Deciding on your Research Interests

[wanderer123]

How do you begin to narrow down your research interests? I'm going to be entering an MD/PhD program this year and while I am excited about biological science research (probably moreso than clinical practice), I need to find a way to start eliminating research areas. I've spent 5 years total split between 4 different labs in very different areas of science and have no idea which direction to go at the moment.

My main questions are: do you plan on doing your PhD in an area directly or indirectly related to your research experiences or try something completely new? and how do you plan on coming up with professors to work with for your rotations?

Any current and former students who went through this would be really appreciated as well.

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[Freak]

So there are a couple of things.

1. What sort of lab techniques do you prefer/want to use:
I am a computer junkie
I like dissecting stuff
Pipetting = fun
I don't want animal research
I want something that I can see w/o a microscope.
I want it to be relevant to people ...

2. The next important step is that I would say go for the best "mentor" that you can find and enjoy your new field of study.

3. Another point of interest is the department that your potential lab is primarily affiliated with ... you will be stuck under their rules/regs during your PhD, so make sure that it is a nice dept (and is not going to be up-heaved by a change in chair during your tenure).


In terms of your actual questions ... I changed fields everytime I changed schools, but I stayed within the general confines of "data analysis".

I picked professors based on their research and also funding status. I decided for a more senior vs. junior professor, because I wanted secure funding and no tenure stress. I made sure that the profs I was interested in had grants ... I used CRISP (I think that site has changed at this point). I also put some consideration as to whether the PI had graduated an MSTP before (as this will become an important issue when you hit years 5+).

 

[Drexon]

it's called RePORT now haha good old days of crisp and secretly stalking PIs.

 

[reine1jb]

How do you begin to narrow down your research interests? I'm going to be entering an MD/PhD program this year and while I am excited about biological science research (probably moreso than clinical practice), I need to find a way to start eliminating research areas. I've spent 5 years total split between 4 different labs in very different areas of science and have no idea which direction to go at the moment.

My main questions are: do you plan on doing your PhD in an area directly or indirectly related to your research experiences or try something completely new? and how do you plan on coming up with professors to work with for your rotations?

Any current and former students who went through this would be really appreciated as well.

I'll probably be picking my lab after my rotations this summer and I would say that the area of research I am most likely to get into is pretty much directly related to my undergrad experience ( I was a neuroscience major and worked in two neuroscience labs)

I think pinpointing exactly what type of research you want to do can be pretty tricky. I think an important thing is that you find the research in the lab interest, ie intellectually stimulating (you can be passionate enough about it to work real hard and stay with it when times get rough).

What you do your PhD in doesn't have to be what you end up spending your life working on (assuming you end up in basic science). The most important factor, in my opinion, that about the PhD is learning to become an independent scientist. Therefore, as Freak stated, I would be more concerned with finding a "good" PI. what do i mean by that, well: have they graduated an MD/PhD student, what kind of rep do they have at the school among students (ie are students generally happy in the lab), the department they are in is definitely something to consider, lab dynamic (which you would undoubtedly understand once you have rotated in the lab), is the lab well-funded, ect...

oddly enough as I'm going through my M1 classes, I find myself thinking that a certain topic that we are learning about might be interesting to explore.

 

[URHere]

When it comes to choosing a research focus, I would suggest making a list of topics you find interesting (and techniques used in those fields) and then combing through that list to figure out which techniques you truly need experience with. I will always believe that the primary point of a PhD for someone with a substantial research background (i.e. successful MD/PhD applicants) is to develop a skill set for your future research. (After all, if you are just going to continue in a field that you already know well, why couldn't you have just done that during fellowship or a MS year?). Although some may disagree with me, I think you should use your PhD as a way to make yourself as self sufficient as possible - this means filling holes in both your general knowledge base and your skill set.

As an example, if you want to do research on a neurological genetic disease but you already have a solid background in neuro research, find the best genetics lab you can and run with it. Personally, I want to focus on neuro chemistry and pharmaceutical design. I've already gone through graduate training in neuro so I made the decision to find top synthetic chem labs where I can get the pharm-design experience I need.

As many have said on this forum before, your field of PhD research often has very little to do with your career as an independent researcher, but those skill sets will help you immensely.

 

[RxnMan]

How do you begin to narrow down your research interests? I'm going to be entering an MD/PhD program this year and while I am excited about biological science research (probably moreso than clinical practice), I need to find a way to start eliminating research areas. I've spent 5 years total split between 4 different labs in very different areas of science and have no idea which direction to go at the moment.

My main questions are: do you plan on doing your PhD in an area directly or indirectly related to your research experiences or try something completely new? and how do you plan on coming up with professors to work with for your rotations?

Any current and former students who went through this would be really appreciated as well.

Don't decide on an area. Decide on a mentor.

 

[achamess]

Don't decide on an area. Decide on a mentor.

I think this is excellent advice. I'll be using this idea to guide my selection of advisor during my graduate years.

I also agree with URHere. I see the PhD as a time to build a repertoire of skills that will be widely applicable during the rest of my career. To be sure, I'm going to become expert on some niche area that my project deals with, but on the whole, I'll seek projects and experiences that enable me to acquire as diverse a skill-set as possible and that train me to think and act like a scientist.

 

[xanthines]

Q, FTW.

I did this and I seem to be one of the few happy MSTP'ers around. Certainly in my class, anyways...

I'll edit to add: Pick your mentor well - personality, funding, track record of grad student, etc. Then decide on your project.

-X

Don't decide on an area. Decide on a mentor.

 

[Freak]

As a side-tangent, I seem to know my UG research really well ... anything past that has always been a struggle to learn/remember (I can still read a paper on my UG stuff more than half a decade out and understand it in the full context). It was almost like my brain had a critical "research" period pre-22.

 

[xanthines]

I've got some bad news for you. You only get dumber as time goes on. It sure feels that way. Whatever happened to all the wisdom I'm supposed to be accumulating?

-X

As a side-tangent, I seem to know my UG research really well ... anything past that has always been a struggle to learn/remember (I can still read a paper on my UG stuff more than half a decade out and understand it in the full context). It was almost like my brain had a critical "research" period pre-22.