Question

In: Physics

What percentage of physics PhDs leave physics to become quantitative analysts, work in computer science/information technology...

What percentage of physics PhDs leave physics to become quantitative analysts, work in computer science/information technology or business? Is physics that bad that so many people leave? Was it worth it?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Just to note that people could leave research because they may not have "research grant funding" skills or aptitude.

A researcher who has invested a few years in a sub-field X may become almost a world expert in an aspect of X - maybe in one of the experimental/computational/calculational aspects. Unfortunately fashions change in science, in Physics perhaps because experiments are starting to disprove the assumptions/predictions of X.

So our researcher finds no more money to work in sub-field X. Our researcher now faces some stark choices: adapt the experimental/calculational techniques to a popular field like Y; physically relocate to an Institution that still pursues X; or develop a new sub-field; or leave research.

If our researcher stays on and hopes to change sub-field they will now face a research grant procedure, which although not hostile to them, is hostile to sub-field X which becomes a liability from now on. Some individuals have the skills to negotiate this, some dont.


Related Solutions

Colleges in Washington state offer many programs in information technology and computer science. Productivity of workers...
Colleges in Washington state offer many programs in information technology and computer science. Productivity of workers increases dramatically. Draw a graph to show how the increase in labor productivity will affect the loanable funds market. Would GDP increase or decrease?
If computer and information science are foundational to nursing informatics, should computer and information literacy be...
If computer and information science are foundational to nursing informatics, should computer and information literacy be a requirement in all nursing programs at all levels? Why or why not?
As an IT intern at Game Technology, you often assist analysts with feasibility studies. The work...
As an IT intern at Game Technology, you often assist analysts with feasibility studies. The work can include intense fact-finding and tight deadlines. You decide to add a new section to your journal to describe the four different types of feasibility. In your journal, you want to include a definition of each feasibility type, and a sample statement that would indicate a lack of feasibility. For example:  The hardware has limited capacity for future needs.  Our users will...
PYTHON Computer Science Objectives Work with lists Work with functions Work with files Assignment Write each...
PYTHON Computer Science Objectives Work with lists Work with functions Work with files Assignment Write each of the following functions. The function header must be implemented exactly as specified. Write a main function that tests each of your functions. Specifics In the main function ask for a filename and fill a list with the values from the file. Each file should have one numeric value per line. This has been done numerous times in class. You can create the data...
A professor in the Computer Science department at United States Institute of Technology has just patented...
A professor in the Computer Science department at United States Institute of Technology has just patented a new search engine technology and would like to sell it to you, an interested venture capitalist. The patent has a 17-year life. The technology will take a year to implement (there are no cash flows in the first year) and has an upfront cost of $100 million. You believe this technology will be able to capture 1% of the Internet search market, and...
The academic, inventory, and financial information at the CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) department of a...
The academic, inventory, and financial information at the CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) department of a certain institute was being carried out manually by two office clerks, a store keeper, and two attendants. The department has a student strength of 500 and a teacher strength of 30. The head of the department (HoD) wants to automate the office work. Considering the low budget that he has at his disposal, he entrusted the work to a team of student volunteers. For...
Some private information is being stored on the computer, which can leave it vulnerable. Should the...
Some private information is being stored on the computer, which can leave it vulnerable. Should the burden be upon the vendor to provide more security features at OS level, or should we as user distribute personal information onto other secure platforms?
What is the difference between Computer Science and Software Engineering?
What is the difference between Computer Science and Software Engineering?
What is the role of science and technology in the care of the health and well-being...
What is the role of science and technology in the care of the health and well-being of people? Compare some novel invention that has benefited the health of the communities in different parts of the world.
Program 5: Decimal to Binary In Computer Science we often work with different number systems to...
Program 5: Decimal to Binary In Computer Science we often work with different number systems to represent data. The most commonly used number system (which we refer to as "decimal") is a "base 10" number system, which means that we use the values 0-9 to represent all numbers. The binary number system is a "base 2" number system, which means that we use the values 0 and 1 to represent all numbers. We refer to each value in a binary...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT