How to PhD

What is How to PhD?

• Graduate school handbook
• Easy to read
• To the point
• Self-help book
• Everything you need to know

Includes the below-listed and more:

• Sample Statement of Purpose from a successful graduate school application
• Sample advisor breakup email (for when you need to switch research groups)
• Seven benefits you can leverage as a teaching assistant
• Complete steps for passing the “prelim” or candidacy exam
• Ten ways to improve your talks
• Complete steps for publishing your research in a top journal
• The four types of journal papers you can contribute to in graduate school
• Reasons why graduating is hard and how to tackle each situation
• The four steps for guaranteed and speedy graduation

While every Ph.D. is unique, each one is a journey filled with challenges and struggles. How to PhD: The Graduate School Handbook is the first book of a series and also the first of its kind.
It is a book filled with everything I wish I had known before starting graduate school.
Whether you are considering getting a Ph.D. or have already started, this book is for you as it takes you through all the stages of getting the degree. It is complete with everything from how to get into graduate school to how to actually finish successfully.

In between, you will learn about:

• the importance of finding a good advisor,
• finding a good advisor,
• how to pass the candidacy exam or “prelim”,
• fighting demoralization,
• and how to communicate your research, including writing papers.

Graduate school handbook

Every chapter in this self-help book is meant to tackle a specific problem in your graduate school career. It all culminates in the most important chapter “Endgame” where I spell out how you can successfully wrap up your Ph.D.

The How to Ph.D. book also includes excerpts from my next book, specifically on the following topics:

• To postdoc or not to postdoc, that is the tension
• Job Search: Why adding value is the best thing to do

Doing a Ph.D. can make you feel isolated and lead to mental health problems.

This is why How to PhD exists. My goal is to provide community, support, and actionable steps to help students succeed in Ph.D. programs and overcome the challenges of academia.

Book 2 is a short read, which you can also get for free if you subscribe

How to Antarctica: 31 Things You Need To Pack For Your Antarctic Expedition

Do you hate reading lots of words? This book is for you! It has some words and lots of pretty pictures! Of the most beautiful place on the planet – Antarctica!! Does your research or work involve an expedition to Antarctica? Mine did. Or, maybe you are just curious. Either way, welcome and good luck!

Do you want to know more about this beautiful, cold desert, and what life is like there? This book is all about the practicalities and the essentials of life on the ice. It will prepare you for your journey, real or imaginary, to the most Mars-like place on Earth! It’s true! When they have to research aliens and Mars, they go to Antarctica!!

I share 31 items to pack if you have to take a trip to the bottom of the planet, along with tips on the essentials for the trip and a very important note on hikes that could save your life! Welcome to the ice!!

How to Land Your Dream Postdoc is the 2nd book in the ‘How to PhD’ series!

How to Land Your Dream Postdoc – The Insider’s Guide: Postdoc Interview Questions, Successful Research Statement, Cover Letter, and Job Talk is the second book in my “How to PhD” series. This book has everything I wish I had known before starting to apply to postdocs in the middle of trying to finish up graduate school.

I was working on my projects, writing my thesis, and defending. Many things were going on all at the same time, and I wish that a book like this had helped me to

• organize my efforts,
• cut down on unnecessary steps,
• and still, succeed in getting interviews and offers!

This book is complete with actionable advice on

1. how to write your research statement (sample provided)
2. how to write your cover letter (sample provided)
3. how to prepare for interviews (including answering interview questions)
4. how to deliver a killer job talk on your research (sample provided)

Plus, I also include

1. Story of all my postdoc applications
2. The outcome for each one and what happened and why
3. Insights and lessons from each postdoc application and interview experience
4. Table summarizing my postdoc applications

Public Domain Science Review Short Book

High Energy Neutrinos from Gamma Ray Bursts: Theoretical Predictions, Experimental Searches, and Prospects for Detection

This review includes:

1. Introduction
2. Early theoretical predictions for neutrino fluences due to GRBs
3. Overview of high energy neutrino experiments and related physics
4. Experimental searches for high energy neutrinos from GRBs
5. Prospects for detection of high energy neutrinos from GRBs

High Energy Neutrinos from Gamma Ray Bursts: Theoretical Predictions, Experimental Searches, and Prospects for Detection was originally written as a review submitted for my Ph.D. candidacy paper on Nov 23, 2015.

It has been edited for a “Short Read” on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing in Oct 2020. It is a public domain work.

Special thanks to the Connolly group at Ohio State University (OSU) and the physics and astronomy departments at OSU. Moreover, I am grateful for the contribution of each and every scientist and author listed in the “References” section of this review. This review would not be possible without their published science and hard work.

Please let me know if you find any mistakes or problems, I will fix it. My email is oindreeb@gmail.com. I am happy for this to be a living document. I am anxious to improve it but feel that it needs to be out at this point before that can happen.