I, Scientist | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Afterword
Some physicists chase a mathematically beautiful theory, whereas some engineers chase performance optimality of a clever system. On the face of it, these two pursuits couldn’t be more different: one theoretical; one practical! However, the psychological aspect of these two obsessions is very similar to me. These obsessions if fully committed can make a scientist do things for the sake of doing them without asking why critically. And consequently, ideas run dry and a field gets stuck.
As my theoretical projects regarding topological insulators started to conclude, I looked around but failed to find anything that could reach the same level of stimulation and engagement. Most of the projects in the field of photonics, plasmonics, and metamaterials are purely engineering for the ultimate goal is not to discover novel phenomena, but rather, to create high-performance devices.
Because of so many failed attempts, I made a decision in the fifth year of my PhD—the biggest yet since high school when I decided to be a physicist. That decision was to make a transition from the field of photonics to the field of quantum optics. The decision was made from a gut feeling that it would be smart to combine my love of quantum mechanics with my expertise in photonics. And since there could be a combinatorially many ways to “entangle” multiple particles (e.g., photons, electrons, or spins) quantum mechanically, this combination could be a large enough playground for many new theoretical ideas!
Fueled with this new found excitement, a way out! I set sail on a one-year journey to learn quantum optics myself for there wasn’t any lab pursuing relevant researches at the physics department at UT-Austin. As I started learning online, I discovered Perimeter Institute who had leading research programs regarding quantum optics. Though very challenging, my goal at that time became very clear: in two years, I will
With Gennady agreeing to help and giving me plenty of freedom for pursuing this, I went all in, including giving up an opportunity of submitting an invited review paper on my topological insulator works after I finished the first draft. I formulated two projects: one with quantum dots coupled with a quadrumer (a structure with four gold nano particles), and another with quantum dots coupled with a photonic topological insulator (the one I invented). Despite merely self-taught, I made enough progress that the two projects had enough results to be secured.
However, things changed, Gennady later got a new position in Cornell University, and he needed me to execute a funded project and changed his advice to me. He thought the best for me is not to apply for a quantum optics lab, but go for a photonics lab and then try to make my transition during my first postdoc. Feeling delaying such a transition would forever trap me in a field I am no longer passionate about, I was desperate to find an alternative path once more.
That alternative turned out to be something that have had never come across my mind: “you can always switch to another lab before you graduate,” my roommate Weijin told me. And this advice finally unchained my mind and gave me hope again. At the same night, I stayed up and finished writing four emails and sent them to four different condensed matter theory labs in our department. Most responses from these labs were not to my liking: “It’s a bit too late to transition to a new lab in your sixth year...” or “You have had enough publications, graduate first!” I was lucky that Professor Greg Fiete didn’t advice me that way.
“What kinds of research interested you?” Greg asked. I told him about my one-year quantum optics endeavor and the resulting two new projects. “Are you thinking about going back to Taiwan for research eventually, or else?” I told him that I would like to be in an English speaking country: United State, Canada, UK, etc.
After a long chat, he told me: “I want to be honest with you; Physics nowadays is very underfunded, especially for theory. If I take you in my lab and you stay in theoretical condensed matter, it’s very likely that you will find yourself doing one postdoc after another until you finally give up doing research altogether and work in finance. Is this something you are ok with?” I told him that “I don’t really know how to answer this question.” Greg then said: “I am not trying to scare you off, but I’d like to tell you another possibility.”
“It seems to me that you’re interested in doing fundamental sciences, and it doesn’t have to be physics.” he proceeded. “How do you think of joining my wife’s lab in neuroscience and studying the brain? You got all the theoretical skill the field wants, the brain is the most complex system in the universe, far more complex than any systems we deal with in physics, and neuroscience is a field of fundamental science!” I told Greg that there is a part of me wanting to say yes right away; but this is a massive decision, so I will need to take some time to think about it.
After just a two-day online crash course on Coursera—Computational Neuroscience, I made up my mind. It was Friday that I talked to Greg; I joined Professor Ila Fiete’s lab on Monday.