PhD Inspiration - Professor Chris Lintott, The University of Oxford

Considering a PhD, but wondering what you'll actually get out of it? We've sat down with some of the UK's top academics to hear their experiences and thoughts on postgraduate study. Chris Lintott is Professor of Astrophysics at The University of Oxford. Here he shares some advice for new students.

Video Transcript

Why did you choose to do a PhD?

I chose to do a PhD because I was bored of being told things by my lecturers. I enjoyed being an undergraduate very much but by the end of my degree I was more interested in finding out things for myself and so a PhD offered the chance to learn about the universe, to contribute to science and to do some exciting travel. I spent a lot of time in Hawaii at the telescope.

What did you get out of doing a PhD? What path has it lead you on?

I think a PhD teaches skills what would be useful whatever you end up doing. It teaches you how to organise yourself, it teaches you how to cope with demands coming from all direction and it teaches you how to motivate yourself to get through what is fascinating but often rather hard work.

What was the biggest challenge during your PhD?

I think the biggest challenge is dealing with the many demands of being a researcher. As a PhD student you are expected to write papers, do science, do data-reduction, write code, in my case travel to telescopes, talk to colleagues, go to seminars, read the literature and give yourself some professional development as well. The real challenge of a PhD is learning to combine all of those things together in such a way that you actually get something out of it in the end.

Why should people do a PhD?

The best reason to do a PhD is because you love the subject you are going into. If you can’t think of anything better than spending three or four years thinking about history or climate science or computer science or astrophysics then do a PhD. It’s wonderful time to be a researcher and a PhD is actually the most free you will be in career to think about the hard problems in your subject.

What’s your top PhD tip?

My top tip for anyone thinking about doing a PhD is to make sure you get to know your potential supervisor a little. That person will be setting your life goals for the next three years so it’s important you’ve got the same idea about what you want out of a PhD and how you are going to work as they have.