Deborah Wingler being congratulated by President Jim Clements at her doctoral hooding ceremony
If I were to turn back time to exactly 20 years ago, I see my younger self trying to make sense of what she wanted to do with her life. In November 2000, I was in my third semester of graduate school at Kansas State University and I had realized that I loved environment and behavior research. Nothing excited me more than studying how Architecture impacted people’s behavior, their interactions with each other and their environment. My master’s work had whetted my appetite for built environment research and I began to explore PhD programs. Thankfully, I had some great mentors at KSU and they pointed me in the direction of schools that might be a good fit with my interests. I was extremely fortunate to end up in the right school with an excellent advisor (Georgia Tech with Dr. Craig Zimring). However, I don’t think I really knew what I was getting into and where this Ph.D. would lead. I don’t think I necessarily asked the right questions when I talked to my potential advisors. I was probably in awe of these incredible educators and just grateful that they would be willing to talk to me!
Twenty years later, I am on the other side. At this point, I have worked with several doctoral students and post-doctoral faculty and I frequently interview prospective students interested in studying at Clemson. Here are some words of advice I would have had for my younger self that I share here:
Research the work of your future advisor by checking out their website and reading about their interests and ongoing projects. You should find their work interesting and ideally, there should be a good fit between your interests and passion and theirs. Sometimes, you may end up carving out your individual research from within a larger research program they are leading. Your advisor will be most motivated and interested in supporting you through the long Ph.D. journey if there is a strong fit between your interests and theirs.
As a Ph.D. student, you will likely be hired as a research or teaching assistant. A research assistant primarily works on research projects, assisting the faculty member and other team members on research related tasks. As a teaching assistant, you may assist your advisor or other faculty with teaching in lecture classes or design studio at the graduate or undergraduate level. A PhD student will benefit from obtaining both teaching and research experience. If your goal is to go into academia with a primary focus on teaching, teaching assistantships, especially studio teaching experience, can be invaluable. However, if you aim to build a strong research program of your own (in academia or practice), I would strongly recommend obtaining experiences as a researcher. As a member of an active research team, you will learn a range of skills from conducting literature reviews, to collecting and analyzing data and writing manuscripts that will help you grow in confidence as a researcher. Further, you will learn to work with faculty and other students in a team environment that will help you as you build and lead your own team. Being listed as a first author or co-author on journal articles will certainly help when you start applying for jobs.
Research in built environment and health is often conducted with the goal of understanding how design can help improve health and well-being of occupants. Research in this field is most impactful when we work with architects and other stakeholders to address critical problems in practice. Research programs that are well integrated with undergraduate and graduate programs in Architecture or other design-related fields facilitate a more direct connection between doctoral research and its application in the real world.
Make the effort to reach out to other doctoral students in the program you are applying to or better still ask your potential advisor to connect you with other students. Ask these current students about their research and their relationship with their advisor. Find out about the types of projects they work on as part of their assistantship. Talking to current students and recent graduates will also give you sense of how involved they are with the industry and what their priorities are, which could give you an invaluable perspective regarding your own future prospects. Current students could also provide valuable insights about working and living conditions in the city you are planning to move to. I was planning to move to Atlanta with my 1-year old and husband, and family housing and daycare were huge concerns for me.
Talk to your potential advisor as well as your current mentors about the different directions and career options available to you after a Ph.D. in Architecture. Traditionally, a Ph.D. in Architecture led to a career in academia. However, increasingly researchers are being hired by Architecture firms to conduct design research to support integration of research and evidence into design practice. Here is a profile of a Clemson PDBE graduate who leads the HKS healthcare research portfolio.
If at all possible, you should try and visit the school and city where you will likely spend the next 4-5 years of your life. Spend some time observing the interactions between your advisor and other students and faculty. Sit in on a class if you can. Talk to other faculty and students. Try and visit the places where you could potentially live.
A Ph.D. is a long-term commitment (3-5 years) that requires immense discipline, hard work and perseverance. You have to have an abiding interest in your area of research to sustain your enthusiasm through all the ups and downs. Doctoral work involves a LOT of reading and writing and is a significant departure from the more graphical and visual methods of analysis and communication used extensively in Architecture education. The transition to the extensive reading and writing required in your Ph.D. program can be difficult in the beginning.
This is my perspective based on my experience as a doctoral student and now as a faculty member who works with Ph.D. students. Others who have followed a path similar to mine or a slightly different one may have other advice to offer. Even if you think you know what you want to do in your Ph.D., be open to new experiences and challenges and see where they lead you. The right program will give you many tools to succeed, but in the end, it is up to you to make the most of your journey as a Ph.D. student.
