Tag: career

The Rise And Fall of ATR

We discuss the conception, rise and fall of ATR.

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The Advanced Telecommunication Institute International (ATR) in Japan is a major player in the field of human-robot interaction. Its early history was described by many who worked there as a paradise. After many changes to its funding and subsequently to its organization it remains a pretty strong research organization, but it is only a shadow of its early glory. Many researchers left this highly volatile and competitive environment. In this episode of the Human-Robot Interaction Podcast we will try to understand what the changes of a research organization means for its employees. I interview Takayuki Kanda, Michita Imai and Dylan F. Glas about their work at ATR and their lives afterwards.

ISSN 2703-4054

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Advise for the young at heart

What advice would you give to your younger self?

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Completing a PhD is a major accomplishment but it is only the start of an academic career. A study by The Royal Society found that only 3.5% of students that complete a PhD secure a permanent research position at a university. Of those lucky few, only 12% (or 0.45% of the total) make it to professor level. Those lucky few that make it must surely have some wisdom to share. I asked academics in HRI what advice they would give their younger selves. While talking to Rob Sparrow, Alan Wagner, Mari Velonaki, Guy Hoffman, Kimmo Vanni, Amit Kumar Pandey, and Franziska Kirstein about their careers certain patterns emerged. Perseverance, focus, patience and luck are amongst the factors that influenced their academic careers.

ISSN 2703-4054

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Being a PHD student in HRI

A discussion about being a PhD student in the field of HRI and what happens afterwards.

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Most research at universities is done by PhD students. They are an essential part in the progress of science. The relationship between a PhD student and his or her supervisor is not unlike a marriage as Jorge Cham pointed out. It lasts for a couple of years, starts with a proposal, and culminates in a ceremony where you walk down the aisle dressed in a gown. Naïve young people enter, and around 50% end up in bitter remorse. In today’s special episode I talk to three of my former PhD students, Omar Mubin, Eduardo Sandoval, and Jakub Zlotowski, whom I met at a conference in Sydney. We talk about live during and after a PhD.

ISSN 2703-4054

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