Confessions of a researchaholic

2013-03-15

Burnout

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 4:22 pm
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A recent PhD graduate whom I know well, who has been doing quite well in graphics research, just took a non-research job in a non-graphics position, among several postdoc offers from top research institutions.

The reasons he cited are numerous, but the 2 main ones are:

. He likes graphics research, but he is getting bored and tired of the SIGGRAPH game, including deadline crunch and dealing with reviewers.

. He would like to learn something new and try a different life style.

In a nutshell, I think he is burned out. I hope I have done my best to help him achieve work-life balance (I did that quite well myself, even when I was a grad student), but I guess it is just too hard for normal people to be much disciplined.

Then I realized that I probably also had some kind of burnout around my graduation. I took a non-research position as the first job, even though it was in a graphics company (NVIDIA). I also wanted to try learning new things (hardware architecture) and living a different style (engineer).

So I guess it is probably OK. People are not meant to be doing the same thing all the time. This is also why I like to try different job sectors and geographical locations.

There are two things to watch out, though, all based on my personal experiences: passion, and rust.

Passion

I have a very simple rule to choose jobs: do what you really like, and be very good at it.

Sometimes, when people get burned out, they might temporarily settle for something that they neither really like nor really be good at. But eventually, you will know if the job is not for you. I did not realize how much I like doing research until after I was not been able to spend enough time on it for about 3.5 years after my graduation.

The important thing is to get out there as quickly as possible. Otherwise, you will eventually become one of these people who are not really happy or good at their jobs but also cannot quit.

Rust

People tend to get rusty for skills that they have not practiced for a while. This is particularly so for advanced skills, like research.

So, make sure you do whatever you can to be active in research during your non-research job. Otherwise, you might not be able to come back, even if you want.

I have been trying my best to be engaged in research during my NVIDIA days. I even managed to publish a single authored graphics hardware paper. But it still took me about 2 to 3 years to get back in shape for SIGGRAPH after joining MSR. The difference between SIGGRAPH and other graphics venue is like the difference between playing professional sports and working out in a gym.
I guess SIGGRAPH is probably an extreme case, but I hope you get what I mean.

2013-03-07

Being a prof in HK versus US

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 7:47 pm
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During my faculty job hunting I have interviewed with and got offers from schools in both US and Hong Kong. Below are my personal opinions about the tradeoffs.

Disclaimer: I have not worked as a professor in a US school. My opinions below are based on experiences as a Stanford grad student who has seen how top profs operate, a MSR researcher with frequent university collaborations, and a faculty candidate who has heard a lot during the interview trips.
People who have worked in both places could likely provide more accurate opinions. (Feel free to comment if you are one of these people.)

Q: How to choose between a top school in HK and a top school in the US

By default most people will pick the latter. But it is not that simple.

If you prefer to spend a lot of time getting money while having smart students doing most of the research, go to a top US school.
If you prefer to spend time doing hands-on research1 instead of writing grant proposals and you do not mind slightly less talented students2, go to a top HK school.

1I enjoy deep involvement in every project and student, and (sometimes) publishing single authored papers. I do not really find grant proposals very interesting.

2Most top students still want to go to the US, but there are always those who prefer to stay in Asia due to personal reasons. And they usually come to HK as it is the most westernized place in Asia with the best schools.

Q: How to choose between a top school in HK and a non-top school in the US?

Only go to a top university in a local maximum sense. This is how you attract the best of everything (funding, students, prestige, etc.). Due to financial issues (e.g. funding and student loan) and technology shifts (e.g. all these MOOC), I predict non-top US schools will have a much harder time in the future.
Contrast this with the rising Asia, and the fact that that they treat education very seriously.

2013-03-05

How to position yourself to get the jobs you want

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 8:00 pm
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Good programmers and computer scientists are in high demand. So if you have enough qualifications, you should have no problem finding a job in your desired sector and geographic location.

The key is your qualifications. Being who I am, I have never failed to help anyone who can shine regardless of the constraints (e.g. where you come from, the visa issue of your destination, etc.). If you cannot, there is little I can do. And to be brutally honest, I am not interested in helping mediocre people.

My answer is as simple as this. There are no more tricks or hints, at least for the top jobs I know of.

Thus, if you are a student working with me, you are already halfway into the door. The other half depends on your productivity. For example:

. If you are looking for research/academic slots, you need high quality publications to demonstrate your research skills. Do not be a graphics/HCI PhD student who cannot get any SIGGRAPH/CHI/UIST papers before graduation.

. If you are looking for industry jobs, you need good projects to demonstrate your coding and teamwork abilities. Do not be an undergrad student who cannot perform well in my project classes.

2013-02-14

Open mentoring

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 12:23 pm
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If you want to strengthen your credentials for school/job applications while having fun learning about computer science research without any additional costs or hassles, I can help you.

See below (and my advising style) for details, and let me know if you have questions or comments.
Please also help spread the news; we are making this world a better place.

Why

It is becoming more and more competitive to get to a good job or school. You need a glistering resume. And passive measures like grades, ranks, and standard test scores are no longer sufficient because they do not reflect the active skills which are crucial for today’s highly dynamic and creative job functions.

School application example: 20 years ago if you are a top 5 percent student from a number 1 department/school in your specific country/region with good GRE/TOEFL scores (all passive measures), you can probably get into MIT/Berkeley/Stanford PhD program without much problem.
Today, you will likely not make the cut without impressive active measures such as publications and recommendations from top people in your field.

Job application example: 20 years ago a Stanford PhD without any publication can probably beat a Tsinghua PhD with strong publications in getting a high tech job in the US. Today will be the exact opposite.

In a nutshell, active measures are gaining importance over passive measures. But they are also harder to come by entirely on your own.
This is why people are doing all these internships and school projects. The question is: how good are your internship/project mentors, and how much credibility their recommendations carry? If you plan to spend time on these, better pick a good mentor.

What

I have been mentoring and collaborating with many students and junior researchers for a while. I have this unique asynchronous style that is not only very effective (judging by the publication records and responses from my collaborators) but also very scalable (absolutely no resource constraint except our passion and commitment).

If you do well, you will get strong publications and strong letters of recommendation from me. I am well connected to top schools, companies, and recruiters. You will also have a lot of fun with your projects.
If you do not do well, you have nothing to lose, as long as you do not list me as a reference.

How

I work with you asynchronously through svn paper drafts and Google sites. It is up to you to decide when and where you work. The amount of time I spend on you is entirely proportional to your productivity. I seem to have this uncanny ability to remotely read human minds (and sense human emotions) more effectively than ordinary people can face-to-face (the origin of my “Jedi” nickname).

You start by telling me what interests you, and I brainstorm with you to find a good project direction.

I then pick a warm-up project, usually reproducing a known piece of work in your field of interest, such as writing a ray tracer (my favorite pet project for rendering) or implementing your favorite conference/journal paper.

Not everyone will survive this warm-up stage. But if you do, we move on to a creative project, aimed for a real conference or journal publication. You will have a chance to learn everything that ever needs to be learned about doing research and publishing a paper. I can claim this because I have several single-authored papers to prove the completeness of my skill-set. I also have papers with different numbers of authors to prove my collaboration and advising skills.

Who

I am most experienced with senior-undergrad + graduate students as well as junior lab researchers, but I do not have any hard constraints. It really depends on how we feel about each other.

I particularly like to help those who lack proper guidance; there appears to be many irresponsible/incompetent mentors out there, so I consider myself doing a useful social service.

If you want to become my internal student, you will need to go through this process anyway.

When

As indicated above, we can start anytime you like.

However, you might want to time your school/job applications. For example, it is not sensible to start working with me a month before your school/job application deadline, because I will have little to say about you. A good rule of thumb is to contact me at least a year ahead.

Where

As indicated above, you can work anywhere you like.
I have a shared online work-space for you to meet others, as well as channels for individual discussions.

I might be able to arrange a few internship quotas, but those are already very competitive, and frankly they make little (if any) difference for my mentoring style.

2013-01-28

When to change jobs

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 2:54 am
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When not to change jobs: you find some negative aspects of your current job and believe going elsewhere can solve this problem (the greener pasture delusion). You might be disappointed as every job has pros and cons.
(I have a set of friends who want to move to each other’s company.)

A better reason to switch is when you find a job that is more likely than your current one to help you be happier, more successful, and grow more. Specifically, the decision should be driven by positive instead of negative thinking.

再好的公司，待久了，還是會變成一個井底蛙
Never stay with the same institution for too long, even a top one.

This also has an interesting positive side effect for switching at the peaks. You want to switch at the peak so that you are in an optimal mental state to make the right choices and in an optimal position to negotiate your next job offers. If you wait for the bottom, it is too late; your market value is already in decline.

Choosing jobs

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 2:29 am
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Basics

I have a very simple answer to this supposedly complex question: choose a job that allows you to (1) do what you really like and (2) be very good at it.

Your happiness and productivity are what matter the most, and they are direct products of the two conditions above.
There are other important things, such as pay, reputation, location, and colleagues, but they matter much less, especially in the long run.

This simple strategy works superbly for me so far, even though it can produce unconventional choices that seem puzzling. But what you think about your life is more important than what others think about it.

Types

[Added on February 22, 2015]

The main types of CS jobs include: engineer, researcher/scientist, professor, and entrepreneur. (Manager is part of all these and thus not explicitly listed.)

I have been through the first three and will do the rest before I die.
Here is my suggestion based on personal experience.

Being an engineer/researcher/scientist in a top, reasonably established company is likely the best choice as a first job for most fresh PhD graduates. You will have a relatively stable environment to focus and strong colleagues to help you grow and network. You will also learn the crucial lessons about practicing in the real world.
(I cannot emphasize more on the importance of all these especially the last one; you will see as time passes.)

I do not recommend starting as an assistant professor as that will require a lot of efforts outside core research and advising, such as teaching and funding, which are good exercises but more suitable when you become senior.
You may also miss out practical experiences unless you can have strong industry collaborations.
Only join schools that can attract students who are (or can become) good enough to conduct top-notch research under your supervision; otherwise you are wasting your time.

Being part of a startup has the workload issue multiplied, and I prefer to found my own company as a professor and/or at the rear end of my career (due to lower opportunity cost, which I know is in contrast to the young entrepreneur culture in the bay area).

Bottom line: the exact job probably does not matter that much anyway if you can be happy and productive.

2013-01-25

The teacher is responsible for engaging the class

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 7:24 pm
Tags:

When students start to chat to each other during the class, they are either surprised by something (e.g. announcement a heavy homework assignment) or they are losing interests in the lecture.

The latter happened to me on the first class of this semester. I forgot to eat lunch before the lecture, so my mojo was fading halfway through. And the students sensed this.

I did ask them to quiet down because other students complained about the disturbance. But later on I realized I should never have to ask anyone to quiet down if I had not sucked.

So, in the second lecture of the class, I made sure I eat enough lunch to maintain my mojo. And I performed some live demos to support the lectures. No chitchat this time, and I know I got their attention.

Teaching

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 7:23 pm
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My attitude towards teaching could be reflected by how I would really like to write my teaching statement (for faculty job applications).
There will be only one sentence: “smart enough students can pick up everything themselves”.
(Note1: I know this is entirely doable because I pulled this off since I was 10 years old, and I did not consider myself to be very smart.)
(Note2: Of course this is not how I really wrote my teaching statement.)

With this backdrop, it should not be a surprise that I have never blogged a single entry about teaching, at least not mine. I do not even have teaching as a tag word.

I have considered teaching as a chore rather than enjoyment (unlike research), and my basic stance has not changed too much. (One main reason why I think it is better to start a research career as an industry lab scientist rather than a university professor.) But not until I really taught full-semester classes, especially large ones, did I start to appreciate teaching can be a fun thing to do, for two main reasons.

First, it can actually inspire my research ideas.

Second, and probably more important, teaching provides a great chance for massive mind reading and human studying, with moral justification for effective teaching. It is even more fun and challenging than reading individuals, one of my most favorite pastimes.

More posts to follow.

2012-08-15

How to be more creative

Filed under: Imaginary,Real — liyiwei @ 4:55 pm
Tags: , , ,

[Work in progress; this is a darn hard one to write, but I finally decided to start as triggered by a conversation with my MSR colleagues last dinner.]

This is the holy grail among all questions related to research, or any other intellectual pursuits. I used to (and still) think creativity is more of an innate talent and personality trait than something that can be taught. But I have finally gathered some anecdote to start something concrete. Some of these came from my own experiences and some from people I know. So it is a very personal perspective, and I cannot guarantee anything.

I summarize these into two main aspects, divergence and convergence. The goal is to have both in a right balance. My take is that either is hard, and the right combination is even harder.

Divergence

Many good ideas were generated by exposure to diversity, such as learning from different fields, interacting different people, and experiencing different cultures.
Examples:
(1) computer graphics is known to borrow ideas from other fields, such as physics, art, psychology, perception, architecture, interaction, etc.,
(2) a disproportional number of project ideas in Microsoft Research came from smart people talking to each other; I have heard plenty interesting stories on how an idea originated and transformed, often through multiple years and multiple folks, into a final project idea (that often bears little resemblance to the original idea, such as my SIGGRAPH 2011 paper on “non-linear revision control for images” which originated from “deformable BTF texture synthesis”),
(3) people who are multilingual and/or have been living in different countries/cultures tend to be more successful [dig out that economist(?) article].

Try to be playful and willing to take risks. Happier people tend to be more creative [dig out the source]. Those not willing to take risks usually end up with ordinary performance; this is evident in not only entrepreneurship but more mundane stuff like paper submissions: aiming for a more prestigious venue often encourages (or forces) people to be bolder.

Convergence

God/devil is in the details. Many good ideas came by carefully studying a subject. My SIGGRAPH 2011 paper on “differential domain analysis” was originated from the trigonometric transform equation which I discovered by trying to solve a puzzle of my previous SIGGRAPH 2010 paper on “multi-class blue noise sampling” (the equation first appeared on the technical report published the previous year in 2009).

Sometimes one has to be a perfectionist, pushing things beyond the very top level, to discover the golden nugget of ideas. This was the case for my SIGGRAPH 2011 paper on “discrete element textures “, which went through multiple submissions to the point that the authors started to feel desperate and only be saved by the discovery of a very important key idea (sample based representation that requires only positional but not rotational information).

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