This time Scientific Bangladesh has interviewed Nasif Sayeed. He is a PhD student at the University of 
Central Florida in the USA. He is a winner of first prize in 3 Min Thesis presentation. He shared his way of dealing supervisor, labmates and skills he is focusing to develop during the training period of PhD. Here are what he says-
1.Scientific Bangladesh: Please briefly introduce yourself, your PhD topic, and, your University to our readers.
Nasif Sayeed: I’m Nasif Sayeed. I earned my bachelor and masters in Microbiology from the University of Dhaka. I’m currently a 4th year PhD candidate at the University of Central Florida. I am working on how oxidative stress affects Alzheimer’s patients’ brains. My research exploits the dynamic usability of nanoparticles in terms of drug delivery to the brain. Using the stem cell model, I am exploring the efficacy of these nanoparticles to improve the neural activity of the diseased brain.
2.Scientific Bangladesh: What has made you have gone for PhD? In other words, why are you pursuing PhD?
Nasif Sayeed: It’d be a bit of a stretch if I say I always wanted to do a PhD. The mere fact that I loved the aspects of biology since my childhood days will surely be a motivating factor. In addition to that, I had the opportunity to teach in two universities and I loved it. I strongly believe that most passions are gained through experiences. And that’s how I started to like teaching and related oratory skills. I also felt that the profession of teaching gets much better if one has the access and experience of basic scientific research. And the best way to be skilled in that is to pursue a PhD where you get to learn how Not to read, how Not to write, how Not to present, and above all how Not to do research. That’s why I feel pursuing a training program like PhD would help me hone the necessary skills required in sharing the knowledge and connecting to the young learners.
3.Scientific Bangladesh: How did you choose your i) PhD topic and ii) Institute?
Nasif Sayeed: In the USA, we have the option of doing rotation terms (usually 2-3 rotations in 2-3 labs for short period of time) prior to joining any lab. This lets you have an inside experience of a prospective lab. Although I came from a microbiology background, I did my second rotation in a Neuroscience lab and decided to work there as it made me interested.
4.Scientific Bangladesh: What is the minimum qualification in your university to get admission as PhD student, Bachelor or Master degree?
Nasif Sayeed: Like most universities in the USA, you don’t need any requirement of a prior Master’s degree. A lot of students directly join the program right after their undergraduate. That being said, having a master’s degree means you have the level of research experience expected of a fresh PhD student. That greatly increases the chance of getting admission to a program.
5.Scientific Bangladesh: If anyone wants to do PhD in your University/country, what are the steps one has to follow?
Nasif Sayeed: UCF follows the common application processes. GRE, TOEFL/IELTS, SOP, LOR, etc are required. Also one can reach out to the current students there to gain more insights into the Do’s and Don’ts.
6.Scientific Bangladesh: What are mistakes one should avoid when contacting with University or Professor for PhD studentship?
Nasif Sayeed: Not having a thorough study of Professors’ work/research before reaching out to them is a common blunder. They are intelligent enough to catch the clichés.
7.Scientific Bangladesh: How will you get PhD, by submitting a thesis or publishing a certain no of publications(journal articles)?
Nasif Sayeed: The basic requirement of PhD graduation is publishing at least two research articles as the first author.
8.Scientific Bangladesh: Did you deliberately choose your Supervisor? What were your criteria for choosing PhD supervisor?
Nasif Sayeed: Yes. For me, the criteria were to have a friendly productive lab environment and an approachable mentor.
9.Scientific Bangladesh: What is your key to maintaining a good relationship with your supervisor?
Nasif Sayeed: Always stay in touch with your supervisor. Be it email, zoom meeting, or in-person discussion. Do not feel insecure about your lack of understanding or knowledge about a particular matter. Share ideas with your supervisor. Even if it sounds stupid, a good mentor will guide you to generate a strong hypothesis.
10.Scientific Bangladesh: What principle do you follow to maintain a good relationship with your labmates?
Nasif Sayeed: I discuss my project with my lab mates. I let them ask questions to me. And I also do the same for them. Often times we troubleshoot together.
11.Scientific Bangladesh: Doing PhD is a stressful job? How do you manage or release stress?
Nasif Sayeed: Only having proper time management can keep you from having burned out or stressed out. Eating out sometimes or playing any sport on weekend relieves me from the stress I gather throughout the week. I play volleyball, racquetball or tennis during the weekend.
12.Scientific Bangladesh: How many days in a week you go to the lab? Why?
Nasif Sayeed: My lab is pretty flexible. So I can work at my own convenience. It’s not time-bound.
13.Scientific Bangladesh: PhD is considered as training for a career in Research. What 1. technical and 2. Soft skills you are focusing to develop or developed by this time?
Nasif Sayeed: In addition to basic technical research skills, I wish to develop project management skills, networking, scientific writing, self-management, and work habits.
I also have been focusing on sharing the current progress of science to general people with non-technical terms.
As part of that, I competed in 3 mins Thesis (3MT) and won first prize. I also represented UCF at a Regional competition held in Birmingham.
14.Scientific Bangladesh: What is your future plan? Want to go back to Bangladesh or not?
Nasif Sayeed: I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to serve Bangladesh in the future in whatever capacity possible.
15.Scientific Bangladesh: What are your suggestions for prospective PhD students?
Nasif Sayeed: Try to find a lab in Bangladesh where you can work even as a volunteer. Learn basic laboratory and molecular techniques. Also, try to write and publish the journal even at a local low impact journal. Build a habit of planning your days and scheduling your work. These will give you the upper hand when you are about to start your PhD program.
16.Scientific Bangladesh: Would like to share your weekly story with other PhD students? If yes, register at www.scfbd.net
Nasif Sayeed: Yes
Scientific Bangladesh: Thank you for deciding to write regularly in Scientific Bangladesh. The readers and editor of Scientific Bangladesh will be waiting for your story.