Kavindya Perera’s Post

As many Indian students embark on their PhD journeys in Europe this fall, here are key insights to guide your experience: 𝟏. **𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲**: European institutions prioritize the quality of research over the number of publications. Don’t stress about publishing multiple papers during your three-year program. 𝟐. **𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭**: Despite shorter programs, completing a PhD requires significant effort and effective stress management. Balance coursework, teaching responsibilities, and research. 𝟑. **𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐲**: No one will manage your time for you. Organize your tasks, celebrate small victories, and stay motivated. 𝟒. **𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡**: Maintain a healthy lifestyle—eat well, sleep at least six hours, and exercise daily to support your mental health. 𝟓. **𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬**: Expect language barriers and occasional racism. Respect diverse cultures and remember that many people are welcoming. Wishing you all a successful journey!💪🙂 P.S. This photo was taken by me during COVID-19 when I was the only visitor at the Eiffel Tower.😅 #phd #phdlife #phdstudent #research #phdjourney #academia #gradschool #science #studentlife

How I understood my life purpose I always knew I wanted to do something great To somehow impact the world. I entered university in Warsaw at 16, graduated with a bachelor's degree at 19, and returned to Ukraine. Then I had many attempts to launch something online, engage in investments, Until I was $100,000 in debt by the summer of 2022. And it was this situation that led me to a development trajectory that allowed me to understand and realize even more who I truly am. Through many trials and errors. You will never philosophically discover who you are by sitting on the couch and pondering. This is a road to nowhere. You can only understand who you are by moving towards a specific, clear goal. If you have thoughts like "I wasted 5 years on this, but in reality, I am this," Throw those thoughts out of your head - they hinder you greatly and are untrue. -> Development means standing on the shoulders of all your accumulated experiences. Everything that has happened in your life, all the circumstances - they are necessary to shape you into who you are now. Everything that has been in your life did not happen by chance. It created for you something you can rely on. And you can only understand who you are by: 1. Accepting all your past experiences. 2. Thanking everything that is happening and has happened in your life. 3. Setting a big goal and starting to move towards it. ~~~ If you have difficulties setting a goal that will truly ignite you - I will help you with that. You know where to find me!

Today, our neighbor, the People's Republic of #China is celebrating its 75th birthday. Anniversaries provide an excellent opportunity to outline future plans. In my opinion, the critical question remains whether China will be able to capture #leadership in basic #research and #development. What groundbreaking discoveries in the natural sciences – such as physics, chemistry, biology and medicine – will its scientists make? How many outstanding articles will be published in reputable peer-reviewed journals? How many Nobel laureates will the country produce? How will the newest scientific discoveries be integrated into cutting-edge technologies? Not China, but the #US is currently the world's undisputed leader in basic research, as evidenced by its exceptional record of scientific achievements. Since 2000, American scientists have received 112 Nobel Prizes in chemistry, medicine and physics, and among these laureates, 45 scientists, or 40 percent, came to America as immigrants. Between 1901 and 2023, immigrants have secured 36 percent, or 115 out of 319, of the Nobel Prizes awarded to Americans in these fields.These results differ significantly from those of Chinese scientists. Since 2000, only one Chinese scientist, Professor Tu Youyou, has been awarded The Nobel Prize in natural sciences, winning the prize in medicine in 2015. The American scientific community has a unique ability to attract talented individuals from around the world, not just because of generous compensation and research funds but also because of the high-quality scientific environment, open international debate and discussion, and academic freedom. The remarkable achievements of scientists at top American universities validate this. For instance, Silicon Valley's prominent position in California stems from attracting bright minds worldwide. China should replicate such successes by offering opportunities for international talent to collaborate with local talent, facilitating distinctive discoveries and innovations. To my mind this task should be a priority for Beijing in the near future. Here is a link to my article on that subject just published on the CGTN opinion pages - https://lnkd.in/eU4fTHnU.

𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨'𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐬𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲🌸🏙️🌏 Even though I grew up on a university campus where my father worked as a photography professor, I never had much interest in a research-focused career. Even as I approached the end of college, the concept of a career wasn't really at the front of my mind. Instead, what I really wanted was to travel. As my graduation approached, my main focus was finding some way to earn the money I needed to travel. My solution was to go to Japan, a global economic powerhouse at the time. I was hired as an English “conversation” instructor teaching company employees in and around Osaka. My plan was for this to be a temporary stop with the goal of saving as much as possible for extended travels. However, once I arrived and started to settle into a routine, I realized that I loved living in Japan and my short-term, instrumental plans morphed into a four-year stay in Osaka and Kobe. During this period, I not only developed some proficiency in Japanese, but also married and came to see Japan as a kind of second home. Returning to the U.S. after four years, I still had little clarity about a career path. I knew that I wanted to do something related to Japan, but my experience teaching English did not really provide much in the way of specific, marketable skills. Wondering what might be next, I applied on a bit of whim for a Ministry of Education Fellowship to go back to Japan for graduate research. Fortunately, I received the fellowship and returned to Japan to enter a graduate program in economics at Osaka City University. It didn’t take too long to figure out that I found research hugely rewarding and enjoyable... - 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝐽𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑅𝑎𝑦𝑚𝑜, 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦, 𝐻𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑦 𝑊𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑡 𝐼𝐼𝐼 '55 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐸𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑆𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 #humansofcfpr Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/g4FZ62-P

Our program today is Everyday flow theory, which consists of experiments for young and old. Flow theory can be encountered everywhere, whether baking cookies, listening to music, or measuring blood pressure. Our experiments, from solar-powered ships to hemodynamics, are presented playfully. #research #science #future #innovation #bme #hydrodynamics

🏅As we celebrate this year's Nobel Prize winners, let’s dive into some interesting and thought-provoking questions: ✨ 1. ❓ How many categories are recognized in the Nobel Prize? 2. 📅 When and where are the awards announced and presented? 3. 🌍 Why is the Peace Prize awarded in Norway? 4. 🇮🇳 How many Indian laureates have received the Nobel Prize, and how many conducted their work outside India? 👇 1. Did you know there are 6 amazing categories? 🏆 These include Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences! 2. The awards are announced in 2nd week of October and celebrated on December 10 🎉 in Stockholm, Sweden 🇸🇪 (Interesting fact: the Peace Prize is given out in Oslo, Norway 🇳🇴!). 3. Why Norway, you ask? Alfred Nobel picked it to highlight the importance of global peace 🌍! 4. India has 9 proud Nobel laureates 🇮🇳, and interestingly, many of them including Hargobind Khorana (USA)🇺🇸, and Abhijit Banerjee (USA)🇺🇸 did their remarkable work outside our country! #NobelPrize 🏅 #KnowledgeIsPower 🧠 #GlobalAchievements 🌍 #ProudlyIndian 🇮🇳 #InnovationMatters 💡 #CelebratingExcellence 🌟 #DidYouKnow ❓ #PeaceAndProgress ✌ #InspiringMinds 💭 #NobelFacts

The (contemporary) past, the present, and the future! 😃 So nice catching up in China with my former PhD student BingBing Ge and our current PhD student Yingting Zhu and discussing about our ongoing #familybusiness and #familyoffice projects!

Happy to share that I have successfully presented my first research paper at Vyvtauto Didziojo University, Lithuania on "Buddhism in Japan: Tracing Path of Evolution, Exploring Origins and Examining influence on Modern Japan" #phdwomen #research #academics

🎓 Success in a PhD isn’t About Speed, It’s About Resilience 🧠 During my second meeting with my PhD supervisor and co-supervisor, the advice that stuck with me: “Success in a PhD isn’t about speed, it’s about resilience. Keep refining, keep questioning, and let your dedication lead you to new horizons.” 🌍 This was a complete shift from my experience in China, where research was focused purely on speed—publishing fast, without refining or questioning. The pressure was intense, and it felt like I was expected to publish a paper every day 📄. My ability to grow as a researcher faded, and instead of learning, I was just trying to give up. 💡 Then, my supervisors in Europe introduced me to a new formula for success in Ph.D: --> PhD = 50% reading 📚 + 25% teaching 👩🏫 + 25% traveling for conferences and networking 🌐. This formula transformed my outlook. It allowed me to develop a balance in my work, apply my knowledge meaningfully, and grow as a researcher. Meanwhile, many of my friends in China, still racing, found it hard to apply their knowledge in real-life scenarios. 💼 Here are five key lessons I’ve learned from this journey: Embrace the Process 🛤️: A PhD is a marathon, not a sprint. It's about long-term resilience and growth, not quick publications. Balance Your Time ⏳: Prioritize reading, teaching, and networking alongside your research. A balanced approach leads to deeper insights. Quality Over Quantity ✍️: Focus on producing high-quality work, rather than churning out papers like China. It’s the impact that matters, not the count. Question Everything 🤔: Stay curious and don’t hesitate to question existing ideas. It’s how true discoveries are made. Build Your Network 🤝: Conferences and collaborations are key to gaining new perspectives and broadening your horizons. In conclusion, success in a PhD isn’t about how fast you finish or how many papers you publish. It’s about building resilience, thinking critically, and allowing yourself time to grow. Take the time to refine, question, and explore—and let your passion for research guide the way 🌟. Best, AR #phdlife #europe #erasmus #autumn #resilience #research #academia #science

As part of my PhD tasks at the University of Eastern Finland, I was recently assigned as a workshop facilitator for a course on Qualitative Research Methods. For that, I've been diving deep into the #philosophicalfoundations of #researchmethods and refreshed myself with the various philosophical approaches underpinning research. 🔍 From positivism, which seeks objective truths, to interpretivism, where reality is viewed as socially constructed—each approach offers unique insights into what we think is there to know and how we believe we build knowledge about it. 💡 One key takeaway is that one should not undermine the relevance of understanding our own philosophical assumptions about reality and knowledge, since they profoundly affect how we approach complex problems and integrate diverse perspectives—even when we are not consciously aware of them. I highly recommend the blog post by Katie Moon and Deborah Blackman: https://lnkd.in/dm5JPRpQ As a PhD student myself, it was so enriching to further my knowledge about it (so I could facilitate the learning of it) and reflect about my own research journey and the choices I made. I also refreshed my understanding about how much research (and science) is about change, reviews, even developing contradictory positions to the ones we assumed in the past.