How to identify a Professor ?

Professor identification is a problem that we all deal during the initial stages of a thesis (PhD or Masters) program. The article discusses some of the traits that we should consider in a professor, and what we should try to avoid. Generally, the professors with funding are well known among students :D. But we cannot sit back and judge them on the basis of money. Remember, they might fund your stay, but any professor who ultimately does not mold your future adds little value to your career :(. So, identify the good ones from the bad ones. Of course, money is the important to survive in USA, but we should not forget the big picture in making the correct choice. It is a common saying “actions speak louder than words”, and this is very true in the case of a professor as well.

Professors can have varying attitudes. Some are humble, others are too arrogant, and some are a hybrid in our imagination. The best guys are generally very humble and treat you with lots of respect. The good ones can be arrogant as well, but in the end their output is good which is important for you.

Here are some more points to ponder:

To be Preferred Types: Such guys are good teachers and/or researchers. Of course, not everyone can teach that well, but research is definitely a solo effort and we can observe their results in the form of publications in top journals, conferences and workshops. These guys love to be questioned and try to find answers – whether in a class or in a group meeting. Of course, you can expect them to have a curious mind and question you as well – but this only indicates their thought process. They might sound like tough ones, but ultimately they will channelize you in a direction that will result in good results from your end. During classes, you will find an ease of understanding a difficult subject, rather than just power point presentations and monotonous speaking.

To be avoided Types: In order to inquire about such guys, do not ask their students, as no one will tell you the truth in particular. The litmus test of such professors are excuses “meet my PhD student for any technical discussion”, “lack of interest in subject during teaching and answering technical queries”, “Always advertising their class where score A is highly probable”, “confuse students with arguments in order to avoid technical queries”. Another simple way of identifying such guys is the publication list where they are first authors – observe the level of problem they have solved and the level of conference/journal/workshop where their article was published. It shows how enthusiastic they were during their days when they acted as first authors. Also, their past students would have produced low standard of results in their thesis – and they would have passed them by ganging up with other professors – who have similar principles. Also, if a professor has a hierarchy of students (PhD handling Masters – so and so forth), be alarmed of such managers, as communication with such professors is very limited and their contribution to your work will be less.

To put in a nutshell, try to identify a person, by observing his/her history, through interactions (asking questions), their dedication towards critiquing your work. Good professors are highly probable in high ranking universities – So, try to make it to better ranking universities. Also, make sure that your comfort level and interests should fall in place with the professor. Do not become an easy target and get exploited :mad:. Never try to fake an interest, just be truthful and give your best shot :cool:.

We hope, you will make the right choice and find a professor who has 1) common interests with you, 2) great attitude towards research and teaching and 3) brings the best out of you.