- #1
AryaKimiaghalam
- 84
- 6
Hi all,
Hope you are doing well.
I'm a current grad student in applied geophysics and will finish my PhD in about 2 years (previously did a HBSc in Physics, did research in exp. quantum optics). I chose my current field because of its practicality and its clear connection to industry, not out of passion (a clear mistake).
I notice that a lot of people (colleagues) switch to different subfields of physics once they graduate and enter post docs. But 95% of these cases fall into either of these two categories:
1) The new field is adjacent to their PhD area of study (e.g., Experimental HEP to astroparticle physics, condensed matter to material sciences, fluid dynamics to atmospheric and climate science).
2) The new field is less sophisticated in quantitative aspects but drastically different from the PhD area of study (e.g., high energy theory to theoretical neuroscience, quantum optics/laser physics to biophotonics, statistical physics to financial modeling/applied stats).
But I have rarely seen cases where a drastic switch was made within physics. Say going from geophysics to quantum information or biophysics to condensed matter. The primary reason is obvious. These diverging topics attract different crowds in the first place, with different styles of thinking and aptitudes. But if a person is willing to put in the effort and is indeed motivated to change course, what is the best way to switch to a drastically different field? (if possible at all) Do you know of people who did such things? Obviously a second PhD is not an option, but what is? (practically speaking)
I am personally thinking of switching to a different area of physics after I finish my PhD. I'm thinking of plasma physics, quantum information or photonics (all in computational/experimental). I acknowledge that it would be anything but easy and I should probably make financial and time sacrifices, but I wanted to hear the community's thoughts on the subject.
Stay well and happy holidays (in advance).
Hope you are doing well.
I'm a current grad student in applied geophysics and will finish my PhD in about 2 years (previously did a HBSc in Physics, did research in exp. quantum optics). I chose my current field because of its practicality and its clear connection to industry, not out of passion (a clear mistake).
I notice that a lot of people (colleagues) switch to different subfields of physics once they graduate and enter post docs. But 95% of these cases fall into either of these two categories:
1) The new field is adjacent to their PhD area of study (e.g., Experimental HEP to astroparticle physics, condensed matter to material sciences, fluid dynamics to atmospheric and climate science).
2) The new field is less sophisticated in quantitative aspects but drastically different from the PhD area of study (e.g., high energy theory to theoretical neuroscience, quantum optics/laser physics to biophotonics, statistical physics to financial modeling/applied stats).
But I have rarely seen cases where a drastic switch was made within physics. Say going from geophysics to quantum information or biophysics to condensed matter. The primary reason is obvious. These diverging topics attract different crowds in the first place, with different styles of thinking and aptitudes. But if a person is willing to put in the effort and is indeed motivated to change course, what is the best way to switch to a drastically different field? (if possible at all) Do you know of people who did such things? Obviously a second PhD is not an option, but what is? (practically speaking)
I am personally thinking of switching to a different area of physics after I finish my PhD. I'm thinking of plasma physics, quantum information or photonics (all in computational/experimental). I acknowledge that it would be anything but easy and I should probably make financial and time sacrifices, but I wanted to hear the community's thoughts on the subject.
Stay well and happy holidays (in advance).