Name

Vinayak Mathur

School

University of Pennsylvania

Degree Program

Third year PhD student in Biology with a specialization in Evolutionary Biology

Previous Degrees

Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Biotechnology from Manipal Institute of Technology, 2009

Dissertation Topic

Expression of plasticity in drosophila melanogaster in North America

Research Interests

Effect of climate change on drosophila melanogaster populations

Advisor

Paul Schmidt

Advisor’s Research Focus

Life history traits in drosophila melanogaster

Hobbies

Reading, watching sports

Graduate School – Application Process

How did you select your graduate school and program?

I selected University of Pennsylvania’s biology PhD program based on its ranking, faculty and eagerness to have me apply. I referenced several ranking lists to find out which schools were the best in this field and researched the interests of their faculty. Then I sent about 100 e-mails to the program professors to see how many of them were interested in becoming my advisor. University of Pennsylvania and University of Texas, Austin were the 2 schools that had faculty who shared my interests and responded to my e-mails. After visiting the campuses and speaking to their faculty, I ultimately chose to attend University of Pennsylvania.

However, my decision to study biology at the doctoral level was a process that began in childhood. My father has a PhD in zoology and my mother has her medical degree, so I had always intended to get my doctorate, I just did not know the field that I would specialize in. After graduating with my bachelors degree in engineering, I began to read about evolutionary biology and discovered that I had a love for this field and the other pure sciences.

What did you do to prepare yourself for graduate school?

I prepared myself for graduate school by doing as much reading about this field as I could. My undergraduate degree had been in engineering, and I did not have the proficiency that I needed in several subjects, including math and biology.

I also pursued an internship at University of Chicago that resulted in research experience and an excellent recommendation letter. In my opinion, recommendation letters from professors in India, where I did my undergraduate work, do not carry the same weight as an American recommendation letter, so the letter that I received from my internship meant a great deal to me.

Did your application requirements include standardized test scores?

Yes, my application required me to submit GRE test scores. I used several different books to prepare, and I focused on the verbal portions. Math is fairly standard across cultures and nationalities, but vocabulary is not, so I knew I had to prove that I was capable of doctoral writing and reading.

I also had to take my TEFL, or Test of English as a Foreign Language, which gauged my overall fluency in English. I prepared for this test with mostly online resources, like practice tests. I think that the minimum score for the TEFL is 100 out of 120 at University of Pennsylvania.

What kind of information did you include in your personal statement?

My personal statement included information about my educational background, my reasons for wanting to switch from engineering to biology and the internships I had done in India and with the University of Chicago. I also outlined my research goals for the next 5 years.

How did you choose faculty to approach for letters of recommendation?

For my letters of recommendation, I approached faculty who I felt confident would impress the admissions boards. I did not want to get letters from engineering faculty in India, so I selected 2 faculty from my internship at University of Chicago and a biology professor who I had interned with in India.

What types of questions were asked in your admissions interview?

The questions that my 6 admissions interviewers asked were about my statement of purpose, as well as how I planned to cope with moving from India to live in the United States for the next 5 years. Most of all, they wanted to know about my reasons for choosing University of Pennsylvania for biology when I had gotten my undergraduate degree in engineering.

I prepared for the interview by developing several questions that I could use to break the ice or fill moments of awkward silence. I wanted to keep them talking and engaged with me.

Do you have any other tips for a student who is considering applying to graduate school in biology?

Yes, I recommend that students who are considering applying for graduate school in biology use a similar approach to my own when selecting a program. First, I made a list of the top 20 universities for biology. I had my dream schools, such as Harvard and University of California, Berkeley, but I also had several schools that were not so highly ranked but had excellent faculty. Then I had several schools that were ranked low enough that I knew they would accept my application, just to play it safe.

One mistake I made after getting accepted, however, was failing to become familiar with the faculty before my first day in the lab. I should have started developing relationships with them from the very moment I was accepted into their program.

Graduate School – The Program

How long is your program and how is the curriculum distributed?

My PhD program in biology at University of Pennsylvania typically takes 5 years to complete. The first 2 years focus on coursework and the second year has a mandatory teaching assistantship.

At the end of the second year, students have to take a preliminary exam in which they propose their dissertation topics. If faculty approves their topics, students can commit themselves to full-time research for the remainder of the program.

What is the focus of your dissertation research?

The focus of my dissertation research is on the expression of plasticity in drosophila melanogaster in North America. Drosophila melanogaster is also known as the common fruit fly. I chose this topic because I had an interest in adaption and evolutionary biology.

My process for selecting this topic began with me discussing the idea with my advisor. Over the course of several meetings, he helped me figure out exactly what tools the University of Pennsylvania research lab could offer so that I could plan my research topic and methodology.

In my opinion, however, the most critical component of selecting a dissertation topic is research literature. I think that students must stay current with scientific developments in their fields and know about technological advances so that they can avoid picking topics that others have already done.

Can you describe the process of researching for and writing your dissertation?

My process for researching and writing my dissertation is relatively relaxed. I do not have to work a certain number of hours on my dissertation research, although I often set up multiple experiments and analyze the data. I also have to present my current research to a committee by a certain date each year so that they will continue my funding.

In fact, the only hurdle I have faced so far has been my failure to get to know my professors right away. For other graduate students in biology, I recommend that you be proactive and go have a chat with faculty, even if you do not talk about science. Professors do not want to be the ones to initiate friendships.

What role does your advisor play in your education?

The role of my advisor is to help me stay focused on my research. I chose him during my application process because he was among a few professors who responded to my e-mail. He had a background in genomics and wanted a student with experience in that area to help him in the lab. I had just finished an internship that had taught me genomics and DNA sequencing, so we were a good match.

His role so far has been to meet with me each week and address any issues I may be having. If I encounter a problem, he can usually direct me to some scientific literature or give me tips. Early on, he also helped me pin down my dissertation topic.

However, my advisor, like most advisors, is very busy. One tip I have for students is to schedule and arrange everything on their own. No advisor should have to write an e-mail to his or her student to ask if they can meet.

Graduate School – Paying for It

How much does your PhD program cost?

My biology PhD program costs little because it tries to keep its students funded at all times. For their first year, students in my program are funded through a fellowship. During their second year, they do teaching assistantships that offer tuition waivers and stipends. For the remainder of their time, students can apply for scholarships, research assistantships and fellowships, or continue teaching.

The secondary costs for a PhD program are covered by the stipend, which I find more than adequate to pay my rent, food and textbook costs.

How are you funding your education?

I am funding my education through a teaching assistantship, which provides me with a stipend and a tuition waiver. I technically must work 20 hours a week for this assistantship, although 15 hours is more typical. I am also responsible for grading exams.

Graduate School – Living Life

What are the time commitments for a PhD in biology?

The time commitments for a PhD in biology are intense. During my first 2 years, I spent about 12 hours a week in class and an additional 16 hours or more each week studying outside of class. I found that each assignment for these courses required about 4 hours of work.

Now that I am working solely on my dissertation, my schedule has become much more flexible. I can take off weekends and plan for vacations by arranging my experiments in advance.

How has graduate school affected your personal life?

Graduate school has greatly affected my personal life. I moved away from my family in India to attend graduate school, and calling internationally is still expensive enough that I cannot call as often as I would like.

However, I have been able to make friends in my department, which hosts several social mixers each month. We get together for cookies each week, and we have a fall and spring barbeque and a monthly happy hour.

Graduate School – After Graduation

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

There are many options. I could be to return to India and find work as a researcher. However, I would also like to stay in the U.S. if I got the chance to work here.

Graduate School - Advice

What insights can you offer a student who is interested in pursuing a PhD in biology?

One insight that I have for students who are interested in pursuing a PhD in biology is to prepare for the transition into doctoral work. Professors are patient with students during their undergraduate studies, but they are less willing to provide direct guidance in doctoral programs. Students must take responsibility for meeting or failing to meet the demands of their programs.

I also recommend that students find friends who are also in doctoral programs. Five years may seem like a long time, but in reality, it goes by fast. In my experience, friends who understand the demands can be an encouragement, and they will help you stay motivated to finish as quickly as possible.

One final insight that I have for other students is about time management. In my opinion, the best way to get things done is by breaking up large tasks into smaller pieces. I commit to reading 1 research article a day, for example, and although that does not sound like much, it adds up to 7 research articles a week, which is a very respectable amount of reading.