u/eu_phd

I come from a more traditional ML/stats background. So far, I’ve mostly used CPU HPC clusters and only used a GPU once.

I’d like to move more into deep learning, especially AI for biology, and I’m curious how much GPU compute people typically use in research.

I know it depends a lot on the field and the project, but for something like a NeurIPS or ICML paper—not training a foundation model from scratch, but working on a smaller multimodal model, GNN, VAE, etc.—how many GPUs do you usually need?

For context, I've been unemployed for about 8 months after finishing a PhD in computer science/ML at a fairly well-known university in Western Europe. Before that, I did a Master's in bioinformatics. I only have one first-author paper, although it's at a major machine learning conference and on a fairly niche topic.

My goal has always been to move to industry, so doing a postdoc wasn't really part of the plan. During these 8 months I've had interviews with large companies and startups, but none of them turned into an offer.

I now have an offer for a postdoc in a Baltic country at a relatively unknown research institute. The salary is very decent for the local cost of living, but the PI has only recently started his group, the team is small, and his network isn't particularly developed.

The topic is quite flexible, and I've negotiated quite a bit to make sure I can work on something relevant to industry. In particular, I'd like to move towards developing deep learning methods for biological data, which would give me experience that I don't really have from my PhD.

I know a postdoc isn't necessary to move into industry, but that's not really the choice I have right now.

Given the current job market and the fact that I've already been unemployed for 8 months, would you be worried that doing a postdoc at a relatively unknown institute with a relatively unknown PI could actually hurt my CV?

I finished a PhD in computer science/ML at a well-known university in Western Europe. Before that, I did a Master's in bioinformatics. My PhD was mostly methodological, around statistical ML and causality. I have one first-author paper at a major ML conference, but not a huge publication record otherwise.

I've always wanted to move to industry rather than stay in academia, ideally doing ML/data science in biotech, pharma or a startup. I've been applying for several months and I do get interviews, including with a large pharma company, but so far none of them has turned into an offer.

I now have the option of taking a 2-year postdoc at a small research institute in the Baltics. The institute isn't particularly well known internationally, neither is the PI, and the group itself is small and relatively new. The salary is decent for the local cost of living.

I'd have the opportunity to move away from my PhD work and focus on deep learning for multi-omics and biological data. I'd also have quite a bit of freedom to shape the project.

The downside is that there isn't much expertise in modern ML/DL in the group, so I'd probably be quite independent and have to drive that side of the project myself. The network and scientific environment are also obviously not what you'd get at a large, established institution.

My main hesitation is what this move would do for my CV. Going from a fairly well-known Western European university to an unknown institute in the Baltics feels a bit like a downgrade, at least in terms of name recognition. At the same time, I could spend the next two years getting hands-on experience with deep learning, multi-omics and biological ML instead of staying close to my PhD topic, which I don't particularly want to pursue long term.

Otherwise, I remain unemployed and keep applying until I either land an industry position or find a postdoc at a stronger institution/group.

Pour le contexte, j'ai un doctorat en informatique et sans emploi depuis 8 mois. J'arrive à avoir quelques entretiens, environ 1 à 2 par mois selon les périodes. Je vise des startups, des grands groupes et des postdocs en France et ailleurs en Europe.

Souvent, le process commence par un premier entretien avec un recruteur, parfois directement avec le manager. La plupart sont en anglais. Je me débrouille bien, mais forcément pas comme un natif, donc je peux parfois avoir de mauvaises tournures de phrases, chercher mes mots ou hésiter, surtout avec le stress.

J'ai aussi tendance à être assez honnête pendant les entretiens et à ne pas me survendre. Si je ne connais pas la réponse à une question, je n'invente pas et je dis simplement que je ne connais pas suffisamment le sujet.

Le problème, c'est que dans beaucoup de cas ma candidature est rejetée après ce premier entretien, généralement avec un mail générique. Je demande rarement du feedback et, de toute façon, les mails précisent souvent qu'ils ne peuvent pas en donner.

Au total sur ces 8 mois, après des entretiens, j'ai eu 3 refus de grands groupes, 3 de startups et 4 de postdocs.

Je sais que le marché est compliqué et compétitif, mais est-ce que tous ces refus peuvent aussi s'expliquer par mon attitude pendant les entretiens ? Notamment un manque de confiance, le stress, le fait de ne pas assez me vendre ou d'être trop honnête sur ce que je ne connais pas ?

J'ai de plus en plus l'impression de me saboter pendant les entretiens, mais sans feedback j'ai du mal à savoir ce que je fais mal et je navigue un peu à vue.

Je suis dans le milieu de la vingtaine, je n'ai jamais consulté de psychologue ni de psychiatre et j'ai un médecin traitant que je vois rarement. Depuis quelques années, je soupçonne un TDAH et potentiellement d'autres comorbidités, mais je ne me sens pas légitime d'en parler. Je souhaite savoir par où commencer et à qui m'adresser pour être orienté vers un éventuel diagnostic : mon médecin généraliste, un psychologue ou directement un psychiatre ?

My goal is not to stay in academia. I completed my studies at a well-known Western European university that is consistently ranked in the global top 100.
I have a postdoc offer in one of the Baltic countries at a relatively unknown institute. However, the salary is good relative to the local cost of living, so the overall quality of life would be quite comfortable.
If I manage to produce strong publications, can that compensate for the lack of institutional prestige on my CV when applying for industry jobs?

For a bit of context, I'm in a European country where the academic system is different from the US. I completed my PhD in 3 years.

I've been unemployed for almost 8 months. I have a PhD in a very niche area of machine learning. I chose my PhD by default because I was young and naive. I wasn't very passionate about the topic, and I never really wanted to stay in academia. For me, doing a PhD was mainly a way to have a fun experience, and I've always enjoyed discovering and learning new things. I thought a PhD would be an asset for my CV and would allow me to have opportunities outside my home country, but that hasn't been the case.

After defending my thesis, I had a few interviews in industry but also many rejections. I'm now exhausted and tired of this job search. Lately, I've also been applying for postdocs without much success.

I recently received an offer in a European country that is not very well known for its academic environment. The PI has only recently built their group and has a few interesting publications. However, I'm not interested in the project at all, the group is small, and there are no external collaborations.

I initially accepted in principle, but after thinking about it, I sent the PI an email saying that I wasn't interested in the project. They replied that they would be open to discussing other project ideas. I put that idea aside, but the more time passes, the less I see any future prospects.

My PhD supervisor hasn't been very helpful, my network hasn't helped much either, and my family has no experience with academia. I really feel lost and have no guidance.

Should I go back to this PI and propose a more personal project? My concerns are that the group is very small, newly established, and located in a country with little international academic visibility.

My main objective is simply to increase my number of publications and gain more experience to strengthen my CV for industry. I'm not interested in the United States, and I would like to find a position relatively quickly because when I see recruitment processes for open positions that last several months, I don't really feel motivated to go through them.

I have no personal connection to China, and I completed my PhD in Europe. I’ve been unemployed for quite a while. I initially wanted to move into industry, but the job market is terrible at the moment.
For a postdoc, my main priority is having a good quality of life, meaning a decent salary and a relatively low cost of living, especially when it comes to housing. I tried applying in Germany without success, and it was the same in Switzerland.
During my postdoc, I would also like to increase my number of publications and build a stronger professional network.
While looking at opportunities in China, I noticed that there seem to be many incentives and financial benefits aimed at attracting international researchers, so I thought: why not?
Would doing a postdoc in China be a good idea in my situation?

Hi everyone,

After spending the last few months applying for industry jobs across Europe and North America without much success, I've started looking at postdocs.

I completed my PhD in Computer Science in Europe, and I've lived and studied in Europe my whole life. I don't have any family ties to China, and I don't speak Mandarin, so moving there would definitely be a big change.

From what I've seen, research in China seems to be very well funded, especially in AI. I also get the impression that things move faster and that there is a strong drive to build new research programs. At this point in my career, that's the kind of environment I'm looking for.

Among the places I've been looking at, Shenzhen really stands out. It seems like a very modern, fast-growing city with a strong tech and research ecosystem. I've mainly been contacting PIs who trained in Europe or North America, have solid publication records, and lead internationally active labs.

One of the offers I'm considering is at SUSTech, with a package roughly like this:

• 330,000 RMB/year starting salary (including government postdoc subsidies)
• Up to 500,000+ RMB/year for outstanding candidates through the President's Fellowship
• Social insurance and housing fund
• University housing or a 2,800 RMB/month housing allowance
• 25,000 RMB for conferences and academic travel
• Additional government incentives if you stay in Shenzhen after the postdoc

I'm mainly looking for an opportunity to publish more, learn new skills, work in a different research environment, and experience living in a country that's completely different from what I know.

I'm also still relatively early in my career, and I don't have a partner, children, or other family commitments. It feels like this is probably the easiest time in my life to take a chance on living and working abroad.

I'm pretty adaptable and don't mind stepping outside my comfort zone, but I'd like to have a realistic picture before making such a big move.

Some questions I have:

• Is SUSTech considered a good place for postdoctoral research?
• Is this salary enough to live comfortably and still save money?
• Is it easy to transfer savings back to Europe and convert RMB into euros?
• Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known before moving?
• Are there any downsides that aren't obvious from the outside (bureaucracy, visas, academic culture, career prospects, etc.)?

I'd really like to hear both the good and the bad.

Thanks!