Seminar of Caroline Boudoux - Professor at Polytechnique Montréa et an entrepreneure (Castor Optics)

11:00am,  Ecole Polytechnique, Amphi Becquerel
 

Caroline Boudoux 

Professor at Polytechnique Montréal et entrepreneur (Castor Optics)
Engineer (Université Laval), PhD in engineering (MIT)

It Goes without Saying: Taking the Guesswork of Your PhD in Engineering. 

Abstract: 

You shouldn’t need a PhD to complete one.

At the beginning of the journey, the path can seem confusing for newcomers—even if, for thesis committees, everything “goes without saying.”

Caroline Boudoux, an accomplished professor and entrepreneur, aims to demystify the challenges—sometimes intimidating, sometimes mundane, and sometimes unexpected—of pursuing a PhD. In It Goes Without Saying and her talk, she draws on her extensive experience as a supervisor, mentor, and, not long ago, a PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a postdoctoral researcher at Polytechnique Paris, to share the know-how and confidence needed to succeed in a doctoral program.

With a touch of humour, she explores modern aspects of the PhD experience by offering:

• a detailed description of the doctoral journey: the path and milestones, from admission to defence;

• professional tips on managing a doctoral project, time, and priorities;

• practical advice on scientific writing for proposals and dissertations, as well as on ethics and intellectual property;

• reflections on personal challenges, including expectations, unconscious bias, impostor syndrome, and stress management.

From the mundane to the metaphysical, this accessible guide provides the tools needed to succeed in a PhD—at the right time, fully informed, and with a forward-looking mindset.

Bio:

Caroline Boudoux is an engineer (Université Laval), holds a PhD in engineering (MIT), is a professor at Polytechnique Montréal, and an entrepreneur (Castor Optics). A Fellow of Optica and SPIE, she is the author of three textbooks in optics and engineering and has contributed to several collaborative works, publications, and patents. She also regularly collaborates on the program Moteur de recherche (Radio-Canada).