Information for Graduate Students
Welcome to the theory group! Here is an incomplete list of information that will be useful as you join our group. This list is prepared for new graduate students, both MSc and PhD. Please let us know if you think something should be added to this list.
Particle physics seminars: Date and time decided in August
As grad students you should be attending the seminars. You are encouraged to ask questions during and after the talks. We often take the speakers to dinner. You are welcome to attend these dinners. The costs, excluding alcoholic drinks, are covered by our seminar budget.
Arxiv Club: date and time decided in late August.
If you have not done so already, you should subscribe to arXiv daily listing emails. The most relevant for our group is hep-ph but depending on your project, you might be interested in astro-ph, hep-th, gq-qc, etc. (But don’t overwhelm yourself and your inbox!) It is strongly advised that you at least look at the titles and a few abstracts to stay on top of what’s going on in the field. Once a week we gather at Bridgehead (in Nicol Building) to talk about an arxiv paper that caught our interest. We go around the table and each person gives a short summary of what their paper was about while others follow along and ask questions. You don’t need to know the answers of course. It is a fun discussion for everyone.
Lunch: We usually have lunch together around 12:30. We either bring our lunch or get something from the food court. (There are microwaves in the building.) If the weather is nice, we are at the picnic tables by the loading dock. Otherwise we are at the chairs by the Student Success Center on the 3rd floor.
Department colloquia: Tuesdays 3 pm
Colloquium talk topics vary. Even if the talk is not in particle physics, you are expected to attend these talks and learn about the developments in a broad range of physics topics. This will help you become a well-rounded physicist and could inspire new research ideas.
OCIP events: Our department is part of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute of Physics. OCIP organizes two symposia for grad students, one in December and one in May. As part of your degree requirements, you will do a presentation about your research before you defend your thesis. This will be good practice for your thesis defense. You are expected to attend these symposia as an audience member. This gives you an opportunity to see the format, learn about the larger physics community in Ottawa, and connect with your peers.
Which courses to take: Check your offer letter about which courses you are required to take. Talk with your supervisor to see if they want you to take a specific course for your thesis project. Keep in mind that many fellowships and student awards require high GPAs.
Registering for the semester: You can register for upcoming semesters as soon as the registration system opens. You must be registered in order for the department to process your TA assignment and RA payment, and grad courses might be canceled if too few students register, so register early! If you don’t have any courses to take in a given term, you should register for the “thesis course” PHYS 5909 (for MSc) or PHYS 6909 (for PhD). Once you start your degree, you’ll be expected to register for every semester (including summers) until you defend your thesis, unless you take a formal leave of absence.
Accommodations for disabilities: If you want to discuss academic or workplace accommodations for a variety of disabilities, please contact Daniel Stolarski or Heather Logan to get more information. For accommodations in your courses, you should contact the Paul Menton Centre (PMC) as early as possible.
Summer schools and conferences: There are various particle physics summer schools, workshops and conferences in Canada, the US, and in Europe. We usually forward this information to the whole group, so you don’t need to worry about missing a call. Summer schools are especially valuable for mid-career PhD students. Some of these can be specialized, like on early universe cosmology or neutrino physics and some are broad. You should always talk to your advisor before applying for such events to learn how much financial support they can give you. If you are presenting at a conference, you can apply for a travel bursary or other travel support available from the University. You should look around for opportunities. If a summer school or conference requires a reference letter from your advisor, you should give them enough time to write one (at least 3 weeks), and you should check in to make sure they submit it on time.
Meetings with your supervisor: You and your supervisor should discuss how often you will be meeting and when these meetings will be scheduled. You should also discuss how unscheduled meetings can be handled, e.g. if you can drop in to ask questions. (They might be teaching, preparing classes, etc.) You can also discuss if these meetings will be in-person and when/if it is ok to have online meetings. Another thing to clarify with your advisor would be if you are expected to work in your office or if you can primarily work from home.
Annual progress report: There is a departmental form that needs to be filled by you and your supervisor by the end of July each year to track your progress. This process also allows you to check in with your advisor about their expectations and future plans.
Technology support: Your advisor might have enough funds to provide you with a computer; you should ask. (TAs can ask for an iPad loan from the university. They are limited, you should ask for one as soon as possible if you will need one.) If you require specific software for your work, e.g. Mathematica, you should talk to your advisor for purchase. Your advisor might also cover costs like membership fees for CAP.
Vacation and holidays: As written in your union contract, you are entitled to vacation days every year. It is good practice to discuss with your supervisor when to take your vacation. You are also entitled to the provincial and federal holidays. The physics building will be locked and we don’t hold events on those days. You can ask for access to the building but our group generally doesn’t come to the office on holidays.
Using AI/LLMs in your research: This is a new and developing tool. Talk to your advisor about how/if it can be incorporated into your training as a researcher.
Salary: Your annual income is sourced from a combination of fellowships, pay for TA’ing classes, and from our research grants in the form of RA payments. (Note that your very first paycheck might be delayed as late as October!) The department shuffles the individual contributions around such that your income stays the same each term, even in summer when you won’t be TA’ing usually. RA payments are done at the beginning of term as a lump sum while TA salaries are distributed biweekly during the semesters that you TA. (Tuition and other university fees are deducted automatically from your account.) You need to set up a direct deposit so that the money in your Carleton account is transferred to your bank. Students in our group all make the same amount at the same academic stage. (PhD students get a bump after they pass their comps.) You are expected to apply for fellowships like NSERC or provincial ones if you are eligible. These fellowships are generally a replacement for the RA funding you have, but fellowship winners sometimes earn an increase in net pay.
Reimbursement: The costs for attending workshops, conferences, summer schools, etc, for software like Mathematica and other costs related to your research might be covered from your advisor’s funds. You should ask your advisor if any specific cost will be covered and how much before paying for it! Unfortunately, at Carleton this works as reimbursement. You first pay for stuff, then submit a reimbursement request through SAP Concur. Depending on the time of year, the reimbursement process can take several months. Don’t be shy to bring this up to your advisor if it is taking too long and if you need the money urgently.