======= Date Modified 26 Nov 2008 04:00:36 =======
======= Date Modified 26 Nov 2008 03:58:16 =======
My sympathies. A terrible story - and another example of a bunch of old farts with big egos having no consideration for the careers of students. Sometimes it seems that students are pawns that can be used and disposed at will. I went through a similar circumstance. After five years of research, my committee (after having approved my first draft thesis at the initial defense) decided that I should take my work in a different completely direction. And don't hold out much hope for Departmental Chairs or Deans to take up your case. As soon as you speak up, then you are the trouble maker - and therefore the enemy. Universities have no problem leading Ph.D. students on for years...taking tuition and government research funding monies. But then when it comes time to cough up the degree its a whole new ball game. Your work means nothing, and at the end of the day it is just a group of old guys with inflated egos and delusions of self-importance who will decide if you are worthy of joining their exclusive Ph.D. club. And should they deem you not worthy because they don't like the way you talk, look, dress or whatever, then you have just wasted a whole whack of time that could have been better spent. Good question - "Who monitors these academics?" - unfortunately the answer is themselves.

I apologize for the diatribe. But your situation sounded very familiar...even on this side of the ocean, at supposedly the most prestigious university in Canada.

My deepest best wishes Hairui!

Thanks very much for the advice and support. Yes, if only for peace of mind, finishing it would be the best thing to do. Moreover, some of my research results are valuable and need to be shared. I realize now that I allowed my frustration with how I was treated take precedence over the fact that a lot of time and money was put into this research. I do indeed plan to draft a proposal and start searching for potential supervisors.

By the way, my work is in the area of process engineering - specifically studying the aqueous separation technique flotation, and involves work on interfacial chemistry and mechanics of bubble-particle attachment. (This separation technique is used for particle separation in the areas of environmental, chemical and mining/mineral engineering.) If anyone out there knows of a prof in Europe/U.K. specializing in this area let me know.

Thanks again!

Hello All. Just wondering if anyone would have some advice for me. Between 1998 and 2003 I worked on a Ph.D. at a North American university in the field of Chemical Engineering. During that time my thesis supervisor (under whom I received my Masters degree) fell ill and has since passed away. By that time I was finished my course work and my research, and I was working on the second draft of my thesis. Unfortunately my Ph.D. committee who frankly did not really care much about my success – they placed unreasonable demands on me and asked that I take my research in another direction which would have meant more years of work. In hindsight I realize that I was the victim of university politics amongst professors. I was getting very frustrated - I just wanted to continue with the Ph.D. that I started and finish up. I ran out of money and had to start working full-time. I ended-up getting fed up and withdrew from graduate studies. Since then, over the past 5 years, I have been principally focused on my career. This has gone very well and I have since risen to become Senior Engineer in my workplace.

Nevertheless, the fact remains that I am left with a load of excellent research and a nearly completed 5-year old thesis. Even though I do not need a Ph.D. for my job,I’d love to complete what I started 10 years ago, and I like to do this internationally – working with a U.K. or European professor. Any advice how I should go about this? Do universities in the U.K./Europe accept students with completed work and are near completion?

Many thanks