tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7413902753408106653.post3341359063073038560..comments2024-02-20T18:36:15.297+01:00Comments on blog.mynarz.net: The story of my Ph.D.Jindřich Mynarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14451530867512051347noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7413902753408106653.post-16403634309447021872018-03-20T22:21:51.432+01:002018-03-20T22:21:51.432+01:00Thanks for the follow-up! It's good to hear th...Thanks for the follow-up! It's good to hear that things are changing for the better.Jindřich Mynarzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14451530867512051347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7413902753408106653.post-37830493434413298582018-03-20T15:52:31.052+01:002018-03-20T15:52:31.052+01:00Jindrich, thanks for this thorough retrospective!
...Jindrich, thanks for this thorough retrospective!<br /><br />Being both the Board Chair of the respective PhD program and your (relieved) supervisor, I dare add a few comments.<br /><br />I can't help endorse most what you state. While I didn't absolutely foreseen that when I invited you to start the PhD, you have efficiently served as "Kannonenfutter" - trying meaningful things, being slapped, and still lifting the head and asking "Why?" Most likely it was because you were one of the minority of PhDs coming from a different institution and thus being unused to some not-quite-fortunate rules and processes here.<br /><br />The good side of the story is that "Kannonenfutter" helps locate the enemy's artillery. Partly to your merit, things have got on move here meanwhile. In brief:<br />- The PhD funding is improving fast. Not only that the government has increased the per capita PhD payment, but also an extra institutional financial incentive system for excellent PhD is being set up this year, to minimize their need of external projects.<br />- The offer of courses for PhD students is being extended, in particular, to those on advanced research methods (such as statistics or design science), and much more flexibility has been added (e.g., a course on IT management is no longer enforced to techie folks).<br />- As the linked data technology is gaining traction even in CZ now, our group is now increasingly in contact with interested companies, which opens a new applied research funding source (beyond EU and national scholarly grants) and a meaningful result transfer target.<br /><br />Just to answer your question on who reads the 20-page summary: the defense committee members do (or are expected to), and often the Board members do as well, to keep a broad picture on the program. Though puzzling for the candidates, we'll likely stick to it for a while.<br /><br />Generally, trust me we're doing our best to make your successors transit from "exactly neutral" to "mildly positive". Since we are staying in touch, I also believe you would be around to check it :-) <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11623196217591811881noreply@blogger.com