How to know if a PhD is right for you
Imagine a journey where you can experiment, fail, and grow without repercussions, transforming passion into expertise. Before you leap, consider this: a PhD is more than a degree — it’s a gateway to self-development, career opportunities, and the chance to make a lasting impact.
No pressure.
In this interview, Taseef, an Adelaide Dental School PhD student, talks about how helping a child was a significant turning point that motivated him to pursue further research.
“I fell in love with translational research in Malaysia when, as a novice, I was able to help a child who had lost an eye and needed a replacement. Conventional methods were not effective, so my supervisor allowed me to explore more experimental approaches. This was one of my first exposures to research. When the child finally wore the eye prosthesis we had made and smiled at me, I almost instantly knew that I wanted to pursue further research. Pursuing a PhD then became an obvious choice,” explains Taseef.
Tell me about your thesis
The simplest way to describe my PhD is: I am trying to understand why our jaws move the way that they do.
It sounds simple enough, but it is influenced by muscles, teeth, the jaw joint, a person’s medical health, and social well-being - all of which vary greatly among individuals and are difficult to standardise across a multicultural community as diverse as South Australia. For instance, imagine being so stressed that you end up grinding your teeth at night, and wake up with a stiff jaw. Or imagine taking a medicine or having a medical condition that weakens your muscles, that affects how your jaws move and affects how you eat your favourite food. Every person has a unique circumstance and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.
We wanted to understand jaw movement patterns in otherwise healthy individuals with conditions such as clicking jaws, jaw pain, or difficulty speaking or chewing. We wanted to know what these movements might mean for the person's future health. By understanding normal jaw movement, we hoped that the next step would be to identify abnormal functions during clinic visits in hopes of preventing long-term complications.
This project was incredibly exciting, and I could not have achieved this much without the support of many experts who shared my broad vision. The response from our South Australian community was overwhelming, with 104 expressions of interest to participate in just two months. Many participants reported that they or someone they know have conditions such as jaw clicking. As I enter the third year of my PhD, to my surprise, everything has come together well. After publishing many papers on the topic, we have now conducted one of the world's only studies that managed to standardise variables as diverse as muscle activity and speech patterns using artificial intelligence and were able to consider most factors that contribute to jaw movement to predict what normal movement should be for a specific individual.
Taseef's question is a simple one; Why do our jaws move the way that they do? 
How did you arrive at your topic?
I was introduced to digital dentistry while pursuing my Master's degree in Malaysia. We conducted exciting experimental research on creating facial prostheses for individuals who had lost parts of their facial and jaw features due to cancer surgery, childhood diseases, or road traffic accidents. Throughout that time, the most challenging aspect of designing a prosthesis was predicting how the patients’ jaws might come together. I wanted to change that, but I neither knew how to standardize the process of jaw movement nor had access to the resources required for an extensive study.
In 2021, despite the raging pandemic, an artificial intelligence revolution occurred, making previously impossible tasks feasible. It was a bold idea, and while many dismissed it as too far-fetched, a few remarkable individuals, including my current PhD supervisor, believed in me and gave me the opportunity to pursue this ambitious endeavour in the form of a PhD. Fast forward one year later, and I arrived in Adelaide on Valentine’s Day to pursue something I truly loved.
How often do you meet with your supervisor?
Some would say “too often!” I consider myself extremely lucky to have a supervisor who is both supportive and cautious. This balance allowed me to take risks and collaborate with wonderful people within the university and overseas in Bangladesh (that’s where I am from, originally, in case you were wondering!), who have helped me bring some of my wildest research ideas to life.
What do those meetings look like?
The general tone is very casual, which is common in Australian culture but was initially a culture shock for me. I still like to prepare very basic (and casual!) PowerPoint presentations ahead of our meetings to ensure I don't forget to bring anything up. For example, one of my slide titles might be "Can I do XYZ research, pretty please?" with a screenshot of the website or email related to the research. Overall, it's not stressful at all.
What does your supervisor support you to do?
The general answer would be to help form my research design and see me through to the end. However, there are many additional ways in which my supervisor's support has helped me, which are often not discussed. My supervisor has helped me identify opportunities across the university that have aided my academic development and supplemented my finances. They have supported my research funding applications, approved research-related services, and served as a pillar of stability while I venture into risky research avenues that may or (more often!) may not work out.
“I have a hot take: If your supervisor is not as excited with your work as you are, you’re probably doing something wrong or you are with the wrong supervisor.”Taseef
Tell me about your routines
I have another hot take: A PhD is NOT a 9-to-5 job. Many people will disagree, but I see my PhD as a process for self-development. This is the only time and place where I am allowed to experiment and fail without repercussions. I am happy to study and work around the clock if it means I can grow as a researcher, an academic, and an individual. After all, the best thing to invest in at any given time is yourself!
Who is supporting you?
When I first arrived in Adelaide and settled down, I had only 300 dollars in my account, and was living the ideal student life: paycheck-to-paycheck! Over time, as I demonstrated good progress with my PhD, I was given additional responsibilities alongside my core research component. These opportunities helped me improve my financial health from “barely making ends meet” to “making ends meet with 300 dollars left in my bank account at the end of the month.” I consider that to be moving up in the world!
What do you do when you have those weeks where you just have no motivation?
In my opinion, lack of motivation and imposter syndrome start affecting most PhD students as they step into their second or third year. I lost motivation to do research just a few weeks ago and didn't show up at my desk for a while, but no one noticed I was missing because I had already completed the bulk of my work. I stayed at home, practiced my clinical skills on a training dummy (which is oddly therapeutic!), played video games, and occasionally replied to an email or two.
The best thing to do in a PhD is to start early. Try to get as much work done as possible within the first year, whether it's the literature review, pilot studies, or administrative paperwork such as applying for ethics. Starting early in my PhD helped me set aside time for myself later without affecting my work or anyone else's work that is tied to my own. The last thing you want to do is drag someone else down with you.
What are your ambitions?
I want to be a clinical researcher and an entrepreneur. What might that look like? I have no idea. Is it right around the corner after completing my PhD? Your guess is as good as mine! Will I be unemployed after completing my PhD? I hope not, especially since almost all PhD holders eventually secure a job, either in academia or industry!
How will the PhD help you get there?
During my first year of my PhD, I participated in the University of Adelaide’s Australian eChallenge programme, which helped me develop entrepreneurial skills and explore ways to commercialise our research. As a result, we founded the Dental Loop Initiative. I have since adapted my PhD research to align with our efforts to establish the initiative. Therefore, my PhD research is now directly tied to the development and advancement of the Dental Loop and has enabled us to apply for national funding. Even if we do not secure the funding and I fail miserably in entrepreneurship, I have no regrets about setting ambitious goals. After all, you miss all the opportunities you don’t pursue!
For someone that might be thinking of doing a PhD but is unsure, what advice do you have to make that decision?
I've seen friends overseas rush into a PhD without a clear goal, only to end up regretting their decision, working with unsuitable supervisors, or even abandoning their degrees midway. In my opinion, rushing into a PhD is one of the worst things you can do to yourself. Ultimately, a PhD is just a piece of paper if it does not come with transferable skills gained throughout the doctoral journey. Alternatively, you must be extremely passionate about teaching and academia and willing to accept its career uncertainties to pursue a PhD; I know and respect some people who are that passionate about teaching. It is important to consider what a PhD from the University of Adelaide (or any other university for that matter) offers that self-education and professional experience cannot. I can think of many potential benefits, but the ultimate answer will vary for each individual. Don’t sign up for a PhD until you have that answer, as it is unlikely to magically appear during your second year of the PhD program.