- #1
Hassan Raza
- 8
- 1
I am currently in the second (and final) year of my MS in Physics. I've just started my research, which focuses on identifying Dark Matter through Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) extensions.
My supervisor has directed me to learn model building using FeynRules and subsequent calculations via MadGraph or other simulators. I've successfully built models for QED and QCD, and I am now working on Weak Interactions, Electroweak theory, and symmetry breaking. My immediate goal for the next few months is to successfully reproduce a paper based on an extension of the Inert Doublet Model (IDM) before moving on to original work.
My main concern is the PhD application deadline (most close in December/January). It will be difficult to have significant research completed by then. And people say that when approaching a professor, one should ideally highlight their research and propose a potential project. However, it is already rare to find a professor working exactly on the IDM, which is my current focus. Most professors I find are working on Dark Matter via different BSM models, or entirely different areas of particle physics, which makes it nearly impossible for me to suggest a new idea or project to them.
How should I approach these professors? Do they look strictly for applicants whose previous work aligns perfectly with their own research? And how closely does my current research need to align with a professor's work to make a successful connection? And can I approach a professor with a slightly different research area, let's say SUSY or Grand Unification Theories like String Theory?
I am concerned about my timeline, as I don't want to waste another year. Also, I have a lower GPA from my B.S. (below 3.0), although my M.S. GPA is currently around 3.5, and I'm not from the US/EU/AU or other first-world countries, but I've studied from the Best Universites of my Country.
Kindly help me out.
My supervisor has directed me to learn model building using FeynRules and subsequent calculations via MadGraph or other simulators. I've successfully built models for QED and QCD, and I am now working on Weak Interactions, Electroweak theory, and symmetry breaking. My immediate goal for the next few months is to successfully reproduce a paper based on an extension of the Inert Doublet Model (IDM) before moving on to original work.
My main concern is the PhD application deadline (most close in December/January). It will be difficult to have significant research completed by then. And people say that when approaching a professor, one should ideally highlight their research and propose a potential project. However, it is already rare to find a professor working exactly on the IDM, which is my current focus. Most professors I find are working on Dark Matter via different BSM models, or entirely different areas of particle physics, which makes it nearly impossible for me to suggest a new idea or project to them.
How should I approach these professors? Do they look strictly for applicants whose previous work aligns perfectly with their own research? And how closely does my current research need to align with a professor's work to make a successful connection? And can I approach a professor with a slightly different research area, let's say SUSY or Grand Unification Theories like String Theory?
I am concerned about my timeline, as I don't want to waste another year. Also, I have a lower GPA from my B.S. (below 3.0), although my M.S. GPA is currently around 3.5, and I'm not from the US/EU/AU or other first-world countries, but I've studied from the Best Universites of my Country.
Kindly help me out.
