Nerdy Science Blog

Knowing my past, a lot of time juniors come to me seeking my advice regarding MSc in research. Apart from common things like “knowing your interest/goal in life”, “go for a lecturer who can support the research/have grant”… etc, “getting a right supervisor” is the point I always make it loud and clear!

Some juniors were arguing, certain lecturers might sound nice, but they don’t providing good project. “Good project”? How to define “good”?

A lecturer might providing a fancy project title, but it doesn’t mean it will be “good”. How far can your supervisor support you technically and financially? And the most important point is, how well you can work with your supervisor? There is no point for you to go with a supervisor that you cannot communicate with, because you need technical advice from your supervisor; you need financial approval from your supervisor in purchasing of materials in order for your project to run smooth; you are using your supervisor’s lab/facilities or your supervisor agreed lab; and finally every piece of your hard work, whether it will be worthy or not, is decide by your supervisor in the end of the day.

I have friends and seniors who went to some famous name in their field, regardless those lecturers’ egoistic and bad personality. They end up with ruined life, some of them manage to grab their degree before they get out of the lab, but some end up with nothing.

I have another friend who choose an infamous young lecturer which only afford to offer an ordinary title. But both of them work days and nights and over weekends (I don’t really agree with this kind of lifeless research though) for pass two years, work like a team and work rather closely. My young lady friend finally graduated with Master with Distinction, recommended by both of her external examiners. She is currently helping her supervisor in the lab while preparing for her PhD in Japan.

So, sorry to say that, they is no such thing call “good project”, it is you and your supervisor decide whether a project is good or not. The better you can communicate with your supervisor, the better it is.

As for myself, I use to have a great project which I poured 120% of my attention and hard work into it. The project involve in diagnostic industry, sound promising and the idea was great, of which if the project was to successful, it will definitely change the way of microbiologists in diagnose diarrhea patients, give a better picture and better health statistic of diarrhea infection in Malaysia (even in Asia region), and also for further research purpose.

However, it took 3 years for me to prove that bad communication with supervisor can just bring great damage to both side of supervisor and I, the lab’s environment, and the project itself. It took another 3 years of my ex-labmate who did her PhD to strengthen my point of view. Due to personal conflict between we and our ex-supervisor, both of us finally left, with nothing. So do our psycho’s ex-supervisor.

It was painful.

In working environment, “people up there” will decide how the company will run, so do in research. Furthermore, research is team work, you cannot go far as loner ranger. Choose a right supervisor (when you still a baby in research) and right teammate (later in career) will definitely decide your career, even the happiness of your life.

Getting a so call “good” project does matter; getting a right supervisor is the most essential part in the journey to become a researcher/scientist.