From PhD to Impact: Mentorship, Postdocs & Startups!! | Episode 17

What does it take to grow from a PhD student into a world-class researcher, innovator, or startup founder?

In this episode of the Prof Mahesh Podcast, Prof. Kaushik Bhattacharya, Vice Provost and Professor at Caltech, shares insights on the complete PhD and research journey—from finding mentors and pursuing postdoctoral research to building soft skills, generating original ideas, and creating research-driven startups.

🔑 Key Takeaways with Prof. Kaushik Bhattacharya:

Mentorship & Growth: How the right mentor shapes a PhD career and long-term research mindsets
Postdoc vs. Industry: Why postdoctoral training helps researchers discover their unique academic voice.
Soft Skills for PhDs: Communication, collaboration, and grant writing as essential skills for both research and entrepreneurship.
Original Research: Why PhD researchers shouldn’t just chase trending fields (like AI/ML) but instead develop their own scientific questions.
Deep Tech Startups: The critical role of PhD-led startups and academic entrepreneurship in solving real-world problems.
Value of Fundamental Research: Why societies must continue investing in curiosity-driven research for long-term innovation.

Whether you’re a PhD student, an early-career researcher, or an aspiring startup entrepreneur, Prof. Bhattacharya’s journey and advice will inspire you to build impactful careers at the intersection of research, innovation, and startups.

Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes so that you can make informed career decisions. Leave your questions in the comments and suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in later episodes.

This podcast is brought to you by the Office of Global Engagement, IIT Madras -
https://ge.iitm.ac.in/

All the references made in the podcast can be found here - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a...

Chapters
[00:00:00] Intro
[00:02:50] First Taste of Research
[00:06:38] IIT Hostel Days
[00:09:53] The Postdoc Dilemma
[00:14:14] Early Faculty Years at Caltech
[00:18:52] Choosing the Right Mentor
[00:22:00] Academia vs. Industry Research
[00:23:35] Beyond Research: Skills Every PhD Needs
[00:29:19] Mastering the Art of Grant Writing
[00:33:06] Why Undergrads Should Choose Research
[00:40:22] Cultivating the Researcher’s Mindset
[00:42:00] Finding Your Place in the Research Value Chain
[00:47:52] Deep Tech Startups: Extending Research Impact
[00:55:19] The Value of Blue-Sky Research
[01:00:44] Designing a Strong Graduate Curriculum
[01:10:30] Ending Notes

Courses:
NPTEL
Introduction to Statistics (IIT Hyderabad) - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc...
Probability and Statistics (IIT Kharagpur) - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc...
An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (IIT Delhi) - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc...
Introduction to Machine Learning (IIT Madras) - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc...
Linear Algebra (IISc Bangalore) - https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc...

Coursera
Mathematics for Machine Learning: Linear Algebra - https://www.coursera.org/learn/linear...
Linear Algebra - https://www.coursera.org/courses?quer...
Statistics - https://www.coursera.org/courses?quer...
Machine Learning Specialization - https://www.coursera.org/specializati...

edX
AI courses - https://www.edx.org/learn/artificial-...
Machine learning online courses and programs - https://www.edx.org/learn/machine-lea...
Learn linear algebra with online courses and programs - https://www.edx.org/learn/linear-algebra