How to PhD Podcast Oindree Banerjee

Who works at MIT Lincoln Lab?

MIT Lincoln Laboratory employs a diverse workforce of scientists, engineers, and support staff. The laboratory offers a wide range of job opportunities for individuals with backgrounds in engineering, mathematics, computer science, physics, and other related fields. Some of the typical job titles at MIT Lincoln Laboratory include research scientist, engineer, software developer, and program manager. The laboratory also offers internships and co-op positions for students who are interested in gaining hands-on experience in research and development.

In addition to its research and development activities, MIT Lincoln Laboratory is also involved in outreach and education initiatives. The laboratory offers a variety of programs designed to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists and engineers. These programs include summer camps, workshops, and internships for students of all ages.

Associated blog post: https://howtophd.org/2023/05/open-jobs-at-lincoln-lab-how-to-apply-directly.html

Wide range of job opportunities in science, engineering, and technology

In summary, MIT Lincoln Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center that is dedicated to developing advanced technologies for US national security. The laboratory offers a wide range of job opportunities for individuals with backgrounds in science, engineering, and technology. The laboratory is also involved in outreach and education initiatives aimed at inspiring and educating the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Where to apply for open jobs at Lincoln Lab

I have been working at MIT Lincoln Lab for over a year now and only recently discovered this link to apply to staff positions here. So I thought I would share it in this blog post.

Direct website for open jobs at Lincoln Lab: http://careers.ll.mit.edu/

I joined as a subcontractor myself through another company so I did not know about the regular careers website until now. This is where you can see all open positions and apply to multiple jobs if you like. I believe the application is fairly simple requiring a resume and basic information. The cover letter is optional. Of course, please verify all information yourself.

I will share part of an open job description below. This should give an idea of the types of roles available at the Lab. This is just one example though so please do your due diligence looking at all opportunities.

Open jobs at Lincoln Lab example

Required qualifications:


Ability to learn new technical areas quickly and apply that knowledge effectively to solve challenging mission problems
Ability to present technical concepts clearly to a wide spectrum of audiences
Proficiency with programming languages for computer modeling (e.g. Matlab, Python, C)
Doctorate in Physics, Engineering, Applied Math, Astronomy, or a related field. In lieu of a Doctorate, a Master’s degree with at least 5 years of technical experience will be considered.

Good luck with your job search!!! Let me know any comments and/or message me on LinkedIn with your questions.

My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oindreebanerjee/


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What is candidacy?  


The 6-week formal exam required by grad school 
Advisor/committee chooses a topic 
Typically not something you have worked on 
But good for you to know 
You do a literature review on the topic 
Deliverables: 15 – 20 page paper (at the end of 4 weeks) + Talk (at the end of 6 weeks)

Timing


Professors are busy

Ask to be on your committee >= 4 months in advance


Schedule your exam on a day and time that works well for you – this is your candidacy
Make sure oral exam is on committee members’ schedules

If very hard-to-get professor such as the Chair of the department, talk to the assistant for scheduling



Once you get the topic remember you are not alone


Not a lone journey

you will need help and so get ready to ASK FOR HELP


Ask clarification from the advisor/committee on the topic

What are their expectations?
Broadly, what outline should your paper follow?


Communicate profusely with your advisor/committee

They picked the topic, they want to see that you are interested in it
Ask away, they will tell you when they cannot tell you something



On d-day


Get to the exam early

get familiar with the room, and whiteboards, and set up your talk


During the exam

Station yourself near a whiteboard
No hiding behind talk


Be very respectful, alert, and attentive
Show willingness to work it out on the board
Committee wants you to succeed

If you get stuck/flustered under questioning
They might throw you lifeline – recognize and utilize



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I am loving September in Boston. Today when I stepped out the sun was just right. Warms your heart but doesn’t burn the skin. Then after work I went to Home Goods and the evening too was just perfect.

You know when you’re driving and the sun decides to blind you and you can’t see the road for a moment, that almost happened but it’s becoming dusk earlier now and a cool twilight had descended by the time I was done buying my new comforter set.

Also I’m back home as Boston is home now!!! When I got back it was 4:30 in the morning and I was wondering if I’d get a Lyft or Uber. A nice smelling Lyft car came in THREE MINUTES

Among other things, this vacation in the Caribbeans was perfect for perspective about the many conveniences of the mainland. Lyft and Uber and ease of access to many things including unlimited (in comparison) FOOD, ingredients, things to do, jobs, etc.

The islands are in the most magnificent blue-green emerald water that is perfect for swimming, snorkeling with onlooking lush mountains. Nothing like it for sure!! However Boston has all the advantages of being on the water without the huge potentially disastrous disadvantages of being an island.

For that, we are LUCKY. Sure the water is cold so to solve that we can get away to the islands and the water is dark blue but that’s because the food of the food of whales is in the water and that makes us have whales. And I like whales. I like it here.

Of course the best part is FUJI SUJI BAJI (fur babies) live here now. I landed in Boston and realized we live here now!!! I could just go home and meet them and I did and Fuji was waiting at the door at FIVE IN THE MORNING!

Some differences between the US Virgin Islands and the Mainland (Boston):


The US Virgin Islands (St Thomas) has tax-free, duty-free jewelry!!! Lots of jewelry stores where you can get good deals on diamonds, gold, silver, precious stones, etc. Check this yourself but I believe the limit is $1300 for a single person and $3200 for a household on jewelry you can buy tax-free, over that limit, you will have to pay a small fee at customs at the airport.
You drive on the LEFT there. I got a rental car and drove British-style, in American-style car, made in Japan!! It is kind of nerve-wracking but also powerful to be able to drive around the island doing what you want! It is not very walkable there so you do need a car. Without a car, you would rely on taxis or shared taxis/buses. There are no Lyft or Uber there.
There are a lot of mosquitos in the Caribbean! I was bit a lot in my hotel room as well at night. Haven't really experienced that in Boston at home. 
It is very hot in the Caribbean (I went in late August-September) and I had to be careful about not getting sun poisoning and dehydration! I did get sick one night after being out all day. So be careful!! But if you love the sun, you get a LOT OF IT there 
The drinking age there is 18 and open liquor is allowed in the streets! You can just get a drink while jewelry shopping and walk outside with it!
The islands can be affected by disastrous hurricanes while Boston has the advantages of being on the water but it is relatively much safer 
Everyone knows everyone in the islands, it is a small and close-knit community which can be great depending on personal preference. The life there is more laid back and things are slower... it is nice to get away and slow down with nature in the Caribbeans


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I have been told by multiple employers that my resume using this template is the best resume they had ever seen! I always got the interview if not the job! I have also helped many friends successfully use this template and give their careers huge makeovers!! So now it is YOUR turn. 

Please don’t hate me, but this resume template is in LaTeX. If you are not familiar with that, now is a great time to learn and that is exactly what I go over here in this episode! You can Google LaTeX and get lots of help. Also, this template will allow you to hit the road running. LaTeX is fully customizable which makes it awesome to use once you get the hang of it. 

This template is now extendable to two or more pages. You will see. It can accommodate more than one page and is highly customizable. However, if you are early in your career, you should try to stick to one page!

Link to resume template where you will start working on your resume project now: https://www.overleaf.com/read/dnhymzqppptq

You can access this one-page technical resume template on Overleaf. I freaking love Overleaf. This is why.

OVERLEAF IS AN ONLINE LATEX EDITOR THAT’S EASY TO USE: NO INSTALLATION, REAL-TIME COLLABORATION, VERSION CONTROL, HUNDREDS OF LATEX TEMPLATES, AND MORE.
All you have to do is click on the resume template link I provide above, and then edit the Overleaf files that you will then have access to, in order to change out the fields like name, and other specifics.

Once you click the link, please save the project with a different name and then turn off sharing unless you want other people to be able to edit your resume. See along the top panel to change the name of your Overleaf project and to change the sharing setting.

Next, look at the left panel. In the above picture, we are viewing the PDF result of the files after compiling the LaTeX code that makes your resume. To change what shows up in this PDF result, you need to make edits in the other files like main.tex, page1sidebar.tex, etc. All parts of the resume can be edited by going into each of these files in the left panel.

Try making a change, and then go back to the PDF view and click on the green button called “Recompile” in the top panel. You should then be able to see the change you made reflected in the PDF result of your work. After making all the changes, you will have your new resume in PDF format from this template. To save the resume to your computer, you can click on the button near the “Recompile” button with the down arrow on it.

You do have to log in. I usually just use my Google login. I made the project for this resume template that you will have to use to edit and create your own resume ‘Read Only.’

This is because I don’t want people to mess up the template once they start editing because I noticed that although I asked people to create their own project first, people start to edit the original template and then the template files get broken for other users! Not fun!! If you have problems accessing this template online because it is ‘Read Only’, please let me know and I will fix the problems.

Full blog post: https://howtophd.org/2020/05/one-page-technical-resume-template.html

GOOD LUCK!!! Leave a comment on the blog post with your questions!!! Have fun job searching and using this template to create your BEST RESUME!!!!!

Note: the blog post provides the files on OneDrive as well. Any problems, let me know. You can also add me on LinkedIn and msg me there with your troubles. I would love to improve this for everyone and make sure that it works!!! 


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In this episode I cover what it means to be a systems analyst and share from my personal experience spanning three jobs post academia. A systems analysis role is 1) problem solving 2) big picture architecting of how to solve a problem backed by technical analysis 3) not focused on building tools for other users but rather leveraging existing tools and using them for your analysis and only building a tool from scratch if it is needed and in a way where you will be the main user of it 4) making PowerPoint slides on your analysis and presenting this work and spending time understanding how best to communicate through this and for the right audience etc 5) communication with team members or across organizations to do due diligence on what’s been done already so much like literature review before embarking on original research work. This type of role has lots of parallels with academic research and transferable skills from scholarly work would be very useful here.

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In this episode, I share from my recent experiences as program manager and what I learned. Being in a leadership position is very different from being an individual contributor and I think it’s good to strike a balance of having both aspects on separate projects if that is important to you. In leadership, the primary focus is to serve the team and do what is right for the team and performance of the projects and often times if things are going well your main job is to get out of the way! Develop and maintain trust. Don’t micromanage and remember to communicate the right amount: not too much nor too little! Hope the conversation helps to go over how to do this!!!

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