Pinned post
A week before my PhD defense, I sat down and wrote the blog post I wish I had read mid-PhD.
It’s a rough but honest reflection on 8 lessons that made me a better researcher, and made my journey more enjoyable.
The full blog is published at the @michigan_AI blog here:
ai.engin.umich.edu/2026/02/03/eig…
Here's a summary of the points:
• guard curiosity. turn work into play. curiosity is a muscle so train it daily.
• work on important problems. mid-phd is when ambition should go up.
• build a vision. depth beats scattered papers. think in goals, not ideas.
• busyness ≠ progress. deep work moves research forward. schedule it.
• learn to communicate. explain from first principles. writing = thinking.
• build independence. form opinions. defend them. update with evidence.
• don’t take yourself too seriously. you are not your papers.
• appreciate the PhD. this level of freedom is rare and won't last long.
Part 1, in case you missed it: ai.engin.umich.edu/2023/08/17/eig…
Grateful to @radamihalcea for the feedback
It’s a rough but honest reflection on 8 lessons that made me a better researcher, and made my journey more enjoyable.
The full blog is published at the @michigan_AI blog here:
ai.engin.umich.edu/2026/02/03/eig…
Here's a summary of the points:
• guard curiosity. turn work into play. curiosity is a muscle so train it daily.
• work on important problems. mid-phd is when ambition should go up.
• build a vision. depth beats scattered papers. think in goals, not ideas.
• busyness ≠ progress. deep work moves research forward. schedule it.
• learn to communicate. explain from first principles. writing = thinking.
• build independence. form opinions. defend them. update with evidence.
• don’t take yourself too seriously. you are not your papers.
• appreciate the PhD. this level of freedom is rare and won't last long.
Part 1, in case you missed it: ai.engin.umich.edu/2023/08/17/eig…
Grateful to @radamihalcea for the feedback
