What does it mean to work in a Nokia research center
Recently, we talked about some of the achievements of the Nokia Research Center. Not many people know, but there is a branch of the NRC near Moscow - it is located in the building of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo just outside Moscow.
Now in Nokia Research Center Skolkovo announced a set of interns. Not everyone has a clear idea of ​​what are the features of work in a research center of an IT company. Ilya, the head of the NRC project at Skolkovo, helped clarify this issue for our material.
(Disclaimer: the personal opinion of the author may not coincide with the official point of view of the company)
')
People often ask me: “What are you doing there? Do you write programs for phones? ”It is impossible to answer this question in a simple way, just like Carlson’s famous question about cognac in the mornings. Moreover, it is impossible to directly answer this question, because any employee is bound by various non-disclosure subscriptions. Strangely enough, often information about what is being worked at the research center (or hints at it) can be found in the public domain, but for this you need to understand what it means to work in R & D.
Immediately it should be noted that the text below is based on personal ten years of experience in research centers (or, as they sometimes say, in research or even research institutes) of well-known IT corporations in Moscow and communicating with researchers from other companies not only in Russia, but and around the world. Most players in this field adhere to similar rules. Therefore, the writing below applies not only to the Nokia Research Center in Moscow, but also to other research centers around the world. Of course, I do not claim to be absolute truth and complete generality. The specific content of the work can vary widely and depends not only on the company, but also on the laboratory / department.
The shortest and most incomprehensible answer: they are engaged in Research and Development (R & D, RnD). If with development everything is more or less clear, it is the development of something: software, hardware, technologies, etc., then considerably fewer people come across research: it is unclear what and how they research. The nature of the work and the percentage ratio between R and D are strongly influenced by how much the current topic is related to the company's plans to release specific products and services. Consider two extreme points:
1. Something is done for a product that is planned to enter the market in a year and a half.
2. Something is being done in a promising direction, which (for the time being?) Has nothing to do with the planned products and can be (if it “shoots”) be used only after many years (5–10).
The remaining options are between these two. It happens, of course, that someone works for production, that is, makes pure D, but we will leave such exceptions (often found in the CIS) behind brackets.
In the first case, a prototype is being developed, which is very close to how it will work directly in the product. However, to make a prototype, even if it, in your opinion, works great, is not enough. It is necessary to reasonably show and prove that you are aware of the achievements of mankind in this area, that you did not just implement the first suitable method, but rationally approached the choice of several alternatives. Weeks, and sometimes months of work, are devoted to the analysis of publications, patents, and similar or related products of competitors. In a good way, all this is documented in the form of reports. If competitors have something similar to what you are doing, then it is necessary during convincing (for example, statistically reliable) experiments to show that what you have developed exceeds the achievements of competitors, or at least is not inferior to them. If this is not the case, then it is necessary to finish or redo it. Criteria for comparison may exist, but it happens that there are no formalized criteria and they need to be invented. In many ways, this is similar to applied research that is conducted in (foreign) universities.
The second case is closer to basic research. The nature of the activity is no different from work in the laboratories of universities and academies. Often, work is carried out in conjunction with such laboratories. It is also an analysis of publications in this particular area, the creation of models and many, many experiments designed to confirm or refute a certain theory or hypothesis.
It is possible to describe work in a research center in a slightly different way. In general, it consists of three interrelated activities:
- implementation of current R & D projects (it happens that you work in several projects);
- preparation of publications (articles in scientific journals), participation in scientific conferences, etc .;
- generation of intellectual property of the company, that is, patents;
Note that the priority of these activities may be different.
We have already talked a bit about the projects. It happens that a common project is carried out by people of different nationalities and geographically distant from each other. Often projects are interdisciplinary in nature. Sometimes the project starts in a direction completely unknown to you. Therefore, you constantly learn something new. Rarely with this new someone who knows can help. Usually you figure it out yourself.
It is worth adding that even ordinary researchers often need to independently find and formulate a promising task for themselves (within a certain direction), and then justify their choice to an authoritative committee. For project leaders, inventing “what else could you do-investigate” is a constant headache (or fun, depending on how you feel about this). All relatives and friends have already been asked several times in different ways: what would you like to have in existing or new mobile phones / smartphones / devices? They are increasingly responding that there is already too much of everything, nothing needs to be added. Or so bent, that where Raymond Kurzweil . Not that it was absolutely impossible to do, probably, it is possible, in 50 or 150 years.
This is surprising to the uninitiated, but in research centers, as a rule, they are encouraged to publish their scientific results in journals and participate in conferences. Of course, this is not as simple as in university science. It is required to pre-patent or in any other way protect intellectual property. You need to get permission from a special committee and / or responsible managers. In particular, and for this reason, it happens that the publication is devoted to the results obtained three or four years ago. By the way, NRC publications can be viewed here . There are no projects entirely made in Russia yet, but we are sure that by the end of the year there will be an article reviewing the task of assessing the quality of a model for classifying a person’s motor activity. This is related to some toretic and practical issues of machine learning.
Intellectual property protection
I would not like to go into philosophical arguments about the benefits and harms of the existing patent system for modern society. The existing fact: IT-companies build their business, including patents. Another fact: the generation of ideas for patents or writing patents, as a rule, is the responsibility of employees of research centers. Patenting is an extremely specific area where technical issues are closely intertwined with legal issues. The patent is not at all like a scientific article. I am afraid that it is difficult for an uninitiated person to imagine how much has already been patented or is simply known from prior-art. In short, getting a patent (and better a family of patents) for an invention is very difficult.
It is clear that the work in the research unit is suitable and not everyone likes. When recruiting to research centers, preference is given to people with a scientific degree. It is assumed that they are at least prepared for research, writing reviews and preparing publications.
Among the advantages of working here are the long glorious traditions of the Nokia Research Center, interesting people who work here, and fresh ideas that they have. Plus, the developers have all the necessary tools for the work, and they are not bound by any unreasonable restrictions or additional responsibilities that interfere with the performance of basic tasks. Developed IT infrastructure allows you to work from home and on a business trip as efficiently as in the office. No one forces to overtime, does not create excessive pressure. It cultivates a calm, measured atmosphere of mutual respect, which contributes to the emergence of creative ideas in fruitful discussions with colleagues. We all really appreciate it.
What else is fun for me personally: I am really happy when the results of your work are embedded in real products. It's great to see what you have invented or what has been done with your participation. It's nice when on your report at the conference people are sitting on the floor in the aisles, and after the report they ask questions for two hours when your articles are quoted. It's cool to see your name on a US patent, and financially this is well encouraged.
Of course, not everything is rosy. As they say, shit happens. One of the main disadvantages of our work is that you do not immediately see the results. We must be able to work diligently systematically, independently motivate ourselves and not wait for immediate returns. Throw grain into the ground and cultivate your plot. A storm or a drought (read crisis in the company) can spoil a crop. Something may fail. Competitors can do better. May not go to the product. A lot of things can happen. However, if you are a good gardener (or a gardener), then something edible will definitely grow, you just need to throw grains into the ground, work and not moan.
Nokia Research Center (Skolkovo) announces the opening of an internship program and invites you to take part in a competition to fill vacancies in data processing and the development of algorithms for mobile devices.
Requirements
Education: graduate or graduate students (graduates of 2013), graduate students are especially welcome.
Knowledge and skills:
1. Excellent programming skills. Knowledge and experience of practical use of C / C ++ is required. Knowledge of C # and Matlab is desirable. Welcome to the experience of developing programs for smartphones.
2. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience in one of the following areas: digital signal processing, data analysis, pattern recognition and machine learning.
3. The ability to carry out research work, which is desirable to confirm their own publications or reports.
4. Fluency in Russian and English to interact with colleagues in a multinational company.
Working conditions
- temporary employment (contract duration - 6 months). In case of successful completion of the internship, a decision on admission to a permanent job can be made;
- flexible schedule;
- employment not less than 20 hours a week;
- a decent level of remuneration;
- Work in a professional international team in a comfortable office with a friendly atmosphere.
You can submit your resume (in English) to participate in the competition for an open vacancy on the official website of Nokia at www.nokia.com/careers (vacancy number RR 000000104492) or at bit.ly/ZOytof
Now in Nokia Research Center Skolkovo announced a set of interns. Not everyone has a clear idea of ​​what are the features of work in a research center of an IT company. Ilya, the head of the NRC project at Skolkovo, helped clarify this issue for our material.
(Disclaimer: the personal opinion of the author may not coincide with the official point of view of the company)
')
People often ask me: “What are you doing there? Do you write programs for phones? ”It is impossible to answer this question in a simple way, just like Carlson’s famous question about cognac in the mornings. Moreover, it is impossible to directly answer this question, because any employee is bound by various non-disclosure subscriptions. Strangely enough, often information about what is being worked at the research center (or hints at it) can be found in the public domain, but for this you need to understand what it means to work in R & D.
Immediately it should be noted that the text below is based on personal ten years of experience in research centers (or, as they sometimes say, in research or even research institutes) of well-known IT corporations in Moscow and communicating with researchers from other companies not only in Russia, but and around the world. Most players in this field adhere to similar rules. Therefore, the writing below applies not only to the Nokia Research Center in Moscow, but also to other research centers around the world. Of course, I do not claim to be absolute truth and complete generality. The specific content of the work can vary widely and depends not only on the company, but also on the laboratory / department.
So what are they doing in research centers?
The shortest and most incomprehensible answer: they are engaged in Research and Development (R & D, RnD). If with development everything is more or less clear, it is the development of something: software, hardware, technologies, etc., then considerably fewer people come across research: it is unclear what and how they research. The nature of the work and the percentage ratio between R and D are strongly influenced by how much the current topic is related to the company's plans to release specific products and services. Consider two extreme points:
1. Something is done for a product that is planned to enter the market in a year and a half.
2. Something is being done in a promising direction, which (for the time being?) Has nothing to do with the planned products and can be (if it “shoots”) be used only after many years (5–10).
The remaining options are between these two. It happens, of course, that someone works for production, that is, makes pure D, but we will leave such exceptions (often found in the CIS) behind brackets.
In the first case, a prototype is being developed, which is very close to how it will work directly in the product. However, to make a prototype, even if it, in your opinion, works great, is not enough. It is necessary to reasonably show and prove that you are aware of the achievements of mankind in this area, that you did not just implement the first suitable method, but rationally approached the choice of several alternatives. Weeks, and sometimes months of work, are devoted to the analysis of publications, patents, and similar or related products of competitors. In a good way, all this is documented in the form of reports. If competitors have something similar to what you are doing, then it is necessary during convincing (for example, statistically reliable) experiments to show that what you have developed exceeds the achievements of competitors, or at least is not inferior to them. If this is not the case, then it is necessary to finish or redo it. Criteria for comparison may exist, but it happens that there are no formalized criteria and they need to be invented. In many ways, this is similar to applied research that is conducted in (foreign) universities.
The second case is closer to basic research. The nature of the activity is no different from work in the laboratories of universities and academies. Often, work is carried out in conjunction with such laboratories. It is also an analysis of publications in this particular area, the creation of models and many, many experiments designed to confirm or refute a certain theory or hypothesis.
It is possible to describe work in a research center in a slightly different way. In general, it consists of three interrelated activities:
- implementation of current R & D projects (it happens that you work in several projects);
- preparation of publications (articles in scientific journals), participation in scientific conferences, etc .;
- generation of intellectual property of the company, that is, patents;
Note that the priority of these activities may be different.
Projects
We have already talked a bit about the projects. It happens that a common project is carried out by people of different nationalities and geographically distant from each other. Often projects are interdisciplinary in nature. Sometimes the project starts in a direction completely unknown to you. Therefore, you constantly learn something new. Rarely with this new someone who knows can help. Usually you figure it out yourself.
It is worth adding that even ordinary researchers often need to independently find and formulate a promising task for themselves (within a certain direction), and then justify their choice to an authoritative committee. For project leaders, inventing “what else could you do-investigate” is a constant headache (or fun, depending on how you feel about this). All relatives and friends have already been asked several times in different ways: what would you like to have in existing or new mobile phones / smartphones / devices? They are increasingly responding that there is already too much of everything, nothing needs to be added. Or so bent, that where Raymond Kurzweil . Not that it was absolutely impossible to do, probably, it is possible, in 50 or 150 years.
Publications
This is surprising to the uninitiated, but in research centers, as a rule, they are encouraged to publish their scientific results in journals and participate in conferences. Of course, this is not as simple as in university science. It is required to pre-patent or in any other way protect intellectual property. You need to get permission from a special committee and / or responsible managers. In particular, and for this reason, it happens that the publication is devoted to the results obtained three or four years ago. By the way, NRC publications can be viewed here . There are no projects entirely made in Russia yet, but we are sure that by the end of the year there will be an article reviewing the task of assessing the quality of a model for classifying a person’s motor activity. This is related to some toretic and practical issues of machine learning.
I would not like to go into philosophical arguments about the benefits and harms of the existing patent system for modern society. The existing fact: IT-companies build their business, including patents. Another fact: the generation of ideas for patents or writing patents, as a rule, is the responsibility of employees of research centers. Patenting is an extremely specific area where technical issues are closely intertwined with legal issues. The patent is not at all like a scientific article. I am afraid that it is difficult for an uninitiated person to imagine how much has already been patented or is simply known from prior-art. In short, getting a patent (and better a family of patents) for an invention is very difficult.
Who is this job for?
It is clear that the work in the research unit is suitable and not everyone likes. When recruiting to research centers, preference is given to people with a scientific degree. It is assumed that they are at least prepared for research, writing reviews and preparing publications.
Among the advantages of working here are the long glorious traditions of the Nokia Research Center, interesting people who work here, and fresh ideas that they have. Plus, the developers have all the necessary tools for the work, and they are not bound by any unreasonable restrictions or additional responsibilities that interfere with the performance of basic tasks. Developed IT infrastructure allows you to work from home and on a business trip as efficiently as in the office. No one forces to overtime, does not create excessive pressure. It cultivates a calm, measured atmosphere of mutual respect, which contributes to the emergence of creative ideas in fruitful discussions with colleagues. We all really appreciate it.
What else is fun for me personally: I am really happy when the results of your work are embedded in real products. It's great to see what you have invented or what has been done with your participation. It's nice when on your report at the conference people are sitting on the floor in the aisles, and after the report they ask questions for two hours when your articles are quoted. It's cool to see your name on a US patent, and financially this is well encouraged.
Not without a fly in the ointment
Of course, not everything is rosy. As they say, shit happens. One of the main disadvantages of our work is that you do not immediately see the results. We must be able to work diligently systematically, independently motivate ourselves and not wait for immediate returns. Throw grain into the ground and cultivate your plot. A storm or a drought (read crisis in the company) can spoil a crop. Something may fail. Competitors can do better. May not go to the product. A lot of things can happen. However, if you are a good gardener (or a gardener), then something edible will definitely grow, you just need to throw grains into the ground, work and not moan.
And now the promised announcement:
Nokia Research Center (Skolkovo) announces the opening of an internship program and invites you to take part in a competition to fill vacancies in data processing and the development of algorithms for mobile devices.
Requirements
Education: graduate or graduate students (graduates of 2013), graduate students are especially welcome.
Knowledge and skills:
1. Excellent programming skills. Knowledge and experience of practical use of C / C ++ is required. Knowledge of C # and Matlab is desirable. Welcome to the experience of developing programs for smartphones.
2. Theoretical knowledge and practical experience in one of the following areas: digital signal processing, data analysis, pattern recognition and machine learning.
3. The ability to carry out research work, which is desirable to confirm their own publications or reports.
4. Fluency in Russian and English to interact with colleagues in a multinational company.
Working conditions
- temporary employment (contract duration - 6 months). In case of successful completion of the internship, a decision on admission to a permanent job can be made;
- flexible schedule;
- employment not less than 20 hours a week;
- a decent level of remuneration;
- Work in a professional international team in a comfortable office with a friendly atmosphere.
You can submit your resume (in English) to participate in the competition for an open vacancy on the official website of Nokia at www.nokia.com/careers (vacancy number RR 000000104492) or at bit.ly/ZOytof
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/186320/
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