Muhaiminul Islam Akash - ECE PhD Student of the Month - August 2024
Muhaiminul Islam Akash has completed his first year as a Ph.D. candidate in the ECE Department at NJIT, being advised by Dr. Cong Wang. His research focuses on robot physical intelligence, AI-robot bridgeware for task and motion planning, crowdsourced machine learning, and robot teleoperation. Beyond his academic pursuits, he enjoys traveling and finds peace in natural landscapes.
What do you think will be the next big move in your field of study?
Robotics, particularly in the realm of robot physical intelligence, is currently experiencing a paradigm shift with the advent of large language models (LLMs) and vision language models (VLMs). The physical reasoning capabilities of LLMs and VLMs have already demonstrated promising results in recent research. The next significant advancement will likely involve leveraging these reasoning AIs and their access to extensive Internet-scale knowledge for the development of collaborative and assistive robots. These robots are anticipated to perform both mundane and creative manipulation tasks with minimal or no technical teaching required.
Doing Ph.D. without a prior M.S. degree can be hard because of the initial coursework requirement. What would you recommend to new Ph.D. students who do not have a prior M.S. degree about juggling between coursework and research?
Pursuing a Ph.D. without a prior M.S. degree can be challenging indeed. However, this can also be seen as an opportunity to build foundational knowledge and receive training for Ph.D. research by strategically selecting relevant courses. To balance coursework and research effectively, I recommend weekly planning to allocate time based on the course schedule and research activity. Since coursework demands may fluctuate throughout the semester, it is important to continuously adapt one’s routine to meet these changing requirements.
This is the first summer of your Ph.D. study, and you have already presented your first Ph.D. research paper at a competitive conference. What would you share with other junior Ph.D. students about doing their first research project and publishing their first paper?
Publishing the first Ph.D. research paper is both challenging and exciting, as it marks a significant milestone in the academic journey. It is crucial to select a research topic that aligns with both one’s passions and academic interests. Identifying potential conferences or journals for the work early on, even when the research is in its initial stage, is beneficial. This approach helps set milestones and provides a roadmap for making the publication successful. Keep reading research papers and engaging in discussions with the advisor and collaborators to refine the ideas. Additionally, it is useful to pinpoint key aspects of the research that can be elaborated upon in the paper. Start writing about your findings, observations, and ideas along the way. This habit will not only make the final paper easier to write but also enhance its strength and persuasiveness.