I've been serving on grad admissions committees at MIT for 5 years - in EECS and Media Lab
If you want to get into a PhD at a place like MIT, here's a thread with some advice based on my observations
1/13
Fadel Adib
1,144 posts
Fadel Adib
@fadeladib
MIT Prof.
Founder | Cartesian: Spatial AI to optimize workflows
Founding Director @MIT_SK_Lab: Inventing sensing technologies
35under35. Forbes30. WEF YGL
- Over the past 5 years, I’ve read >1,000 letters of recommendation to grad programs in MIT - mostly EECS, Media Lab, and MechE. Since it's letter-writing season, here is some concrete advice for anyone writing letters based on my experience
- One of the most important skills I teach my students&postdocs is how to communicate their research. Last week at NSF, I gave a keynote to (mostly) junior faculty on how to pitch their work. The talk resonated with many folks, so I'm sharing it publicly: mit.edu/~fadel/papers/…
- I got the best Eidiyah (عيدية) this year: tenure at MIT! Eid Moubarak y’all. Blessed to have wonderful students, postdocs, mentors, and colleagues - a family that has been my bedrock & springboard - and amazing friends who have cheered me along the way 🥳
- MIT and Harvard filed suit against ICE and the DHS to protect international students. “Our international students now have many questions... Unspoken, but unmistakable, is one more question: Am I welcome? At MIT, the answer, unequivocally, is yes.” - MIT President Reif
- Today, my first Ph.D. student, Mohammad Abdelhamid, defended his thesis. I was bursting with pride as he gave his talk, and I got to reflect a bit about how it has been to be his Ph.D. advisor over the past 4 years 1/6
- The semester is about to start, so here are 10 (non-exhaustive) tips for new professors (esp in STEM). I've picked them up by experimenting in the classroom + co-teaching with superstars. They made my teaching experience fulfilling & resulted in (near-)perfect course evals at MIT
- Two years ago, I was diagnosed with a spinal tumor and underwent an aggressive surgery to remove it I am happy to confirm that I have fully recovered 😃
00:00 - Replying to @fadeladib1. Grades do matter, especially in courses that are important for your chosen field 2. Research matters, even more than grades 3. Publications matter, but letters of recommendation matter even more 4. Your statement of purpose should be the cherry on top of the cake 2/13
- Excited to share a super cool new invention from my lab at MIT: the world’s first Augmented Reality headset with X-ray Vision. This new AR headset enables users to see things that are hidden & helps people find and retrieve lost items
00:00 - In my group at MIT, we celebrate Ramadan, Christmas, Hanukkah, Lunar New Year, Nowruz, Diwali, ... Each holiday, a celebrating group member shares its cultural/religious significance with the rest of us Ramadan Mubarak everyone. Hope science unites you like it unites us ❤️
- Peak lab culture: When a first-author student tells me (their advisor) that the originally designated second author should be co-primary because of their substantial contributions. This has already happened multiple times in my lab. Why is this such a strong indicator of
- When hitting a milestone, we often forget about all the setbacks leading up to it, even though setbacks are dense and milestones sparse This year, I was promoted to associate professor @MIT. In celebrating it, I’m sharing a 2019 photo in the ER working on my promotion statement
