This time Scientific Bangladesh interviewed Nuhu Amin. He is pursuing PhD in the Institute for
Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. He has ten years of experience in managing and implementing research projects. So there is an excellent probability of being benefited from his insights and experiences. Here is what Nuhu Amin sharing:
1.Scientific Bangladesh: Please briefly introduce yourself, your PhD topic and, your University to our readers.
Nuhu Amin: My name is Nuhu Amin, and you can call me “Nuhu”. I am a medical graduate with more than ten years of experience managing and implementing research projects in Bangladesh. I have enrolled as a doctoral student (March 2021) in the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. My doctoral research focuses on “Towards safe sanitation approaches: fecal pathogens and onsite systems in urban Bangladesh.” The UTS is regarded as one of the world’s leading young universities (under 50 years old), ranked 1st in Australia and 11th globally by the 2021 QS World University Rankings.
2.Scientific Bangladesh: What has made you have gone for PhD? In other words, why are you pursuing PhD?
Nuhu Amin: I am a research scientist, and for my scientific development and future promotion at my current research institute (icddr, b), a doctoral degree was required. My recent research at icddr, b focusing on environmental exposure of SARS-Cov-2 and Antimicrobial Registrant (AMR) Bacteria in wastewater. Recently I completed several research projects, including fecal exposure assessment in 10 different communities at Dhaka city and pathogen flow from onsite sanitation system to the environment in Dhaka slums. From both studies, we found that community and hospital septic tanks in Dhaka city discharge high concentrations of diseases causing pathogens ultimately ingested through food and drinking water. This motivated me to search for a PhD to develop an innovative technology to discharge sewage effluents safely. I collaborated with my professor at UTS, and after I submitted the proposal, she agreed to supervise me. I enrolled at UTS in January 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I could not join the course on time. Finally, I started my coursework in March 2021. I am awarded two scholarships (Full funding), including UTS President scholarships and International Research Scholarships.
3.Scientific Bangladesh: How did you choose your i) PhD topic and ii) Institute?
Nuhu Amin: This is a great question. I had a clear idea of what topic will help Bangladesh to achieve SDG goals. As I mentioned earlier, I have some research experience (about 11 years) with more than 15 international journals. Moreover, I have been working with UTS since 2018, and selecting PhD topic was inlined with my current research works. My initial plan was to pursue PhD from the Emory University, USA, but I could not sit for GRE due to my project engagement. So, I decided to start my PhD at UTS, Australia.
4.Scientific Bangladesh: What is the minimum qualification in your university to get admission as a PhD student, Bachelor or Master degree?
Nuhu Amin: All applicants must have completed a UTS recognized master’s by research or bachelor’s degree with first or second class honors (division 1), or an equivalent or higher qualification, or submitted other evidence of general and professional qualifications that demonstrates potential to pursue graduate research studies.
5.Scientific Bangladesh: If anyone wants to do a PhD in your University/country, what steps should one follow?
Nuhu Amin: This is important for Bangladeshi students to decide which stage they will apply for the PhD. In my opinion, there are two ways to be prepared for a PhD in the USA, Australia, and the UK. First, early-career PhD: immediately after passing the bachelor’s degree, the student should prepare for an English language test (GRE, IELTS, TOFEL etc.) along with a master’s degree from a reputed organization. If the student obtains a good score in GRE/IELTS, they can search for the desired subject and University. It is essential to read the eligibility criteria and try to achieve them as soon as possible. Early-career PhD: It is critical and also challenging because this will be very competitive and may require 2-3 years of academic/research experience. Second, mid-career PhD: This is common for Bangladeshi students, particularly at icddr,b, after 5-7 years of research experiences (with 2-3 first author publications), the researcher can easily apply for the PhD. Since they already have connections with some professors in different institutes, they can personally approach the professor for a PhD. Mid-career PhD opportunity is suitable for the average student (with average grades) because they can develop skills throughout the academic/research work.
6.Scientific Bangladesh: What mistakes should one avoid when contacting a university or Professor for PhD studentship?
Nuhu Amin: It depends on different situations and persons. Appropriate communication skill while contacting with University or Professor for PhD studentship is crucial. Before sending an email or applying, the student should read the eligibility criteria carefully. If the student is not eligible, they should not apply.
7.Scientific Bangladesh: How will you get a PhD, by submitting a thesis or publishing a certain number of publications (journal articles)?
Nuhu Amin: Both, I have to submit a complete PhD thesis along with three first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals.
8.Scientific Bangladesh: Did you deliberately choose your supervisor? What were your criteria for choosing PhD supervisor?
Nuhu Amin: Yes, I deliberately chose my PhD supervisor at UTS. The main criteria were, we had similar research interests. I had more than 10 years of research experience and understood the Dhaka sanitation system well. To develop engineering solutions for onsite sanitation improvement, I needed support from engineers related to this field. UTS has a lot of experience producing wastewater treatment plants, so I selected UTS and my supervisor. Additionally, My PhD supervisor is a renowned global WASH leader and had plenty of collaborations. This was one of my essential criteria to select her.
9.Scientific Bangladesh: What is your key to maintaining a good relationship with your supervisor?
Nuhu Amin: The following points are crucial to maintaining a good relationship with a supervisor: a. Effective and timely communication is vital with the supervisor and Co-supervisor for a successful PhD studentship. In addition, it will require at least four years to complete PhD, so the relationship must be friendly. b. Always meet the deadlines. This is the key to satisfy the supervisor. c. Do not set ambitious objective which will be challenging to achieve. Instead, discuss and negotiate with the professor about your strength and weakness, and d. Weekly meeting with the supervisor to update your progress.
10.Scientific Bangladesh: What principle do you follow to maintain a good relationship with your labmates?
Nuhu Amin: To maintain a good relationship with the labmates and other UTS students, we meet once every month. We share our monthly work progress, new projects, good news, etc. Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it isn’t easy to meet in person, so we meet using an online platform.
11.Scientific Bangladesh: Doing PhD is a stressful job? How do you manage or release stress?
Nuhu Amin: Yes, you are right; the whole PhD process is stressful. From enrollment to publications, many complicated steps need to adopt. As I mentioned earlier, continuous communication with the professor and fellow students is crucial to make life easy. To overcome stress, I usually discuss issues with PhD students of my group during the monthly meeting. All of them are helpful and supportive to release my tension. At the same time, I took a break every month to spend time with my family and friends to release stress. Religious practices are vital to overcoming anxieties. So, I try to spend some time in the mosque to read Quran and invite people to the mosque. I always believe that If Allah supports me, I can efficiently complete my tasks. Religious faith gives me the energy and strength to overcome stresses.
12.Scientific Bangladesh: How many days in a week you go to the lab? Why?
Nuhu Amin: My PhD is not exclusively lab-based; instead, I have to spend time in the field to collect data and conduct interviews. Fieldworks depend on the type of the project and the number of samples/interviews needs to collect/conduct. I joined a full-time PhD, so I work (5 days a week) on my PhD related literature review, thesis, grant application, and manuscript writings. I am also engaged with my ongoing research at icddr,b (Three research projects), where I spent substantial time.
13.Scientific Bangladesh: PhD is training for a career in Research. What 1. technical and 2. Soft skills you are focusing on developing or developed by this time?
Nuhu Amin: Throughout my PhD I plan to improve my technological knowledge (e.g., innovation on wastewater treatment technology) to reduce environmental contamination from onsite sanitation systems in Dhaka. At the same time, I want to improve my language skill which is essential to be an independent scientist. I am also focusing on data Modeling and transformative research.
14.Scientific Bangladesh: What is your plan? Want to go back to Bangladesh or not?
Nuhu Amin: Yes, my ultimate plan is to work for Bangladesh. My future goal is to provide social and engineering solutions for the sanitation system of Bangladesh through evidence-based research and policy formulation. I am conducting my PhD thesis in collaboration with the Health Engineering Department (HED) and DGHS under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), icddr,b, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), and Korea Environment Corporation (KECO) industry suppliers in South Korea. I will continue this collaboration after completing my PhD.
15.Scientific Bangladesh: What are your suggestions for prospective PhD students?
Nuhu Amin: The world is moving very fast. To cope with the flow, students should be smart and up to date on the current research and opportunities related to their field. I am glad that young Bangladeshi researchers are doing great in publishing manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. For the prospective PhD students, I suggest the students should complete their graduation with good grades. They need to plan for PhD from their graduation periods. English skill is must, so try to improve both written and verbal English. Students should be involved in research projects from their undergrad classes and choose a supervisor who will support and mentor them. Any peer-reviewed publication (first author or co-author) during an early career is beneficial to secure scholarships. Professors are usually looking for students who have few publications in peer-reviewed journals. Reach scientists, researchers, professors through social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) and share your interests. Please do not feel shy to express the interests that you want to work with them. At the early stage, do not think about monetary benefits. The student should look for professors/scientists who can mentor him/her and provide time. Make a reading habit. Along with the textbooks, read one or two manuscripts per week. Students should remember that their academic grades are not crucial to your PhD supervisor;
instead, they will look at your past research works, research interests, and dedication to the research works.
16.Scientific Bangladesh: Would you like to share your weekly story with other PhD students? If yes, register at www.scfbd.net
Nuhu Amin: Yes, thanks for asking.
Scientific Bangladesh: Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences. Our readers will be waiting to read your regular writings. Pls, register to the above link for access as an author.