Advice for new PhDs and Postdocs
Be independent and learn how to learn on your own: Research proceeds at a faster pace than ever before and new ideas/results/papers appear on a daily/weekly basis. Do not expect your mentor to be aware, let alone understand in depth, everything. Read papers/slides, watch video presentations, talk with your colleagues, follow-up on references and set-up alerts for people who publish in the same general area.
Be proactive and show initiative: Doing research is not like taking an exam or attending a course where you are guaranteed success if you carry out some predetermined tasks. One must first formulate the right questions before seeking solutions. Do not expect these questions, let alone solution strategies, to be spoon-fed to you. Ask questions, offer solutions, suggest new perspectives or even new problems to work on. Do not be afraid of failure but of inactivity.
Success depends on you: Research is highly competitive and is not a 9-5 job. One competes on an international level and with, arguably, some extremely intelligent people. As a young researcher, you cannot expect to cover the ground that separates you from experienced researchers, let alone surpass them, unless you are ambitious and are willing to push yourself to the limits. Your mentor cannot force you to be curious and ambitious. If you are not prepared to dedicate yourself to this endeavor, then research is not the right career choice.
Learn how to communicate: You might be doing excellent research and have wonderful ideas or results, but unless you can communicate them to others, you will never get the credit you deserve. Take every opportunity to present your work in group meetings, formal or informal seminars, poster sessions. Develop short (one-sentence) and longer descriptions of your work that provide a clear and accurate exposition. Write papers or technical reports as frequently as possible.
Do not create comfort zones: Several young researchers prefer to overspecialize and focus on a as narrow as possible problem/research domain. There is a time and a place to do this, but make sure first you familiarize yourself with the broader area. Do not hesitate to employ different perspectives and do not dissuade yourself for examining research strategies outside the narrow field of your research topic.
Be organized: Organize your work in short-, medium and longer-term goals and activities. Take the opportunity to summarize your findings at frequent intervals in order to re-assess your progress and the strategy you have adopted. Keep notes of the questions you have posed, the answers you have found as well as the things that did not work.
Learn how to work with others: While your thesis will have only your name in the list of authors, it is important to learn how to interact with your colleagues, how to exchange ideas and how to find complementarities in research. The outcome of collaborative research work is very often greater than the sum of the individual skills/efforts. Use discussions/collaborations as a source of inspiration and motivation.
Develop a research identity: Identify as quickly as possible your strengths and your weaknesses as well as the topics that intrigue you the most. Cultivate your strengths, improve on your weaknesses and dedicate yourself to in-depth understanding of the problems that you find most motivating. Use these experiences to formulate a research identity of what you are and what how you want other people to perceive you as a researcher. This would be extremely valuable in your future career path.