FAQ
Please look through the Q&A below first; if you have other questions, you’re welcome to email me.
Do I need to have published before?
No. What I care about more is how you think about problems, whether you’re willing and able to keep learning, and whether you can see something through — not how many papers you already have.
Do I need a specific background?
No single department background is required, but you’ll use math often here. You don’t need to already know the tools we use; what matters is being willing to learn (I learn a lot on the fly too), and being able to learn it step by step.
Does my math need to be very strong? Do I need to have taken math-department courses?
No — but you can’t have no foundation at all; having taken some university math courses is ideal. Here we’ll build mathematical intuition together, and gradually learn, in coursework and research, how to actually use math to understand problems — not just memorize answers and plug into formulas. We’ll also learn how to collaborate with AI on mathematical derivations, so you at least need to be able to “read” math.
Do I need to know how to code?
You need basic programming ability, but I don’t expect you to be a superb software engineer from day one — it’s more about understanding computational logic and planning algorithms. Research requires turning ideas into real implementations and validating them, so we’ll also learn together how to write more reliable, more maintainable research code.
Is the reflection questionnaire required?
Yes — it’s part of the application process, and the starting point of our first exchange. Please attach it to your first email. See the Research Reflection Questionnaire.
How should I present myself?
Please show, as concretely as you can, your experiences and process related to research and thinking, and the reason — from deep down — that you truly want to do research. Why must you do it? Why must it be this lab?
What if my research interests are somewhat different from the lab’s? Adjacent interests are usually still welcome, and often lead to interesting collaborations. But if the direction is too far apart, I’ll tell you honestly — another lab may be a better fit for your development.
What are your expectations around hours or working style?
What I care about is progress, quality, and a sense of ownership — not how many hours you work each day. Research isn’t clocking in; it’s continuously pushing forward on problems worth solving.
What if the research isn’t going well?
Although I’ll do my best to help reduce how often this happens, it’s completely normal in itself. What really matters is whether you can face problems honestly, communicate early, and keep adjusting direction. Setbacks in research aren’t failure — they’re part of research itself.
What if I eventually find that research isn’t right for me?
That’s a completely reasonable outcome too. I hope that here you don’t just learn to do research, but also come to understand your own interests, abilities, and career direction. Even if you don’t ultimately stay on the academic path, I hope you take something useful away from me and from others — as long as you’ve grown, I still consider it a successful experience.