Questions tagged [advice-request]
practical questions about doing research in theoretical computer science
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Any advice for a third-year undergraduate student who wanna embark on tcs research in the future?
I'm about to be a third-year undergraduate student next month. There're not too many opportunities to do theory research(there are some but I think I'm not interested) especially for those without ...
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How to develop mathematical maturity required for TCS research as a computer science major?
I have been involved in mentored research with a professor whose interests lie around randomness in computation. I was lost pretty much the entire time. I was reading material at the graduate level ...
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PhD Development; Literature Review Tactics
Not sure if correct area, but here goes.
Starting a PhD in Trust and Reputation Management in Communications networks (lots of graph theory, probabilistic analysis, etc), and have lots of reading ...
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Accessible entry for computational complexity theory through concrete problems
I am planning to start studying computational complexity theory. As the field is technical for a fresh undergrad alumni like me, I thought a good approach is to tackle it through areas I am more ...
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What kind of mathematical background is needed for complexity theory?
I am currently an undergraduate student, bound to graduate this year. After graduation, I am considering to work towards a TCS master/PhD. I have begun wondering what fields of mathematics are ...
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2
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When should one start looking at existing results in theoretical CS?
I'm currently a PhD student in theoretical computer science. I've been working on this problem daily for almost a month that has been well studied and was assigned to me by my advisor. The problem is ...
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How to read a COLT or other paper related learning theory?
I am a master student right now. And first time met the theoretical computer science, I am really interested in it, and especially the learning theory part. Wish to do research about this part in the ...
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Starting a Career in Theoretical Computer Science
I am a third year mathematics student from Nigeria. I'm considering diving into theoretical Computer science after my B.sc in Mathematics, but the only computer science course that I've done is just ...
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What would you advise someone who wants to do research as a hobby?
I love doing TCS in my spare time. Lately I have been trying to do some research as a hobby.
I'm looking for some extra input from people who do this full-time:
Do you think it is possible to do this ...
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1
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What math courses should I revisit to prepare for a CS Ph.D. (Reinforcement learning and Game Theory)?
I am planning to join a CS Ph.D. program in 6 months. My topics of research will be in the area of Reinforcement Learning and Game Theory. Even though I have a good grasp of these two topics’ ...
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Can concurrency models be compared in terms of some metrics?
In Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks by Butcher, it compares Actor Model and Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP):
CSP is more flexible than actor model:
In actor model, the medium of ...
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Is it beneficial to regularly read papers outside your field?
What do you think about regularly reading papers outside one's own field, even those which are not related to one's area? My intuition is that it can give a totally different perspective or technique ...
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How important is knowing how to program for TCS?
Coming from a more mathematical background, I never really learned how to code.
I am starting a PhD in TCS and many people were surprised by how little I knew about programming (and about computer in ...
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4
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1
answer
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Formal theory about explaining algorithms
There is a lot of algorithms written in formal languages, but I have never seen any formal system which target is to explain or give a rationale behind an algorithm. It seems that when constructing ...
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1
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How to write the introduction of a research paper?
Apologies if this is too broad a question for this forum, but I'm interested in specific tactics and tips that researchers (in TCS) use to write the introduction of a research paper.
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Single author papers against my advisor's will?
I am a third year PhD student in an area of theoretical CS that would like advice for a difficult situation with my advisor.
My advisor is not involved in my research projects at all. In particular, ...
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What is the smallest result you publish on ArXiv?
In essence, the question is:
What is the least publishable unit for the ArXiv?
Of particular interest are fields that use the ArXiv extensively such as quantum computing. But comments on other ...
CommunityBot
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3
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How to talk about theory
I realize this might be a contentious question, but this seemed like the right place to ask. Please redirect me if not.
The background is that I am a "practitioner" (PhD student, I don't study CS ...
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Advice on good research practices
After reading Daniel Apon's question, I started thinking that it might be useful (especially to junior researchers and graduate students like me) to ask a broader and more general question so we can ...
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4
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How to come up with an non-trivial idea in theoretical computer science?
I am a PhD student working in theoretical computer science. I have read the research papers of many researcher and I have seen many tools and mathematics they use for designing an algorithm. For ...
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Algebra oriented branch of theoretical computer science
I have a very strong base in algebra, namely
commutative algebra,
homological algebra,
field theory,
category theory,
and I am currently learning algebraic geometry.
I am a math major with an ...
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How to be more "theory-minded"?
Apologies in advance for this a soft question which has no closed, correct answer. This is probably the best forum to ask my question.
I am a third year graduate student in theory group of a top-15 ...
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How to be formal while writing papers?
I am just beginning my second year of PhD. While my advisor is largely happy with my progress and work, there seems to be a recurring point in our discussions that I need to be more formal in my ...
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What are some career options for someone with a computer scientist master degree?
Other than going fully academic and getting a doctorate/post-doc, or going for a more or less 'standard' job in software development, what are some other career options in the full or semi theoretical ...
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Is there a computer science equivalent page for this: "How to become a GOOD Theoretical Physicist"?
http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gadda001/goodtheorist/
I was wondering if any one has come across a page similar to the above but for CS.
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Is education for research-based CS at odds with that of industrial CS?
I'm an undergraduate strongly interested (well, this is a hunch) in theoretical CS and all things mathematical. While I'd like to devote my time to participating in research opportunities and learning ...
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Need a good overview for Succinct Data Structure algorithms
(already asked on main site, but asking also here for better coverage, sorry)
Since I knew about Succinct Data Structures I'm in a desperate need of a good overview of most recent developments in ...
CommunityBot
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Faculty hiring differences between US and UK/Germany [closed]
This question contains some great answers on how to get a job. I wonder whether there are some significant differences if I will be looking for a position in Europe (in particular, UK and Germany) as ...
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Are aspects of the 20 questions game ambitious enough for graduate research?
I am finishing a masters program this year and I'm interested in doing a Ph.D. in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
I have an idea I've been tinkering with for a while, but some people have told ...
CommunityBot
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3
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How to find interesting research problems
Despite several years of classes,
I'm still at a loss when it comes to choosing a research topic.
I've been looking over papers from different areas and
spoken with professors, and
I'm beginning to ...
CommunityBot
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Which areas of TCS are better for a math bachelor?
I am graduating from mathemetics bachelor program and I've been accepted for masters degree in mathematics. But I am not sure to pursue math, hence I am looking for other field I can do research. I am ...
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Possible generalizations of associativity?
The well-known notion of associativity in algebra leads to structures with interesting properties, such as groups or semigroups. According to a paper by John Rhodes, some researchers in algebra and ...
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Mathematics degree for Theoretical Computer Science? [closed]
I want to go to grad school in theoretical computer science.
I don't like programming.
I am in France.
Should I pursue a bachelors in math or in computer science?
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Selecting papers to read
DISCLAIMER: This is an open ended question and stackexchange puritans would probably feel an extraordinary urge to vote it down to oblivion. However, I cannot think of any other forum more appropriate ...
CommunityBot
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Learning road map for functional programming from the viewpoint of category theory
I am now considering about studying functional programming from the viewpoint of category theory. There are a lot of books about functional programming and category theory, I want some suggestions ...
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Good practices for writing algorithms
This is about how effectively we can express an algorithm at hand. I need this for my undergraduate teaching.
I understand there is no such thing as standard way of writing a pseudo code. Different ...
CommunityBot
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1
answer
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Algorithms Design and Complexity - How to think in that 'way'?
My question is a general one: How do I start thinking in terms of Algorithm Design and Complexity? I am going to take a Graduate Course in Algorithm Design. I had enrolled in it earlier but dropped it ...
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What are the open ended questions for an CS Undergraduate to think about? [closed]
What can be a possible open ended research topics in Computational Complexity (or something equally fun), for an undergraduate to think about?
[I am planning to take up something fun, however my ...
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1
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Looking for learning resources
I am an undergraduate student of Computer Science and am very interested in learning the theoretical part of it all.
Unfortunately, none of the subjects we have in our UG program give us an insight ...
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What should I do to switch from math department to cs to research tcs topics?
This can be a very weird question, but I haven't seen the same situation with mine in this forum, so I'd like to put this. Let me introudce my situation first.
I'm now a math student of master ...
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Can one return to a TCS research job after an excursion to a non-research industry job?
I have heard from some senior researchers in theoretical computer science that working in a non-research industry job, even just for a few years, will kill your career as a TCS researcher.
However I ...
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Reading Papers with Unclear Typesetting
From time to time, I have to read a paper with unclear typesetting. By this, I mean:
very small fonts; sometimes 8pt or smaller.
very bad scan;
Using bitmap fonts instead of vector ones.
too old ...
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What math courses should I take to prepare for a CS masters or PhD?
I'm a self-taught professional programmer. I am pretty good at it (Ruby, Unix, Clojure, Java, Objective-C), but now I'm thinking of taking it to the next level by maybe applying for a masters or PhD ...
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How to get a job
I'm new to the site. On mathoverflow this would be community wiki, but I don't see how to set that here. Not a research question, but hopefully of interest to professional theoretical computer ...
CommunityBot
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2
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What is considered significant when applying for a TCS PhD with major changed
I am a Master student on CS. Actually in theory.
I have a BE in polymer (Chemical Eng stuff), and I struggled somehow to get enrolled in this program.
I want to apply a TCS PhD in US. So, what do ...
CommunityBot
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Is a PhD in TCS the best way towards achieving a career in industrial research?
My idea of a dream career is a career in industrial research, where one gets to tackle problems which are challenging, and also have a practical usage. To that end, is pursuing a PhD in TCS (I'm ...
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Are there pre-doc positions in TCS?
Are there positions for recently graduated bachelor or masters students with a record of research to work as a researcher before committing to their PhD?
TCS has a culture of post-doc positions for ...
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Graduate studies (PhD) in CS Theory vs. Applied Math
Given most American universities only accept applications in only one field, I'm trying to figure out what are the advantages/disadvantages of applying to a CS theory program vs an applied math ...
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How easy is it to switch the area of research in CS (going from M.Tech to PhD)?
I'm faced with a rather tough dilemma :-
I had completed M.Tech in CS 2 years back, completing my dissertation in the field of VLSI Testing. While I liked my work, I don't wish to go back to pursue ...
CommunityBot
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When are more publications less?
Are there cases where extra publications can hurt your record?
This is avoiding the obvious cases where you publish incorrect, or controversial results. Also avoiding the case of finite-time: you ...
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