As a pure math phd student, how to get into the quantum research

[kade]

As a fresh pure math phd student, I aim to become a mathematical physicist, and currently I try to schedule out what I should do step by step in this four years on phd program. But in my university, there is no professor in this field could help me as my advisor. So I wish to get some advice here.

I wonder how could I get into research of quantum theory, quantum gravity, surviving in this research circle, that means, after my graduation, finding some university which is good at quantum science accepting me as its postdoc or faculty.

I suppose I should start with learning all the advanced stuff on modern math and theoretical physics. And seek some mathematical problems that need to be solved for quantum theory and solve it, making it as my desertation. But the problem is, to seek this kind of mathematical problem could cost me long time after long term of learning has already been payed on these tough stuff.

So it could be a really long term helping me unable to graduate and getting me into embarrass. Thus, I wonder if there is any mathematical problem that has already existed in quantum theory and quantum gravity constructing, and remains unsolved yet today, which I think I could pick up to consider and aim at right now.

 

[Demystifier]

See the problem 2.4 in this list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Prize_Problems

 

[ZapperZ]

As a fresh pure math phd student, I aim to become a mathematical physicist, and currently I try to schedule out what I should do step by step in this four years on phd program. But in my university, there is no professor in this field could help me as my advisor. So I wish to get some advice here.

I wonder how could I get into research of quantum theory, quantum gravity, surviving in this research circle, that means, after my graduation, finding some university which is good at quantum science accepting me as its postdoc or faculty.

I suppose I should start with learning all the advanced stuff on modern math and theoretical physics. And seek some mathematical problems that need to be solved for quantum theory and solve it, making it as my desertation. But the problem is, to seek this kind of mathematical problem could cost me long time after long term of learning has already been payed on these tough stuff.

So it could be a really long term helping me unable to graduate and getting me into embarrass. Thus, I wonder if there is any mathematical problem that has already existed in quantum theory and quantum gravity constructing, and remains unsolved yet today, which I think I could pick up to consider and aim at right now.

This is extremely strange and puzzling to me.

If there is no one at your university qualified to supervise your work in this area, and how are you allowed to do research in this area and do your dissertation in it? Maybe they do it differently in your country or in your university, but I find this extremely unbelievable that a higher institution would allow such a work when there is no one on the faculty member who can advise or supervise you in it. I can't see how your university or your department would allow you to proceed. I also do not understand why you enrolled in that institution if you know that it does not have the area that you wanted to go into.

This is definitely a head-scratcher.

Zz.

 

[kade]

This is extremely strange and puzzling to me.

If there is no one at your university qualified to supervise your work in this area, and how are you allowed to do research in this area and do your dissertation in it? Maybe they do it differently in your country or in your university, but I find this extremely unbelievable that a higher institution would allow such a work when there is no one on the faculty member who can advise or supervise you in it. I can't see how your university or your department would allow you to proceed. I also do not understand why you enrolled in that institution if you know that it does not have the area that you wanted to go into.

This is definitely a head-scratcher.

Zz.

Yea, it looks pretty wield and torturing me, but it does happen. My experience is circuitous. I choose it 'cause I have no other options.

 

[kade]

Yea, it looks pretty wield and torturing me, but it does happen. My experience is circuitous. I choose it 'cause I have no other options. Actually, I will not be allowed do some work on physics, but will be allowed to do some work on the pure math related to this physics field. So I have to seek some topics, and manipulate in pure math.

 

[ZapperZ]

Yea, it looks pretty wield and torturing me, but it does happen. My experience is circuitous. I choose it 'cause I have no other options. Actually, I will not be allowed do some work on physics, but will be allowed to do some work on the pure math related to this physics field. So I have to seek some topics, and manipulate in pure math.

This makes very little sense to me, but then again, maybe it is allowed where you are. Still, why can't you get advice from the relevant faculty members?

It is very hard to imagine a school letting you specialize in a topic in which there are no resident experts in that field. And I am often involved with students who spent more time away from their schools and did their research work at a National Lab and are supervised by someone other than their advisors/faculty supervisors. Even in these cases where the external scientists are more aware of what the students are doing their their immediate advisors, these advisors were still knowledgeable enough in those fields so as to know what the students were doing and periodically get updates and provide guidance/feedback to the students.

So I find it very difficult to comprehend your department allowing you to specialize in a topic such that "... there is no professor in this field could help me as my advisor..." You either need to seriously sit down with your own advisor and figure out what you can and cannot focus in, or there's something fishy going on here.

Zz.

 

[micromass]

This makes very little sense to me, but then again, maybe it is allowed where you are. Still, why can't you get advice from the relevant faculty members?

It is very hard to imagine a school letting you specialize in a topic in which there are no resident experts in that field. And I am often involved with students who spent more time away from their schools and did their research work at a National Lab and are supervised by someone other than their advisors/faculty supervisors. Even in these cases where the external scientists are more aware of what the students are doing their their immediate advisors, these advisors were still knowledgeable enough in those fields so as to know what the students were doing and periodically get updates and provide guidance/feedback to the students.

So I find it very difficult to comprehend your department allowing you to specialize in a topic such that "... there is no professor in this field could help me as my advisor..." You either need to seriously sit down with your own advisor and figure out what you can and cannot focus in, or there's something fishy going on here.

Zz.

And even if it were to be allowed, it would be a very bad idea to go into this. If you have no advisor who can adequately guide you, then your research will be very mediocre. You can't do this without a good advisor.

 

[kade]

Yea, it looks pretty wield and torturing me, but it does happen. My experience is circuitous. I choose it 'cause I have no other options.

And even if it were to be allowed, it would be a very bad idea to go into this. If you have no advisor who can adequately guide you, then your research will be very mediocre. You can't do this without a good advisor.

It really upsets me. So if I want to get into this field, I have to apply for another phd after this one is done?

 

[ZapperZ]

It really upsets me. So if I want to get into this field, I have to apply for another phd after this one is done?

Maybe you had forgotten what you asked for in the very beginning of this thread. You asked if, without the presence of any expert faculty members in an area that you want to go into, is it possible for you to specialize in that area. This is DIFFERENT than asking if, after you get a PhD in one area, can you then do research in another!

We have been addressing the former. And now, you are switching to the latter without any warning!

So what EXACTLY is it that you are asking for here? And why are you going to a university that does not have any specialization in the area that you wish to go into? This, you have never bother to explain.

Zz.