by Paul » Mon Nov 29, 2004 12:59 pm
Hey Robert,
This is a subject that I discuss with friends and colleages all the time.
Look around the big labs in good institutions. Most of the people working there are "post-docs". All have PhD's and all are working hard to get their Nature, Science or Cell paper. Usually, there is a huge mix of nationalities. Noone ever grades those people on where they got their PhD from. The fact is that people are judged mainly on their performance at post-doc and their publication record...not simply on the institute they got their PhD from! A postdoc with a PhD from China, India, Europe etc will be seen as more successful than a postdoc from Harvard if that person has better papers.
I am orgininally from the UK so got my PhD from there. The 3 year PhD program is, essentially, the last three years of the US PhD. On day one you will be given a bench in the lab of your supervisior and that will be you for the next three years. At the end, you write a thesis and get examined on your work in an oral exam. This can be extremely formal or extremely informal, depending on the institute and the examiner. Mine lasted over 4 hours but was friendly and flew by.
I think the difference stems from the specialization of the degree system in the UK, and across Europe. I graduated with a batchelors degree in Immunology and Pharmacology so, by starting a PhD in an immunology lab, I already had the knowledge and background to hit the ground running. Most of the Americans I work with have their batchelor degrees in broad subjects and are require the tuition in their subject area of interest that the extra two years of a PhD in the US provide.
Saying that, I work with many Americans who take a year or two out to work as research technicians before going on to a PhD. In general, these people are already trained in their subject and the skills to be able to walk into a PhD program in the UK and I try to advise them to consider this option. Consider the difference in age and debt that those two years can make. Why be finishing your PhD when you could be finishing your first post-doc?
As far as leads, check out
http://www.fulbright.co.uk/awards/us/index.html
and
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-study-in-the-uk.htm
The British government are actually very keen to attract international students and there are specific funding schemes set up for this. Also, start writing to people. Often, institutes will have funding "inhouse" that they can apply for.
Just as an example, I had a tech who wrote off to several people in the UK enquiring about a PhD. She got good feedback and is now at the Biochemisty Department at Dundee University (a 5* ranked department) doing a PhD with a mentor with an excellent reputation. She got funding from a source specifically earmarking funds for US researchers to work in the UK and is better paid than many of her UK counterparts.