The entire session was broadly divided into three segments with the following panellists:
- PhD and Post Doctoral
- Dr. Saurabh Verma (MSc, PhD - IIT Delhi, Post Doctoral - Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China)
- Kshitij Pandey (MSc - IIT Jodhpur, PhD - IIT Delhi)
- Ritika Singhal (MSc, PhD - IIT Delhi)
- Lalit Mohan (MSc, PhD - IIT Delhi)
- Nasheed Jafri (MSc - IIT Delhi, PhD - Indiana University, USA)
- Internship
- Ritesh Raj (MSc Mathematics - IIT Delhi)
- Ashutosh Mishra (MSc Mathematics - IIT Delhi)
- Placement
- Ashray Aman (Placed: Microsoft, B.Tech/M.Tech Mathematics & Computing - IIT Delhi)
- Yashank Singh (N K Securities, Quants and Data Science Profile)
PhD and Post Doctoral
PhD in India
For a PhD from prestigious Indian Institutes like IITs, IISERs, IISc Bangalore, one needs to qualify the CSIR-NET, JRF, GATE exams, followed by the interviews of the respective colleges. However, some institutes call for a direct interview without checking the NET scores, if the student has a GPA of 8 and above. Following the class notes (provided the topics match from the syllabus of the corresponding entrance examination) one can qualify these exams with very good rank. What is required in addition is to practice some questions based on that.
There is a Fellowship amount provided by institutes to PhD candidates, after which they can apply for becoming assistant professors in universities. In addition to this, one may also apply for the NBHM and INSPIRE fellowships while continuing their PhD.
PhD from Abroad
Finding a PhD position abroad can be a baffling business and many students don’t know where to begin. In UK, Australia and most European universities, you need to contact a potential supervisor on your own and either join an ongoing project or propose a thesis topic of your own. Securing a funding is particularly difficult in UK and sometimes in Australia as well. Here duration of a PhD degree is usually 3 years and it is purely research based. The application process is similar in the US and in Canada except that in some Canadian universities like University of Toronto, they ask you to submit a research proposal along with your application. However, the procedure as well as securing funding is a lot less hectic as compared to the aforementioned countries. There is a common application pool where you submit your application and you don’t have to run around looking for supervisors. The duration, however, is longer in Canada and US (around 4-6 years).
You should maintain a GPA of 8.5+, take up summer/reading projects and commit to your Master’s dissertation. You would then need to write a strong statement of purpose (SOP) which is an academic essay that reflects your interest in that university and aspiration to do a doctorate. Your GRE (general) scores are almost just a formality, whereas good GRE (Subject) scores would positively impact your application. Teaching experience has a lot of value because as a PhD student, you’ll be teaching undergrad or grad level courses; so look for TA positions. For this reason, some universities have minimum TOEFL/IELTS score requirements. So you should also work on English speaking and comprehensive skills if you feel the need. Finally, there may be an interview before you get your PhD offer, which is a casual chat with some faculty members.
Internship
Various prestigious institutions in India annually organise such programmes where undergraduate and postgraduate students can apply and enrol as research assistant or fellows. Following is a brief list of some of the popular programmes with their basic details:
- Summer Research Fellowship Programme organised in the Chennai Mathematics Institute campus, jointly by INSA, IAS, and NASI. Application starts in November-December and programme is organised in June-July of the following year. The students selected in this are paid fellowship, provided accommodation, and travel allowances. Applicants need to give a statement of purpose and are expected to have a reference from one of their current professors.
- Visiting Students’ Research Programme of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research for which the applications are usually taken in December-January. The students selected for this programme are provided a decent stipend, accommodation and travel allowances. Selection heavily relies on applicant’s academic profile, statement of purpose and recommendations.
- Summer Research Programme organised by Institute of Mathematical Sciences, this is a limited programme meant only for highly motivated MSc first year students with good academic record. Applicants need to provide at least two recommendation letters and submit a writeup (statement of purpose). The students selected in this are provided free accommodation and travel allowances.
- Summer Programme in Mathematics, Harish Chandra Research Institute conducts this programme for 3 weeks in summers. The applications are taken till February where applicants need to submit two recommendation letters. The programme involves intensive lectures on Algebra, Analysis and Topology with an aim to introduce basic maths at masters level in interesting ways.
- Summer Student Research Programmes by IISERs at Pune, Mohali, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram organise jointly and individually some summer programmes for BSc, MSc, BE, and BTech students to provide them exposure to a research environment, by associating them with one of the Research Groups of IISERs. The applications start in January. Students should visit the site of each of these IISERs to gather application details.
- Mathematics Training and Talent Search Programme organised by the MTTS-India Trust, this is one of the most popular mathematics programme for undergraduate and postgraduate students. It’s usually organised throughout the year for a duration of 2-4 weeks in different locations in India. The selection is purely based on applicant’s academic record. While applying, students also need to submit recommendation letter. Those selected for the programme are provided free accommodation.
Students are highly encouraged to apply for the programmes which they find interesting since the experience at these programmes may prove to be pretty significant in their future correspondences with mathematics.
Placement
The students need to set both long term and short-term goals regarding placements. The final draft of CV needs to be submitted 4-5 months prior to interview keeping in mind specific company profiles they are applying to.
It is recommended to keep multiple CVs ready for different profiles, like projects specific to Data Structure and OS for Software Development Profiles whereas Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence projects for Data Science Profiles.
For preparation, one must learn and practice competitive coding questions from platforms like LeetCode and GeeksforGeeks, while look into interview questions from InterviewBit. A short Coursera course or watching a couple of introductory videos on Databases, Computer Networks, OS etc. might come in handy.