"Profession - scientist": how to start a career as a researcher in the magistracy ITMO University
Usually serious scientific developments are associated with scientific research institutes and professors (as a last resort, graduate students). In fact, ITMO University can become a real scientist in the master's program - for this there are a number of scientific master's programs. We talked with Anna Veklich, First Deputy Chairman of the Admissions Committee, Head of the Department of Strategic Communications at the ITMO University, about what these programs are.
In this material: what a modern young scientist looks like and why he should be able to program, how a scientific magistracy differs from a regular one, what you need to be prepared for when you go there, and what a path to big science looks like for a ITMO student.
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Master's degree is a level of education, which a priori includes research activities. Therefore, absolutely all master’s educational programs (regardless of subject matter) can be called research, in a broad sense. However, the purpose of admission to the magistracy among students is different - someone wants to create their own business after study, someone wants to work in a large company, and someone decides to continue his postgraduate education and make a career in science.
Therefore, a year ago, a graduation of all master's programs into four types appeared at ITMO University:
Graduates of a scientific magistracy are aimed at entering graduate school and continuing research activities: either in the status of a researcher or teacher at the university (the duties of teachers also include scientific activities), or at research centers and R & D departments of companies.
Businesses no less than universities are interested in novice researchers — now, for example, the design of new functional materials, laser technologies, nanotechnology applications in photonics, transfer and storage of big data are popular directions for “corporate scientific research”.
In the research magistracy, we focus on creating the most favorable conditions for the development by students of their research projects. And in order to learn how to conduct research, it is best to interact a lot with those who are engaged in them now and are ready to share their knowledge. Specialty courses are developed and read by scientists who are currently conducting serious research on a relevant topic. Including invited professors.
Students are required to participate in international seminars, schools and conferences. It is assumed that successful students, depending on the subject of the project, undergo internships and internships with one of the Russian or foreign academic or industrial partners (each program has an impressive list of them).
In addition to the readiness to conduct scientific work, it is important for undergraduates to speak English - including "in the field of professional communication." This is vital in order to conduct research in international research groups, to communicate with foreign colleagues and to study the necessary literature (many useful books and manuals in work are published primarily in English). It is very important for students of the scientific magistracy to be “morally ready” to assimilate a large amount of information from different sources and use it to develop their project.
Another universal skill needed by novice scientists is programming. It makes the life of a researcher much easier - the better he can program, the easier and faster he copes with the time-consuming part of the work (the technical side of the calculations), and the more time he has left for the interesting part - researching the new. There are many tasks “tied” to the development in modern science, and the further a student moves from fundamental questions to his own research work, the more there are.
Given this, programming is given a lot of attention within the framework of those scientific master's programs that are developing at the junction of various disciplines. One such program, for example, is " Bioinformatics and Systems Biology " (opened this year). The entrants of the program will be graduates of biological specialties. In addition to comparative genomics and metagenomics, population and medical genetics (and other specialized areas) they will be taught programming in Python and R and the basics of machine learning.
In addition, all undergraduates of the ITMO University are studying the digital culture discipline at the university. His goal is to show that any modern scientist, regardless of the chosen direction, must understand information technology and be “a little IT person”.
Educational programs of a scientific magistracy are practically at each mega-faculty. The range of topics is very wide: from the development of algorithms in the field of machine learning to optics.
One of such programs was opened this year at the mega-faculty of photonics - this is “ Functional materials of optoelectronics ”. As part of the program, students conduct research in one of two directions: the development of new materials with special properties or the study of semiconductor nanostructures for photonics.
Education there (as well as in other programs of the scientific magistracy) is only in English, the leaders are scientists, known both in Russia and in the world (AE Romanov, head of the transnational research and educational center for advanced materials research methods, and V. G. Dubrovsky, Professor, Department of Modern Functional Materials, ITMO University).
Already at the time of admission applicants know that, having become students of this program, they will be included in international research activities: this is joint research with foreign scientists, internships, travel and study abroad at partner universities. The partner universities of the program are, for example, the University. Blaise Pascal in France, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Another program of this kind is “ Nanophotonics and metamaterials ”. Under this program, undergraduates are involved in advanced research of new optical materials, optical control methods and the interaction of light with matter. Learning is only in English.
During the course, students collaborate with the International Center for Nanophotonics and Metamaterials SIC and a number of international research laboratories, including the Applied Radiophysics International Laboratory (supervisor: Niko van den Berg, Utrecht Medical Center, the Netherlands), the Photoprocesses International Laboratory in mesoscopic systems "(supervisor - Ivan Shelyh , University of Iceland), the International laboratory" metamaterials "(supervisor - Yuri Kivshar, professor Australia someone National University) and others.
Science is an opportunity to solve problems that no one has done before. In the wake of the popularization of science, being clever, becoming a researcher has become fashionable again - therefore modern young scientists, oddly enough, no less than others love to be in the center of attention.
At the same time, the scientific magistracy provides an opportunity not only to “engage in science,” but to work on real problems that are being researched by scientists in Russia and abroad. A modern young scientist almost always works on interdisciplinary tasks (at the intersection of three or more scientific fields) in cooperation with his peers and colleagues from around the world.
The life of such a specialist implies the dynamics of movement and freedom in the choice of ideas, companies, universities, research teams. At the same time, he does not need to go abroad for permanent residence, since he has exactly the same conditions (including financial ones) in Russia.
In particular, graduate research graduate students in 90-100% of cases go to graduate school and work in parallel. The average income level of beginning scientists is 1.5–2 times higher than that of graduates of other programs, and is comparable to the salary of IT specialists.
All this is due to the fact that the salary of a young scientist is formed from several sources: a small load in the framework of teaching, plus participation in grants, plus rewards for scientific articles in high-ranking journals, individual scholarships, and so on. This approach allows you to start with a salary of 80,000 rubles and above - but for this, of course, you need to work a lot and take the initiative - to participate in research, write articles, apply for grants, attend conferences and enjoy scientific work.
After a research magistracy, it is really easier to get into graduate school to continue on the chosen path. These undergraduates have more opportunities to participate in real scientific research, they more often go on internships in foreign universities, write articles.
Therefore, at the time of applying for graduate school, they already have a strong portfolio in their hands - they pay attention to it when submitting documents and passing the exam in the specialty (before the exam, the commission receives a set of all achievements and can see the full portrait of the applicant). The conditions for admission to graduate school are the same for everyone - the fact of studying in a scientific magistracy does not affect the conditions of the competition or the specifics of admission.
In addition, a strong portfolio and knowledge base help graduates of a research master's program to enter joint postgraduate programs with a foreign university partner and end up with a “double diploma” (PhD degree). The chances of enrolling in such programs for children who have experience working with foreign universities are much greater.
For example, Dmitriy Potorochin became the first graduate student who began studying the joint educational program between ITMO University and the Freiberg Mining Academy. As part of this project, he is a member of an international research group that uses XFEL , the largest free electron laser in the world, in its work.
Graduates of a scientific magistracy are in demand not only in universities, but also among private companies and organizations that develop innovations and have their own research centers. Among such, for example, the Physicotechnical Institute named after A.F. Ioffe RAS, CJSC Scientific Production Association of Special Materials, OJSC INTER RAO LED Systems, OJSC Radiotechnical Institute. Academician A.L. Mints ", LLC Connector Optics, LLC Soft-Impact and others.
On the other hand, graduates of the scientific magistracy can themselves influence the market - create their own technology company, as, for example, did ITMO University graduate Arthur Glaim, project manager of Quantum Communications (we have already told about their developments here: 1 and 2 ) .
By the way, until May 15 at the mega-faculty of the photonics of the ITMO University, the collection of applications for the “Science needs you!” Competition continues. As part of the competition, applicants can enroll in the budget in the magistracy in the areas: "Functional materials of optoelectronics", "LED technology" or " Optoelectronics ." To participate in the first competitive stage, it is enough to prepare a resume, a motivation letter and a list of completed disciplines with indication of information about progress.
We wish good luck to the participants of the competition and are waiting for you among the undergraduates and scientists of ITMO University!
In this material: what a modern young scientist looks like and why he should be able to program, how a scientific magistracy differs from a regular one, what you need to be prepared for when you go there, and what a path to big science looks like for a ITMO student.
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About the scientific magistracy
What does "scientific master" mean?
Master's degree is a level of education, which a priori includes research activities. Therefore, absolutely all master’s educational programs (regardless of subject matter) can be called research, in a broad sense. However, the purpose of admission to the magistracy among students is different - someone wants to create their own business after study, someone wants to work in a large company, and someone decides to continue his postgraduate education and make a career in science.
Therefore, a year ago, a graduation of all master's programs into four types appeared at ITMO University:
- The scientific master's degree is the basis for the growth of the scientific activity of the university and companies;
- Industrial Masters - joint programs with industry leaders;
- Corporate Magistracy - joint programs with individual large businesses;
- Master's programs in promising areas - new programs in the framework of the development of industries where there may not yet be a corporate / industrial customer, but the university is ready to take a proactive approach to building a new educational process.
Graduates of a scientific magistracy are aimed at entering graduate school and continuing research activities: either in the status of a researcher or teacher at the university (the duties of teachers also include scientific activities), or at research centers and R & D departments of companies.
Businesses no less than universities are interested in novice researchers — now, for example, the design of new functional materials, laser technologies, nanotechnology applications in photonics, transfer and storage of big data are popular directions for “corporate scientific research”.
What is important to know about the research direction of a future student?
In the research magistracy, we focus on creating the most favorable conditions for the development by students of their research projects. And in order to learn how to conduct research, it is best to interact a lot with those who are engaged in them now and are ready to share their knowledge. Specialty courses are developed and read by scientists who are currently conducting serious research on a relevant topic. Including invited professors.
Students are required to participate in international seminars, schools and conferences. It is assumed that successful students, depending on the subject of the project, undergo internships and internships with one of the Russian or foreign academic or industrial partners (each program has an impressive list of them).
In addition to the readiness to conduct scientific work, it is important for undergraduates to speak English - including "in the field of professional communication." This is vital in order to conduct research in international research groups, to communicate with foreign colleagues and to study the necessary literature (many useful books and manuals in work are published primarily in English). It is very important for students of the scientific magistracy to be “morally ready” to assimilate a large amount of information from different sources and use it to develop their project.
How important is it for young scientists to understand programming?
Another universal skill needed by novice scientists is programming. It makes the life of a researcher much easier - the better he can program, the easier and faster he copes with the time-consuming part of the work (the technical side of the calculations), and the more time he has left for the interesting part - researching the new. There are many tasks “tied” to the development in modern science, and the further a student moves from fundamental questions to his own research work, the more there are.
Given this, programming is given a lot of attention within the framework of those scientific master's programs that are developing at the junction of various disciplines. One such program, for example, is " Bioinformatics and Systems Biology " (opened this year). The entrants of the program will be graduates of biological specialties. In addition to comparative genomics and metagenomics, population and medical genetics (and other specialized areas) they will be taught programming in Python and R and the basics of machine learning.
In addition, all undergraduates of the ITMO University are studying the digital culture discipline at the university. His goal is to show that any modern scientist, regardless of the chosen direction, must understand information technology and be “a little IT person”.
What other ITMO University programs are focused on the training of scientists?
Educational programs of a scientific magistracy are practically at each mega-faculty. The range of topics is very wide: from the development of algorithms in the field of machine learning to optics.
One of such programs was opened this year at the mega-faculty of photonics - this is “ Functional materials of optoelectronics ”. As part of the program, students conduct research in one of two directions: the development of new materials with special properties or the study of semiconductor nanostructures for photonics.
Education there (as well as in other programs of the scientific magistracy) is only in English, the leaders are scientists, known both in Russia and in the world (AE Romanov, head of the transnational research and educational center for advanced materials research methods, and V. G. Dubrovsky, Professor, Department of Modern Functional Materials, ITMO University).
Already at the time of admission applicants know that, having become students of this program, they will be included in international research activities: this is joint research with foreign scientists, internships, travel and study abroad at partner universities. The partner universities of the program are, for example, the University. Blaise Pascal in France, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, University of the Balearic Islands in Spain.
Another program of this kind is “ Nanophotonics and metamaterials ”. Under this program, undergraduates are involved in advanced research of new optical materials, optical control methods and the interaction of light with matter. Learning is only in English.
During the course, students collaborate with the International Center for Nanophotonics and Metamaterials SIC and a number of international research laboratories, including the Applied Radiophysics International Laboratory (supervisor: Niko van den Berg, Utrecht Medical Center, the Netherlands), the Photoprocesses International Laboratory in mesoscopic systems "(supervisor - Ivan Shelyh , University of Iceland), the International laboratory" metamaterials "(supervisor - Yuri Kivshar, professor Australia someone National University) and others.
About the path to big science
Why are young people interested in going to science now, doing research? What does a “modern young scientist” look like now?
Science is an opportunity to solve problems that no one has done before. In the wake of the popularization of science, being clever, becoming a researcher has become fashionable again - therefore modern young scientists, oddly enough, no less than others love to be in the center of attention.
At the same time, the scientific magistracy provides an opportunity not only to “engage in science,” but to work on real problems that are being researched by scientists in Russia and abroad. A modern young scientist almost always works on interdisciplinary tasks (at the intersection of three or more scientific fields) in cooperation with his peers and colleagues from around the world.
The life of such a specialist implies the dynamics of movement and freedom in the choice of ideas, companies, universities, research teams. At the same time, he does not need to go abroad for permanent residence, since he has exactly the same conditions (including financial ones) in Russia.
In particular, graduate research graduate students in 90-100% of cases go to graduate school and work in parallel. The average income level of beginning scientists is 1.5–2 times higher than that of graduates of other programs, and is comparable to the salary of IT specialists.
All this is due to the fact that the salary of a young scientist is formed from several sources: a small load in the framework of teaching, plus participation in grants, plus rewards for scientific articles in high-ranking journals, individual scholarships, and so on. This approach allows you to start with a salary of 80,000 rubles and above - but for this, of course, you need to work a lot and take the initiative - to participate in research, write articles, apply for grants, attend conferences and enjoy scientific work.
How does a scientific magistracy facilitate a further “path to science”?
After a research magistracy, it is really easier to get into graduate school to continue on the chosen path. These undergraduates have more opportunities to participate in real scientific research, they more often go on internships in foreign universities, write articles.
Therefore, at the time of applying for graduate school, they already have a strong portfolio in their hands - they pay attention to it when submitting documents and passing the exam in the specialty (before the exam, the commission receives a set of all achievements and can see the full portrait of the applicant). The conditions for admission to graduate school are the same for everyone - the fact of studying in a scientific magistracy does not affect the conditions of the competition or the specifics of admission.
In addition, a strong portfolio and knowledge base help graduates of a research master's program to enter joint postgraduate programs with a foreign university partner and end up with a “double diploma” (PhD degree). The chances of enrolling in such programs for children who have experience working with foreign universities are much greater.
For example, Dmitriy Potorochin became the first graduate student who began studying the joint educational program between ITMO University and the Freiberg Mining Academy. As part of this project, he is a member of an international research group that uses XFEL , the largest free electron laser in the world, in its work.
Do such masters have the opportunity to realize themselves outside the university?
Graduates of a scientific magistracy are in demand not only in universities, but also among private companies and organizations that develop innovations and have their own research centers. Among such, for example, the Physicotechnical Institute named after A.F. Ioffe RAS, CJSC Scientific Production Association of Special Materials, OJSC INTER RAO LED Systems, OJSC Radiotechnical Institute. Academician A.L. Mints ", LLC Connector Optics, LLC Soft-Impact and others.
On the other hand, graduates of the scientific magistracy can themselves influence the market - create their own technology company, as, for example, did ITMO University graduate Arthur Glaim, project manager of Quantum Communications (we have already told about their developments here: 1 and 2 ) .
By the way, until May 15 at the mega-faculty of the photonics of the ITMO University, the collection of applications for the “Science needs you!” Competition continues. As part of the competition, applicants can enroll in the budget in the magistracy in the areas: "Functional materials of optoelectronics", "LED technology" or " Optoelectronics ." To participate in the first competitive stage, it is enough to prepare a resume, a motivation letter and a list of completed disciplines with indication of information about progress.
We wish good luck to the participants of the competition and are waiting for you among the undergraduates and scientists of ITMO University!
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/354182/
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