Re: Suggest a challenging research idea

Ajay wrote: 
Thanks to Martin and Roy,

Let me explain my situation more explicitly.

I want to do something quite new and challenging. But my professor is
pushing me for an idea which is just a derivative of somebody's work
which I am just not excited abt. I am ready to do hard work more than
what may be required by the project, but want to be seriously engaged
in the problem area which has either just begun or not many tried their
hands on. Then only I can be satisfied at the end of my PhD degree.

I know doing such a work needs a lot of support from my supervisor.
This is where I need help from you. If you suggest some great ideas
which may be vague, I can frame up the problem and try to convince him.
If I succeed, I am a happy man. If not, i may have to take some tough
decisions like quitting .

Please help me with your wisdon. 

There are two approaches to this, and they are in
conflict.  The first approach is that your PhD is
going to consume several years of your life, so you
need to choose something which will interest you.
This is Roy's point, and I can agree with it.  In
fact, I abandoned a PhD after a few months when
I realised that achieving what I wanted would
require intense maths, and I knew I couldn't
sustain that for several years.  (As a consequence
I don't have a PhD.)

The second approach is to realise that a PhD is not
the end goal but is merely the first step down a
long career in research.  So, you need to make this
step an easy one, leaving the difficult research
for later when you are under less pressure (and the
really difficult research for after you have
tenure).  This means you should choose a PhD
project which is doable, and the simplest that will
still result in a PhD.  Your advisor can make this
judgment a lot better than you can.

This probably doesn't help you.  Sorry about that.

--
Regards,
Martin Leese
E-mail: please@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://members.tripod.com/martin_leese/
.

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