Life as a Dissertation Committee Member

Today, I am hosting Dr. Steve Tippins from Beyond PhD Coaching to share his thoughts on being a committee member. You may also remember that I recently interviewed Dr. Tippins for the "How I Work" series.

The reason that most of us serve on dissertation committees is for the V.I.P. flights to exotic locations, passes to all Hollywood premiers, and unlimited free dry cleaning. Actually, none of that has ever happened for me or anyone that I know. We serve on dissertation committees because we like to help people and the job is interesting. That said, there can be challenges.

Every committee member that I know goes into a committee assignment hoping that things will go smoothly and the student will finish quickly. Sometimes that happens and other times hopes are not met. I will share here some things that help and hinder the relationship.

It's important to start the relationship off properly. At many institutions, students get to ask faculty members to serve on their committee. If you get the opportunity to choose committee members please take this responsibility seriously. As a faculty member, it is frustrating when a student who has not done their homework about me asks me to serve on a committee that my background and publication history do not match in any way.

After serving on over 80 dissertation committees several things stick out as practices for students to follow.

1. If a committee member makes a comment, make sure you address the comment in the next draft - it is frustrating to take the time to comment on a student's work and then not have the comment addressed. It can feel like a lack of respect.

2. Do not ask a comment member to just tell you what they want you to write - your dissertation is just that, your dissertation. Committee members are there to guide you, not tell you exactly what to do. Part of earning a doctorate is learning how to work with others who have opinions about various topics.

3. Do not assume that you know everything about the topic or school procedures - it is frustrating when you tell a student that, for example, their literature review needs to be 15 pages longer and the student says that the length is sufficient. A committee member only asks for things like this if there is a school requirement or if the literature has not been thoroughly explored.

4. Follow all school requirements - I once served on a committee as the second committee member where the student never got approval for his proposal and went out and did the actual study (no IRB approval either). The committee was presented with a completed dissertation. It was hard to tell the student but his original idea was flawed and the research was not acceptable. He wasted time and thousands of dollars by not following requirements.

5. Back statements up with references and don't write to impress - academic writing is a skill and must be learned. Write like they write in the articles that you read. And, don't use big words just to sound impressive. You want the reader to understand what you are saying.

6. Don't get tired in Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 is where you get to tell the reader what your research means. It is frustrating to see a Chapter 5 where, after a year of hard work, a student writes two paragraphs about the implications of the work. Take some time and really explain what you study means.

7. It is OK to hire people like statisticians to help you but it is your work - but when asked a question at your defense you can't say "my statistician did that, I'm not sure". If you hire people to help you, make sure they also teach you so that you can talk about your work.

My best advice regarding your defense is to be prepared, treat your committee members with respect, and do not read your slides during the presentation. Take time to have practiced your presentation and, if possible, have people stand in as committee members and ask questions. Breathing is good too. Your presentation should not be one long sentence.

It is frustrating as a committee member to see slides filled with words and then have the student read the slides. We can read so keep us engaged.

Finally, answer all questions honestly. If you do not understand what is being asked ask for clarification. Do not make up answers, we will know. It is OK to say you don't know and engage in a conversation with committee members.

You should never be allowed to schedule your oral defense if the committee is not ready to accept and pass your work. Keep that in mind as you prepare your slides and your talk. This is the last hurdle to earning the title Dr.

I am Munirah Al Ajlan, and This is How I Work

Today, I am interviewing Munirah Al Ajlan for the "How I Work" series. Munirah is an English Language Instructor in the College of Engineering and Petroleum in Kuwait University. She holds an MA in Applied Linguistics from University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and recently finished her PhD in Sociolinguistics from King’s College London. Her research interest falls into linguistics, sociolinguistic, and STEM, specifically engineering. Munirah has presented and published in both local and international conferences/ and proceedings.

General: I am an English Language Instructor at Kuwait University. I have just finished my PhD in Sociolinguistics from King’s College London. I am currently working on few research projects and studies concerning engineering, education, linguistics, and culture.
Current Job: English Language Instructor, College of Engineering and Petroleum, Kuwait University
Current Location: Kuwait
Current mobile device: IPhone
Current computer: Mac

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I have just moved back to Kuwait after spending five years working on my PhD in London. I am currently teaching English for Specific Purposes to Engineering students in Kuwait. My PhD research investigates women studying engineering, their stories, their gender, and how they navigate their identities in a taken for granted male dominated field.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
I enjoy working on researches, specially the ones that are directly related to my workplace and interests. For researching purposes for example, I have used SPSS in my Master research. However, this tool deals with quantitative analysis. I tried, for my PhD research, to focus on qualitative data rather than quantitative as it yields fruitful results. I mainly used Nvivo as main software for my research.
For teaching purposes, I definitely use my laptop in classroom. I believe that technology in teaching language, and teaching in general is essential. I prepare my material on slides using pictures, videos, audios and sometimes links to programs that students will enjoy. I believe that teaching should not follow the traditional conventional way. Nowadays, and I see that teachers still depend mainly on the books, strict curriculum, and tests. Teaching can always be creative, and we as educators should be using these innovative tools for teaching. These tools will facilitate learning and integrate fun in classroom activities.
I also use an App called MyU. This App is invented to be used for educators and students. Teachers can use this application to communicate with their students, take attendance (either manually or automatically using a barcode for attendance). I have used my own social media account; Twitter to communicate with my students before. However, MyU is a medium, which is completely dedicated for student- teacher communication. I would totally recommend this App to be used.

What does your workspace setup look like?
As an educator and a researcher, I try to look for the best workspace. As this is not always available, and since I got back to Kuwait, I managed to get my own personal space which I call reading/study station located in my house. I also spend quite long time in my own office in the university. I have a spacious office with large windows, good internet connection, desktop, and all my papers around. The only drawback of researching in my office is students going coming in and out. In general, I like to change spaces because this gives me positivity. Coffee shops and libraries are vibrant places for working.


What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Focus. Focus. And Focus. Point out what your academic targets are. Plan well and study the need of your students. I refuse being tethered to traditional books. I try my best to let my students think outside the box. Academics should learn what students really need.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I mainly use a diary to record my appointments and meetings (sometimes, my phone calendar). I work better under pressure. Submission deadlines will always keep me working better. The less time I have, the better I work.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
For teaching purposes: Projectors. I integrate the use of the data show in the classroom. However, this is not always available in the university (or could be there but does not work at all), so I manage to use IPads or Tablets.
As my daily life, I only use my personal mobile device and my laptop.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
Creativity. I always ask my students to ‘think’ ‘don’t only answer’ ‘think outside the box’. I have managed to get my students to watch a movie in class and visit the science museum. These activities are not counted in their marking scheme. These activities help them in the scientific and engineering knowledge in general. I have also asked them to write a narrative essay about their experiences: watching movie and museum visits). Although they were aware that there is no mark for these activities, they were enthusiastic about it and they wrote their essays beautifully. I believe if we as academic motivated our students in such fun activities, their love in learning new knowledge will increase.

What do you listen to when you work?
Music. Music has a powerful influence on the work I do. I cannot work without playing music: Jazz, classics, pop, and country. All genres are welcomed to make me productive.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
End of March I have managed to get into a challenge, which I found through social media suggesting reading four books in April. I remember last April, I finished reading six books, and that was the biggest number I have ever read in a month. This April, I managed to read three books in the first nine days of April (Pistachio Seller, Tourist Guide, and Professor Hana all by Dr. Reem Basiouney). Currently, I am reading Angel by Elizabeth Tylor. Time is very difficult to find, specially, when I am a full time teaching and researching. I squeeze in few pages here and there, even sometimes, when I workout at the gym. The book is always carried in my purse.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I always believed I was an extrovert. I love socialising with people, networking in conferences, I have even made friends through social media. However, I consider the workplace to be a very sensitive context. I try to be very careful with my colleagues. People think of me as an introvert, arrogant, or weird, but for me, drawing lines and limits will help me in my academic career and profession.
Don’t get me wrong, I love teamwork and I think working in a community of practice is essential for effective results. However, we cannot always guarantee people’s work and we see memes on social media making fun about one person work turns to be labeled as teamwork, which I consider not fair.

What's your sleep routine like?
I plan to sleep 7-8 hours per night. However, this is not always the case. Some days I pull an all night to work, mark exams, or prepare materials for the classroom.

What's your work routine like?
I go to work at 8:30 in the morning. Teaching three classes a day is very overwhelming. My friends know me as I am always the last to leave the office even during my student life in London. In Kuwait University, sometimes, even the security comes and asks me if I need to stay more and whether I’ll be okay working till 23:00 sometimes.

What's the best advice you ever received?
I remember when I was applying to start my PhD, my professor in Kuwait University, told me to not sink under the books during my study. I remember him very well saying, enjoy Britain, and always make time to have fun. My friend also told me to let go of the things that put you down. Life moves on whether we are sad or happy. Never take things seriously and personal.

I am Dominique Maciejewski, and This is How I Work

Dominique Maciejewski did her bachelors in psychology in Wuppertal, Germany. In 2011, she came to the Netherlands for an internship at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It was supposed to be a 3-month internship, but Dominique really liked the Netherlands and so she stayed to write her thesis there. She graduated in 2014 from her research masters “Clinical and Developmental Psychopathology”, after which she started her PhD research. In 2016, she received her PhD Degree for her thesis about the development of mood variability during adolescence. In 2016, she went to the United States (Virginia Tech) for a postdoc on neurobiological determinants of adolescent psychopathology. After 6 months, she got offered a job as a postdoc and project coordinator for a large project – the Mood and Resilience in Offspring Project (MARIO; www.mario-project.nl). In 2017, Dominique and her colleagues received 1.4 million euros to set up the MARIO project, a project in children of parents with mood disorders to better understand, detect and prevent depression in those children. Dominique lives with her boyfriend in Amsterdam and enjoys yoga, playing guitar, meeting her friends, and drinking beers on her sunny balcony.

General:
Current Job: Postdoctoral researcher and project coordinator at VUmc and Erasmus MC
Current Location: Amsterdam (VUmc) and Rotterdam (Erasmus MC)
Current mobile device: Samsung Galaxy A5
Current computer: HP at work, at home lenovo laptop

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I am a postdoctoral researcher and project coordinator for a large project called MARIO – Mood and Resilience in Offspring (www.mario-project.nl). Children of parents with mood disorder have a higher chance to also develop a mood disorder, although there is a large percentage that stays resilient. This is a project in which we want to better understand, detect, and prevent depression in children of parents with mood disorders. As a project coordinator, I am doing everything that is needed to supervise the project, for instance our data management, fieldwork and two PhD students, who all do an amazing job. I have weekly meetings with them to discuss the progress, but also with other working groups and the principal investigators. In the past months, I have for instance prepared the application for the medical ethical committee, selected instruments, wrote a codebook, discussed contracts for an app that we want to use, and had a lot of meetings and e-mails. We are now planning to start data collection next month, which is super exciting.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
R and Mplus (statistical software), ToDoist, Google Calendar, Outlook/Gmail, Mendeley, Dropbox/Drive (for sharing papers)

What does your workspace setup look like?

Usually, it is full with papers. My most important thing is my little green notepad. I am still quite old fashioned. I need to take notes on paper. All my meetings and thoughts are in there. Of course I also type them in documents and save them later. I cleaned my desk a bit for the picture.
I work 2 days in Amsterdam and 2 days in Rotterdam. In Amsterdam I share a room with another postdoc and in Rotterdam I work at a flex place. I usually work from home 1 day. I have an own office room, where both my boyfriend and me can work from home if we want to (he is also a researcher). When I work from home, then this is my dedicated research day, because the other days I am so busy with coordinating the project, that I do not find a lot of time anymore for writing my own papers.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Use to do lists and make realistic goals for yourself. ALSO: Do not plan in anything 1-2 hours per day, because there is always something coming up you did not anticipate.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I use ToDoist and Google Calendar, which really helps me, because all tasks I put into ToDoist, automatically appear in Google calendar and I can easily plan things. Moreover, it is also on my phone, so if I quickly think of something that needs to be done, I can just add it to my list. I can also assign it a specific project (but I do not do that anymore, because it costs me too much time).

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
No

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
That I am truly enthusiastic about research and that I love to learn new things. And I can do that quite efficiently (must be my German roots).

What do you listen to when you work?
Usually nothing. If I do tasks that do not require a lot of thinking, I listen to music (currently I am into Hop Along and Florence and the Machine). Sometimes I also listen to audiobooks.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
Currently I am reading Harry Potter (again). It is my favorite book as I read it for the first time when I was a kid. So it is a nice memory. I usually read before bed, but fall asleep after 5 minutes already.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
Depends. I think more an extrovert. But I usually need some time to get used to people. Once, I do that, I never shut up and am very energetic and engaging.
I definitely became more extrovert since I am project coordinator. This is because I often have to call completely random people that I do not know. And if people do not meet their deadlines I have to remind them of them and sometimes I have to be pushy. SO, being extrovert helps.

What's your sleep routine like?
I really try sleeping 7-8 hours every day. For me this is personally super important, because I have bipolar disorder and any drastic change in my sleeping pattern could be associated with an increased risk for mania.

What's your work routine like?
Usually, I work between 8-10 hours. My contract is for 36 hours per week, but recently I found myself working in the evening and weekends. Now, I am practicing more self-care and try to leave office at 6.30 pm the latest and resist the temptation to continue working once I am home.

What's the best advice you ever received?
It is totally fine if you make mistakes. Everybody does and you really will learn from then. If you once fail super hard, then you probably won’t make that mistake again.
Also, there is no shame in getting help if you need it! There are multiple resources available, so make sure to use them.

Defenses around the world: a PhD defense at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Dominique Maciejewski did her bachelors in psychology in Wuppertal, Germany. In 2011, she came to the Netherlands for an internship at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It was supposed to be a 3-month internship, but Dominique really liked the Netherlands and so she stayed to write her thesis there. She graduated in 2014 from her research masters “Clinical and Developmental Psychopathology”, after which she started her PhD research. In 2016, she received her PhD Degree for her thesis about the development of mood variability during adolescence. In 2016, she went to the United States (Virginia Tech) for a postdoc on neurobiological determinants of adolescent psychopathology. After 6 months, she got offered a job as a postdoc and project coordinator for a large project – the Mood and Resilience in Offspring Project (MARIO; www.mario-project.nl). In 2017, Dominique and her colleagues received 1.4 million euros to set up the MARIO project, a project in children of parents with mood disorders to better understand, detect and prevent depression in those children. Dominique lives with her boyfriend in Amsterdam and enjoys yoga, playing guitar, meeting her friends, and drinking beers on her sunny balcony.

On May 2016, I defended my dissertation at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. My dissertation was entitled: Keep your mood stable! Adolescent mood variability: Measurement, development, and association with adjustment”. Specifically, we followed around 500 adolescents from 13 to 18 years. During this time, they filled in internet diaries about their emotions 3 week as per year. We were interested about how mood fluctuations developed during adolescence and how they were related to adolescent adjustment. Short story: Adolescent’s mood is most unstable in the beginning of adolescence, but gradually becomes more stable. However a subgroup develops more unstable mood and those also show more psychopathology. If you are interested in the thesis, you can check it out here:

In the Netherlands, a PhD defense is a big event. My defense took place in a large hall with my family, friends and colleagues. Before going into the big hall, you sit in a room that is literally called the “sweat room”. Here you wait until the committee comes to pick you up to explain the procedure to you. The first person going into the hall is a person from the “pedel”. In my case this was a nice lady with a large golden stick. She made sure that everything is running smoothly. Then my supervisors and reading committee entered. Lastly, I came together with my two “paranimfen”, which are two people of your choice who support you during preparations and your defense. I chose two colleagues and close friends of mine and I was happy they were there to call me down, because I was quite nervous.

I had a reading committee consisting of 5 researchers, ranging from assistant to full professors. They had already read my thesis and approved it 5 months before. I started my defense with a 10-minute talk about the results of my PhD research (see a video of that talk here). This is called the “lekenpraatje” and you are supposed to summarize your research over the past years to a lay audience. So, I tried my best that even my parents understood what I was talking about all these years. Although I was really nervous, as soon as I stood on the podium, all my anxiety was gone and I was really ready to defend my thesis.

After my talk, the questioning began and took about 45 minutes. Each member of the reading committee asked me questions about my dissertation. They ranged from broad questions (“why should we study emotions?”) to very technical questions (“what are degrees of freedom?”). I even had a member who did similar research, but found completely opposite results. I was initially scared of her questions, but it turned out to be a wonderful scientific discussion!

After 45 minutes, the lady from the pedel came in with her golden stick, put it on the ground and said “Hora est”, which is Latin for “the time is up”. Then, I left the hall again with my paranimfen, supervisors and committee. The committee went into a separate room and I sat outside with my paranimfen. That was the moment that they decided whether I would receive my PhD or not (although to be fair – if the reading committee approves of your thesis, you generally also pass your defense). Then, they called me in and told me, I received my PhD. Together with them, we went back into the big hall, where the dean told everyone that I officially received my PhD and that I graduated cum laude (i.e., with distinction), which I did not know before and did not expect. This is a really big thing in the Netherlands, as it does not happen a lot. My supervisor then held a really nice speech and I was given my official diploma.

After that, it was time for a celebration. The weather was amazing! I had an official reception and invited my supervisors and family to a dinner. In the evening, I rented a bar and I celebrated with my colleagues, friends and family until 3 in the morning. I can seriously say that this was the best day of my life.

Favorite social media platform for research

I recently ran a poll on Twitter about social media platforms for research. For a long time, I kept both my ResearchGate and Academia.edu profiles up to date, but I always preferred the interface of ResearchGate, even though I've had my Academia.edu for a longer time. I wondered if this is just a matter of personal taste, so I ran this poll and learned that for many researchers, Twitter has everything we need. The winning platform of the poll was ResearchGate, and it looks like Academia.edu is pretty much abandoned.

Here's the poll and its wake:

Minimize worry and maximize writing your dissertation

You may remember that time ago, I invited Dr. Yvette Williams, CEO of The Esteemed Scribe, LLC, for a guest post on Improving weaknesses with your dissertation..

This is a quick service announcement to let you know that Dr. Williams is organizing a webinar, titled Minimize worry and maximize writing your dissertation on September 17th and 24th.

The description of the webinar is as follows:

If you find yourself tired, stressed out, and maybe even worried about finishing writing your dissertation, then this webinar is for you!

In this 30-minute webinar,* you learn:

Three strategies to address weak areas in your dissertation
Three ways to organize the last chapter of your dissertation
Four tips for finding the best editor for your dissertation

A Q & A session will follow the presentation.

As a bonus, participants will receive a special offer at the end of the presentation.

After participating in this webinar, you'll become better at managing the process of writing your dissertation which means you'll write more confidently and efficiently.

Go from stress to successfully finishing writing your dissertation!

Space is limited to 20 participants so sign up today!

*This is an online event. Registered participants will receive a confirmation email within 24-48 hours of the scheduled event date with instructions for how to use the Zoom webinar platform.

You can register for free here.

I am Steve Tippins, and This is How I Work

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Steve Tippins. Steve has worked for insurance companies and banks and done consulting for numerous firms, both for profit and not-for-profit. He has been a professor in various forms for 30 years. His true passion lies in helping people achieve their goals.
In graduate school, at Florida State University, he was the only student in a new degree program. All of his classes were one-on-one. He is well aware of the lonely journey of a PhD student. After graduate school he worked at Indiana State University for one year then 10 years at Howard University followed by 9 years at Roosevelt University and 6 years at the University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse. He also worked for Walden University for the last 15 years and spent 4 years on the graduate faculty at NorthCentral University. He has broad experience at both traditional and online schools. He has been granted tenure twice and promoted several times. Holds a Professor Emeritus position at Howard University. Been a Department Chair and served on many search committees and promotion and tenure committees. Steve has published over 50 times in academic journals and presented at many conferences. He has written one book that was translated into Japanese. He has Chaired over 80 dissertation committees. With these accomplishments his biggest joy is in working one-on-one with individuals at beyondphdcoaching.com. He enjoys helping people define their goals both related to school and after school and setting up programs and plans to help them get there.

General:
Current Job: Owner/Coach at www.beyondphdcoaching.com and Contributing Faculty at Walden University
Current Location: Eugene, OR
Current mobile device: Iphone 6
Current computer: Macbook - I don't like it as I prefer to be hardwired to the internet yet there is only one port for connecting. There are after market devices that accept the internet connection and the power adapter but they tend to break easily

Can you briefly explain your current situation and research to us?
I currently teach online and coach doctoral students and recent PhD graduates about their careers. Five years ago we had the chance to move to Costa Rica so I resigned from my job at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. After 3 years of Costa Rican life (we really enjoyed it) my wife decided to get a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy so we moved to Eugene. I miss the classroom but I love working with my coaching clients and helping them reach their goals.

What tools, apps and software are essential to your workflow?
The Microsoft suite of programs, my website, and coaching management software (I am just installing this and hope that it really works out). The internet provides everything else that I need at this point.

What does your workspace setup look like?
My workspace is anywhere that I open my laptop. Most days I sit on the couch at home but have been known to work from a tent at a campground, in a coffee shop, or even in my car.

What is your best advice for productive academic work?
Keep at it! Knowledge grows in incremental steps and our work gets done in small pieces. If you get discouraged take a moment to see how far you have come instead of looking at how far you have to go.

How do you keep an overview of projects and tasks?
I am a big list maker and and calendar user. Everyday I look at what needs to be accomplished today, this week, and this month. I am a plodder, I like to get a little bit done every day instead of waiting until the last minute. I also like to be finished a few days before a deadline and let whatever it is sit for a day before I submit anything. That gives my mind a day to let it sit there and see if anything else arises.

Besides phone and computer, do you use other technological tools in work and daily life?
I am pretty much a Luddite, I find that my computer and phone are enough.

Which skill makes you stand out as an academic?
I have been successful taking complicated topics and making them easy for students to understand. As a researcher I figured out a long time ago the review is an outlet for just about anything and not to take the comments of reviewers personally. This has helped me move forward if an article gets rejected.

What do you listen to when you work?
I like Folk music and sometimes Classical or Rock. If I need to be creatively inspired the tight harmonies of the Indigo Girls always seem to help me.

What are you currently reading? How do you find time for reading?
I make sure that I read every night before I go to sleep. My wife and I have been reading to each other before we go to sleep for over 20 years. I find it helps us connect and sleep. On my own I am currently reading Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva and a biography of Winston Churchill.

Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How does this influence your working habits?
I am basically an introvert but in some situations have extrovert tendencies (usually not work related). I like to let ideas come to me so I need time alone to let this happen. I have come up with many ideas while running, biking, or wandering around. I find that I need to give myself space and then ideas/solutions come.

What's your sleep routine like?
I like to be in bed by 10:00 pm every night (many nights earlier) and am up by 5:30 am.

What's your work routine like?
I like to start work by 7:00 am and finish up by 2:00 pm if possible. I do set aside time for phone calls throughout the day.

What's the best advice you ever received?
"Take a moment to listen to your inner voice - you really know what you want"