Research Project

Source: https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/research-project Parent: https://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/undergraduate-program

Before beginning work on a PhD thesis, each student must complete an initial Research Project. The purpose of this project is to introduce students to the methods of research and to ensure that they can organize material and present it cogently in both oral and written form. The topic may be in the area of intended thesis work, although research in another area is encouraged. No research project carried out before the student has registered for graduate study at Harvard will be accepted.

Research Advisor, Assignment of Advising Committee, and Research Proposal

Each first-year graduate student must identify a Research Advisor by December 15 of G1.  At the same deadline, the student should submit to the DGS and department office a brief (abstract level) summary of the Research Project, along with a suggested Advising Committee (AC).  The DGS and CAS will finalize the AC assignment and inform the student by January 15 of G1, at which point the student will schedule the first meeting of the AC, to take place prior to Spring Break in the Spring term of G1.  

The student, in consultation with their Research Advisor, should select a Research Project, read relevant background material, and submit to the AC at least 1 week prior to the first AC meeting a draft of the Research Proposal to be discussed in detail with the AC at the first meeting.  The Research Proposal should be 2-4 pages long and include a description of the intended work with relevant references to the literature, expected outcomes, and a timeline for timely completion of the Project (see below). 

Following the first AC meeting, and taking into account the AC feedback, the student will submit the final Research Proposal to the DGS and department office by May 15 of G1.

Subsequently, the student will meet with their AC once per semester, with the meeting time scheduled by September 30 (Fall semester) and January 31 (Spring semester).

Research Project Report & Research Exam

The deliverables of the Research Project are a written Research Project Report describing the results of the project, and the Research Exam, administered by the AC (this will count as the semesterly meeting of the AC for the semester in which the Research Exam takes place).  The Report should be in the style of a paper submitted for publication in a professional journal (e.g. ApJ, MNRAS, A&A) and should be written primarily by the student, with input from the advisor.  It is not required that the Report be submitted for publication, but we note that this is nearly always the case. The Report should be submitted to the AC at least 2 weeks prior to the Research Exam. 

The Research Exam consists of a presentation by the student describing the completed work, with questions from the AC covering the primary research topic, as well as its broader context within astrophysics. The RE should be scheduled for 1.5 hours. The student's presentation should focus on the motivation for the research, the results obtained, and the astrophysical implications.  It is the responsibility of the student to bring to the RE the requisite forms to be signed by the AC.

Deadlines

Students are strongly encouraged to complete the Research Project Report and the Research Exam prior to the beginning of the Fall term of G3. Specifically, we strongly encourage students to schedule the Research Exam before the end of May of G2, as summer meetings are generally challenging to schedule due to travel. In our experience, timely completion of the Research Exam will enable a timely 5-year PhD. 

Students who have not completed their Research Exam before the start of their G3 year will be required to meet with their AC by October 15 of G3 to discuss research progress and present a written plan detailing a path to completion of the Research Project as early in G3 as possible.  Based on discussions at that meeting and possible revision of the plan, the AC chair will, by November 1, convey the plan to the CAS, along with their own short assessment of the schedule risk. If the Research Exam has not been completed by the end of the fall semester, the student must meet again with their AC by February 28 to offer a final plan, which the AC chair will again convey to the CAS by March 15.

The final deadline for the Research Exam is May 15 of G3.  Students who do not meet this deadline are liable to be withdrawn from the program.