What is my advising philosophy, and how do I typically guide and support my students?
My advising style is adaptive and evolves based on each student’s stage of progress and individual needs.
Early Phase (First to Second Year): For junior Ph.D. students, I take a hands-on, structured approach to help them build a strong research foundation. This includes close guidance on problem formulation, methodological design, and developing core technical and analytical skills. I will guide them how to critically read research papers, design and validate experiments, and navigate the academic process research taste, literature review, paper writing, paper submission and presentations.
Mature Phase (Second year to Fourth Year): As students become more experienced, I transition to a more flexible and student-driven approach. Senior students are expected to take ownership of their projects, propose ideas, and independently drive their research. I provide targeted guidance, help refine directions, troubleshoot challenges, and support dissertation and publication preparation.
Career Development: I actively engage senior students in discussions about long-term career goals, whether in academia, industry, or entrepreneurship, and provide mentorship on professional development, networking, job applications, and fellowship proposals.
My ultimate goal is to foster independence, intellectual confidence, and research maturity while maintaining a supportive, collaborative environment.
Lab Meeting Structure and Expectations?
We follow a hybrid schedule alternating weekly between group meetings and one-on-one meetings. Group meetings are bi-weekly, lasting approximately 1.5 hours and one-one meetings are bi-weekly as well.
Group Meetings structured into two phases: i) student presentations, and (ii) group discussions about research. The duration of each presentation will be determined by our group size. This should be in-depth research paper presentations. ChatGPT-style presentation is strictly prohibited.
One-one Meeting style? Is an agenda required? How long are meetings?: I prefer that students prepare an agenda at least one day in advance of our one-on-one meetings. This agenda should summarize their progress and highlight any questions or roadblocks they’ve encountered. It also serves as a useful bi-weekly wrap-up to help students reflect on what they’ve accomplished over the past two weeks. One-on-one meetings typically last between 30 minutes and one hour, depending on the student’s needs. I encourage students to take notes during our meetings, especially on action items to help track their progress and maintain momentum. I may occasionally need to reschedule our regular meetings due to unavoidable and non-negotiable conflicts or last-minute meetings that arise.
Each project typically progresses through three phases: (i) problem formulation, (ii) solution implementation, and (iii) evaluation and paper writing. During Phase I, frequent discussions are essential for brainstorming and refining the problem definition, which often requires rapid iterations. Students are encouraged to request additional meetings if a quick discussion is needed outside the regular schedule.
In Phases II and III, we will follow a regular meeting schedule, providing students with sufficient time to focus on implementation, evaluation, and writing. If urgent questions or issues arise, students are always welcome to reach out via email or stop by my office for a quick conversation.
What is the best way to contact me?
Email is the primary and most reliable method of communication. I typically respond within one business day. If you don’t hear back within three days, please follow up with a reminder. Although I may respond outside normal hours due to my personal schedule, I do not expect students to reply outside of business hours unless we've arranged it in advance.
Feedback.
I am closely involved in the project and paper writing process. Students are expected to discuss the paper outline with me in detail, and we will iteratively develop the manuscript together. I ask that students submit a complete draft at least 20 days before the submission deadline. From there, I will provide substantial feedback and, if necessary, revise or even rewrite sections of the paper. During the final week before submission, we will continue to iterate on the draft to ensure it meets high standards.
Although I will take responsibility for the final version, students are expected to put forth their best effort in the initial draft. Through repeated cycles of writing and revision, my goal is to help students gradually build their skills and become increasingly independent writers, ideally reaching a more hands-off status within two years.
Expectations.
1) No fixed lab hours are enforced; students are expected to manage their time responsibly and make consistent research progress. 2) Students are responsible for defining research goals, planning and conducting experiments, analyzing results, and troubleshooting. 3) Regular reading and critical analysis of peer-reviewed literature is expected to stay informed and sharpen research focus. 4)Students are expected to collaborate, communicate professionally, and proactively seek help when needed. For example, when challenges arise, students are expected to seek support by discussing actionable issues (e.g., experimental bottlenecks, design trade-offs, or analytical gaps) rather than focusing solely on frustrations or general sentiment. This approach promotes efficient problem-solving and ensures productive advising interactions.
Note: I fully understand that some students may not have the necessary background at the beginning of a project. In such cases, I may provide the initial problem formulation and research ideas to help get the project started (Project phase i). This can be discussed on a case-by-case basis. While this approach may accelerate project progress, I believe it is less beneficial for the student’s long-term development. My goal is to guide students toward becoming independent thinkers who can define and drive their own research agendas.
Authorship Guidelines.
Authorship will be determined on a case-by-case basis, preferably discussed at the outset of each project. Generally, the student who leads the project and takes responsibility for at least two major components, such as proposal development, implementation, or evaluation and paper writing, will be listed as the first author. I, as the advisor, will typically be listed as the last author, given my role in guiding the research direction and substantially revising the manuscript and figures. Other contributors will be included according to the significance of their contributions or, when appropriate, in alphabetical order. All co-authors will have the opportunity to review the manuscript before submission. As the principal investigator, I reserve the final right of authorship interpretation and decision-making.
Vacations and Time Away
We follow standard academic breaks, which include post-semester periods, major holidays, and the winter break (December 22 – January 5). In addition, reasonable short breaks, such as taking a day off after a major paper submission, are encouraged and fully supported.
Graduation Expectation.
My general expectation for graduation is that Ph.D. students lead at least three research projects that collectively form a coherent narrative for their dissertation. For master’s students, the goal is to complete one substantial research project focused on solving a specific problem. In addition to research accomplishments, I expect all students to develop a clear career plan and long-term goals. The typical timeline for graduation is five years for Ph.D. students and two years for master’s students.
How to identify Great Papers? Please refer to the shared documents.
How to read academic papers? Please check the shared documents.
How to define research questions (Project phase 1)? Please refer to the shared documents.
How to implement and evaluate the proposed research method (Project phase 2)? Please refer to the shared documents.
What to Do After Receiving Reviewer Comments? Please refer to the shared documents.