint: Ask to speak with their students when you get an offer.
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A PhD
What are supervisors looking for in a PhD student:
Step 1) Paperwork
Key Point: Convince them that on paper you are worth talking to
YES: well-written and specific CV*
YES: good grades, in the UK usually GPA > 3.3/4.0
YES: good TOEFL/IELTS score
YES: has some research experience
YES: positive recommendation letters written with care**
* Include relevant prizes and anything that separates you from others academically.
** This means: the letter is clearly written for you!
Step 2) Interview
Key Point: Convince them that they can work with you
• Good communication skills: written and spoken English
• You can think for yourself; Have a curious and open mind
• You have useful skills FOR THEM
• Being independent and a good team player at the same time
• Secondary criterion: your personality, do you fit in the group?