Ph.D. Physics Student Seeking Summer Research in Canada

  • Thread starter Thread starter earthling75
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Research Summer
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a Ph.D. Physics student in the U.S. seeking paid summer research opportunities in Canada, particularly in condensed matter physics, photonics, or biological physics, due to limited research options at their current university. Responses emphasize skepticism about the student's situation, questioning the lack of research opportunities in a Ph.D. program and suggesting that the student may need to clarify their acceptance terms or engage more with faculty about available projects. Some participants recommend focusing on qualifying exams and exploring departmental resources, while others advise considering transferring to a program with better support for research. Overall, the conversation highlights the importance of proactive communication with faculty and understanding program expectations.
earthling75
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
I am currently finishing my first year as a Ph.D. Physics student in the U.S.. Research opportunities are limited at my university. Are there any outside opportunities to do paid summer research, maybe in Canada, in fields related to condensed matter physics, photonics, or biological physics? I would be willing to work at a university, government agency, or industry-sponsored research.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
earthling75 said:
I am currently finishing my first year as a Ph.D. Physics student in the U.S.. Research opportunities are limited at my university.
You are at the wrong place. Transfer. Now.
 
  • Like
Likes member 428835, vanhees71 and gwnorth
earthling75 said:
I am currently finishing my first year as a Ph.D. Physics student in the U.S.. Research opportunities are limited at my university. Are there any outside opportunities to do paid summer research, maybe in Canada, in fields related to condensed matter physics, photonics, or biological physics? I would be willing to work at a university, government agency, or industry-sponsored research.
What were the terms of your acceptance to grad school? In my grad school, students weren't officially accepted into a research program until they had successfully passed their quals. Most students didn't take those until fall semester of the second year. But the department provided funds for all students to conduct research with professors on campus for the first summer.
 
It strikes me as an odd statement that you've been accepted into a PhD program without research opportunities and that you would need to look to other schools for such opportunities.

Sometimes students don't end up with projects/supervisors right away. As CrysPhys suggests above, maybe you are expected to pass your qualifying examination first? If that's the case, shouldn't that be your focus for the summer? If not, are you sure that you're not supposed to be talking with faculty members in your department about projects right now? And if you're having a hard time finding something, schedule a meeting with the associate chair or whatever administrator is in charge of graduate students. Perhaps it's possible that with all the isolation associated with COVID, you've missed some critical information about the process somewhere along the line.
 
  • Like
Likes member 428835 and vanhees71
Vanadium 50 said:
You are at the wrong place. Transfer. Now.
This is tough advice to follow, but sadly OP, it's the right choice, unless as others have said, maybe you're missing massive info. Double check your acceptance offer. It's really difficult to believe the program is leaving you high and dry for the summer, though occasionally (rarely) I've heard of this happening.
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...

Similar threads

Back
Top