Roadmap for a PhD in the USA

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I often get asked this question at different forums: how does one go about getting a PhD in the USA. Just this week I gave a talk to prospective PhD applicants regarding this whole process, and I presented a flowchart as a roadmap for the USA PhD. It received great feedback, and I’m thus sharing it on the blog. I hope it will be useful.

Please note that this is a generic roadmap, and will differ for different fields and subjects of study. However, for most science and engineering fields, this is the general process followed.

PhD Path Flowchart

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About WQ

I received my PhD in 2013 from the University of Colorado, Boulder, USA, from the Dept. of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, with specialization in Remote Sensing, Earth and Space Science, as a Fulbright fellow. Thereafter, I served for many years in the faculty of the Dept. of Space Science, Institute of Space Technology (IST), Islamabad, Pakistan, where I initiated the Radar Remote Sensing group, and was one of the founders of the Geospatial Research & Education Lab (GREL). I also spent a few months as a Visiting Researcher at Radar Remote Sensing Group, Division of Microwave & Optical Remote Sensing, Department of Space, Earth & Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. Since late 2021, I am the CTO at Offshore Monitoring Ltd. (http://www.offshoremonitoring.com), leading the complete technical team there. My core specialization makes me think of myself as an Earth Scientist or Remote Sensing Scientist, with specialized skills in EO / SAR remote sensing, satellite oceanography, scientific programming, and strategic management of technical teams with diverse skill sets. I am a reviewer for various international scientific journals and conferences. I am an alumnus of Pakistan National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC), an alumnus of the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, and a Fulbright fellow. From 2013 – 2017, I have been the Pakistan National Point of Contact for Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC). I was an invited speaker at the TEDxIslamabad event held in Nov., 2014, and have also served as a mentor in the NASA International Space Apps Challenge Islamabad events in April 2015 and 2016. I was an invited panelist at the School of Tomorrow event in Karachi, held in Nov., 2018. In the past, I have also served regularly on interview panels for final selection of Fulbright MS and PhD candidates from Pakistan.

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