Presentation to IIUM - Industry Talk March 15, 2013 @ 3.00pm Auditorium B, E2-Level 2, Kulliyyah of Engineering International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Gombak, Malaysia

1. “Characteris+cs,of,A,
Good,Researcher,3,Am,I,
A,Researcher?”,
Dr.$Mazlan$Abbas$
MIMOS$Berhad$

2. Research$“Misunderstanding”$
How$Long$Does$It$Take?$
$
What’s$the$Difference$Between$Masters$and$PhD?$
$
Why$Problem$DefiniJon$Takes$A$Long$Time?$
$
How$Do$We$Manage$Researchers?$
$
Why$“Research”$Approach$is$Different$From$“Development”?$

3. ScienJfic$DefiniJon$of$“Research”$
• The$strict$definiJon$of$scienJfic$research$is$performing$a$methodical$study$in$order$
to$prove$a$hypothesis$or$answer$a$specific$quesJon.$
• Finding$a$definiJve$answer$is$the$central$goal$of$any$experimental$process.$
• Research$must$be$systemaJc$and$follow$a$series$of$steps$and$a$rigid$standard$
protocol.$These$rules$are$broadly$similar$but$may$vary$slightly$between$the$
different$fields$of$science.$
• ScienJfic$research$must$be$organized$and$undergo$planning,$including$performing$
literature$reviews$of$past$research$and$evaluaJng$what$quesJons$need$to$be$
answered.$
• Any$type$of$‘real’$research,$whether$scienJfic,$economic$or$historical,$requires$
some$kind$of$interpretaJon$and$an$opinion$from$the$researcher.$This$opinion$is$
the$underlying$principle,$or$quesJon,$that$establishes$the$nature$and$type$of$
experiment.$

4. What,is,BASIC,Research?,
Basic$research$also$known$as$fundamental$or$pure$research$is$driven$by$a$
scienJst’s$curiosity$or$interest$in$a$quesJon.$The$main$moJvaJon$of$this$
type$of$research$is:T$
• To$expand$man’s$knowledge$of$the$world$and$not$to$invent$or$create$
something$new.$$
• There$is$no$obvious$commercial$value$in$research$of$this$type.$
$
$
Basic$science$research$includes$answers$to$such$quesJons$as:$
$
• How$did$the$universe$begin?$
• How$has$man$evolved$over$5me?$
• How$does$gene5c$code$determine$who$we$are?$
• What$is$the$specific$gene5c$code$of$an$earth$worm?$
• What$are$protons,$neutrons$and$electrons$made$of?$
$

5. What,is,APPLIED,Research?,
Applied$ research$ is$ designed$ to$ the$ pracJcal$ problems$ that$ exist$ in$ the$
modern$ world,$ rather$ than$ to$ just$ acquire$ knowledge$ for$ knowledge’s$
sake.$ One$ main$ goal$ of$ applied$ science$ is$ to$ improve$ human$ condiJons$
and$make$the$world$a$beVer$place.$
$
$
Applied$science$may$invesJgate$ways$to:$
$
• improve$agricultural$crop$produc5on$
• get$be<er$network$throughput$
• find$alterna5ve$rou5ng$solu5ons$
• treat$or$cure$a$specific$disease$
• improve$the$energy$efficiency$of$homes$

6. Ac+vity, Detail,Tasks, Timeframe,
Establish, Literature$Review$ 3T6$months$
Problem$DefiniJon$
Context, (MScTPhD)$
Scope$of$Research$
Select,&,Design, MathemaJcal$Modeling$ 3T6$months$
SimulaJon$
Methods, Experimental$
Undertake, New$mathemaJcal$theory$ 3T6$months$
New$programming$language$
Research, New$simulaJon$tool$
AcquisiJon$and$trials$testbed$
Analysis,&, TesJng$of$Model$ 6T12$months$
Valida+on,
Create,Output, IP$ 3T6$months$
Thesis$
Technical$report$
Review,&, PublicaJon$ <$3$months$
Conference$
Evaluate,
VIVA$
Note:,On,average,=,Masters,(2,years,to,complete),and,PhD,(336,years,to,complete),

7. How,To,Choose,a,Good,
Scien+fic,Problem?,
[Excerpts$from$the$ArJcle$“How$To$Choose$a$Good$ScienJfic$Problem”$by$Uri$Alon]$

8. Choosing$good$problems$is$essenJal$for$being$a$
good$researcher.$$
$
But$what$is$a$good$problem,$and$how$do$you$
choose$one?$

9. The,Feasibility3Interest,Diagram,for,Choosing,a,
Project,

10. The,Feasibility3Interest,Diagram,for,Choosing,a,
Project,

11. Take,Your,Time,
A$common$mistake$made$in$choosing$problems$is$taking$the$first$problem$
that$comes$to$mind.$$
Since$a$typical$project$takes$years$even$it$if$seems$doable$in$months,$rapid$
choice$leads$to$much$frustraJon$and$biVerness$in$our$profession.$$
It$takes$Jme$to$find$a$good$problem,$and$every$week$spent$in$choosing$one$
can$save$months$or$years$later$on.$
In$my$lab,$we$have$a$rule$for$new$students$and$postdocs:$$
Do$not$commit$to$a$problem$before$3$months$have$elapsed.$In$these$
3$months$the$new$student$or$postdoc$reads,$discusses,$and$plans.$$
$
The$state$of$mind$is$focused$on$being$rather$than$doing.$The$
tempta5on$to$start$working$arises,$but$a$rule$is$a$rule.$AGer$3$
months$(or$more),$a$celebra5on$marks$the$beginning$of$the$research$
phase—with$a$wellKplanned$project.$
$
Taking$5me$is$not$always$easy.$One$must$be$supported$to$resist$the$
urge:$‘‘Oh,$we$must$produce—let’s$not$waste$5me,$and$start$
working.’’$

12. The,Subjec+vity,of,the,Interest,Axis,
Who$decides$how$to$rank$the$interest$of$problems?$One$of$
the$fundamental$aspects$of$science$is$that$the$interest$of$a$
problem$is$subjecJve$and$personal.$
$
The$inner$voice$can$be$strengthened$and$guided$if$one$is$
lucky$enough$to$have$caring$mentors.$$
$
A$scienJst$ofen$needs$a$supporJve$environment$to$begin$to$
listen$to$this$voice.$$
$
$

13. The,Subjec+vity,of,the,Interest,Axis,
Good$test:$
One$way$to$help$listening$to$the$inner$voice$is$to$ask:$‘‘If$I$was$the$only$
person$on$earth,$which$of$these$problems$would$I$work$on?’’$An$honest$
answer$can$help$minimize$compromises.$
$
Another$good$sign$of$the$inner$voice$are$ideas$and$quesJons$that$come$
back$again$and$again$to$your$mind$for$months$or$years.$$
$
Another$good$test:$$
When$asked$to$describe$our$research$to$an$acquaintance,$how$does$it$
feel$to$describe$each$project?$
$
In$science,$the$more$you$interest$yourself,$the$larger$the$probability$that$
you$will$interest$your$audience.$

14. The,Objec+ve,and,Nurturing,Schemas,of,
Research,
The$mentors’$task$is$to$support$students$through$the$cloud$that$seems$to$guard$the$
entry$into$the$unknown.$And,$with$this$schema,$we$have$more$space$to$see$that$
problem$C$exists$and$may$be$more$worthwhile$than$conJnuing$to$plod$toward$B.$
“Sailing into the unknown again and again takes courage”

15. Research,Approaches,
(1)$MathemaJcal$Modeling$
(2)$SimulaJon$
(3)$Experimental$

16. MathemaJcal$Modeling$
Fast,$easily$define$upper$and$lower$bound$
Complex$mathemaJcs,$need$programming$

17. Network$Model$
SimulaJon$
Scalable,$Flexible$
AssumpJons$must$be$
accurate$
Time$consuming$
Either$selfTprogramming$or$
using$simulaJon$tool$$
Expensive$(?)$
Traffic$Model$
Performance$Results$ Algorithm$ Packet$Scheduling$Model$

18. Experimental$
Accurate,$real$results$
Time$consuming,$expensive,$not$scalable$

19. Intellectual,Proper+es,(IPs),
Architecture$/$Systems$/$Methods$
Is$it$Worth$A$
Masters$or$PhD$

20. Why$Do$We$Need$Degree,$Masters$and$PhD$Interns?$
Support$testbed$setup$
Simple$experiment$and$Data$CollecJon$
Some$simple$applicaJon$programming$
Degree$
Support$experimental$work$(advanced)$
SimulaJon$to$proof$the$concept/ideas$
Masters$
MathemaJcal$modeling$
Develop$SimulaJon$model$
CoTgenerate$and$test$new$ideas$
PhD$

21. How,Do,We,Manage,
Researchers?,

22. Researchers$ExpectaJons$
• Breathing$space$
• Need$Jme$to$think$to$be$creaJve.$
• Always$“Fresh”$in$new$research$area$
• Knowledge$always$starts$anew$in$every$project.$
• Killing$Knowledge$
• We$can$kill$a$Product$or$Project$but$be$careful$in$killing$a$
“Research”$since$it$will$“wipe$out”$knowledge.$
• Quest$for$Knowledge$
• Never$ending$journey$to$the$FronJers$of$Knowledge$
• Finding$new$challenges$
• RecogniJon$in$their$area$of$experJse$

23. Light$At$the$End$of$The$Tunnel$
PhD$is$not$all$about$the$novelty$achieved$but$it’s$the$SystemaJc$Process$
of$Doing$Research$that’s$the$utmost$important.$
“Research”$Working$with$the$“Unknown”$
“Development”$Working$with$“Known”$

24. Researchers’,Challenges,
,
,
(But,who,appreciates,people,working,with,the,Unknown?)

25. Valley,of,Apprecia+on,
Viewing$Angle$
ApplicaJon$Layer$
PresentaJon$Layer$
Session$Layer$
Transport$Layer$
Network$Layer$
Data$Link$Layer$
Physical$Layer$

26. How,Deep,to,Explore?,
“Breadth”,or,“Depth”,of,Research,

27. To,Go,Deeper,…,You,Need,a,Pla_orm,

28. Cave,Explorer,
Explorer’s,Risk,

29. Do,We,Reward,the,“Cave,Explorer”?
Unstoppable$Effort$
Taking$High$Risks$
Venture$in$to$Unknown$

30. 7,
Characteris+cs,of,A,Good,
Researcher,

31. 1,
Must$be$openTminded$and$must$also$adopt$
a$criJcal$way$of$thinking.$$

32. 2,
Should$be$hard$working,$diligent,$focused$
and$devoted$to$the$specific$field$of$interest.$

33. 3,
UpdaJng$the$knowledge$is$of$utmost$
importance$and$can$be$accomplished$in$
several$ways,$such$as$following$the$current$
literature,$aVending$conferences$or$
exchanging$ideas$with$colleagues$working$in$
a$relevant$field.$

34. 4,
Must$be$resourceful$and$invenJve$in$order$
to$transform$the$scienJfic$queries$and$
hypotheses$into$a$realizable$protocol.$$

35. 5,
Has$to$acquire$an$excellent$knowledge$of$
the$measurement$tools$and$techniques$of$
the$relevant$field.$$

36. 6,
When$interprets$and$presents$results,$the$
researcher$must$be$precise$and$honest.$
MisinterpretaJon$or$even$falsificaJon$of$
data$will$not$only$lead$to$deviaJon$of$future$
research$and$invalidate$the$work$of$future$
researchers$

37. 7,
Although$there$is$no$need$to$be$a$
staJsJcian,$the$researcher$has$to$be$aware$
of$basic$mathemaJcal$and$staJsJcal$
principles$in$order$to$be$able$to$appreciate$
and$interpret$results,$up$to$a$certain$level,$
and$to$study$criJcally$the$findings$of$other$
works.$

38. Conclusion$
Stage Activities ~ %
S E
R 100 0
Risk increases
AR 80 20
AT 50 50
PD 10 90
Development
M 0 100 (D)
R$–$Research$ PD$T$$Product$Development$
AR$–$Applied$Research$ M$T$Maintenance$
AT$–$Advanced$Technology$

39. Thank$You$

40. Contact$
Dr.$Mazlan$Abbas$
@mazlan_abbas$
mazlan.abbas@mimos.my$