PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science

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class="col"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wrapper "> <div class="content-wrapper"> <article class="post-type-page" id="post-4047"> <div class="page__header page__header--no-image page__header--red"> <div class="page__header-image-wrapper"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col"> <div class="page__header-no-bg-image page__header-no-bg-image--red"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="page__header-title"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col col-md-6 col-lg-5 offset-lg-1"> <div class="breadcrumbs d-md-none"> <nav class="breadcrumb"><span><span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/">Home</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/academic-programs/">Academic Programs</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/academic-programs/graduate-students/">For Graduate Students</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science</span></span></nav> </div> <h1>PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science</h1> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="breadcrumbs d-none d-md-block"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col col-lg-10 offset-lg-1"> <nav class="breadcrumb"><span><span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/">Home</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/academic-programs/">Academic Programs</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/academic-programs/graduate-students/">For Graduate Students</a></span> </span><span class="breadcrumb-spacer">//</span> <span class="breadcrumb_last" aria-current="page">PhD in Physics, Statistics, and Data Science</span></span></nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gutenberg-body"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col col-lg-10 offset-lg-1"> <div class="gutenberg-body__content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Many PhD students in the MIT Physics Department incorporate probability, statistics, computation, and data analysis into their research. These techniques are becoming increasingly important for both experimental and theoretical Physics research, with ever-growing datasets, more sophisticated physics simulations, and the development of cutting-edge machine learning tools. The <a href="https://stat.mit.edu/academics/idps/">Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics (IDPS)</a> is designed to provide students with the highest level of competency in 21st century statistics, enabling doctoral students across MIT to better integrate computation and data analysis into their PhD thesis research.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Admission to this program is restricted to students currently enrolled in the Physics doctoral program or another participating MIT doctoral program. In addition to satisfying all of the requirements of the Physics PhD, students take one subject each in probability, statistics, computation and statistics, and data analysis, as well as the Doctoral Seminar in Statistics, and they write a dissertation in Physics utilizing statistical methods. Graduates of the program will receive their doctoral degree in the field of “Physics, Statistics, and Data Science.”</p> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">Selection</h2> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Doctoral students in Physics may submit an Interdisciplinary PhD in Statistics Form between the end of their second semester and penultimate semester in their Physics program. The application must include an endorsement from the student’s advisor, an up-to-date CV, current transcript, and a 1-2 page statement of interest in Statistics and Data Science.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">The statement of interest can be based on the student’s thesis proposal for the Physics Department, but it must demonstrate that statistical methods will be used in a substantial way in the proposed research. In their statement, applicants are encouraged to explain how specific statistical techniques would be applied in their research. Applicants should further highlight ways that their proposed research might advance the use of statistics and data science, both in their physics subfield and potentially in other disciplines. If the work is part of a larger collaborative effort, the applicant should focus on their personal contributions.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">For access to the selection form or for further information, please contact the IDSS Academic Office at <a title="mailto:idss_academic_office@mit.edu" href="mailto:idss_academic_office@mit.edu">idss_academic_office@mit.edu</a>.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">Required Courses</h2> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Courses in this list that satisfy the Physics PhD degree requirements can count for both programs. Other similar or more advanced courses can count towards the “Computation & Statistics” and “Data Analysis” requirements, with permission from the program co-chairs. The IDS.190 requirement may be satisfied instead by IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems, and Society, if that experience exposes the student to a diverse set of topics in statistics and data science. Making this substitution requires permission from the program co-chairs prior to doing the practical experience.</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong>SEMINAR</strong> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/mIDSa.html#IDS.190" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">IDS.190 – Doctoral Seminar in Statistics and Data Science</a><br>(<em>may be substituted by <a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/mIDSa.html#IDS.955" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">IDS.955 Practical Experience in Data, Systems and Society</a></em>)</li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>PROBABILITY</strong> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.7700" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">6.7700[J] Fundamentals of Probability</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18b.html#18.675">18.675 – Theory of Probability</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>STATISTICS</strong> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6b.html#6.S951">6.S951 Modern Mathematical Statistics</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18b.html#18.655">18.655 – Mathematical Statistics</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18b.html#18.6501">18.6501 – Fundamentals of Statistics</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/mIDSa.html#IDS.160">IDS.160[J] – Mathematical Statistics: A Non-Asymptotic Approach</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>COMP & STAT</strong> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://www.eecs.mit.edu/academics/subject-updates/subject-updates-spring-2023/#6.S966" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">6.S966/8.S301 Symmetry and its Application to Machine Learning and Scientific Computing </a><em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.7810" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">6.7810 Algorithms for Inference</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.8610" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6.8610 (6.864) Advanced Natural Language Processing</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.7900" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6.7900 (6.867) Machine Learning</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.8710" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6.8710 (6.874) Computational Systems Biology: Deep Learning in the Life Sciences</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m9b.html#9.520">9.520[J] – Statistical Learning Theory and Applications</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m16b.html#16.940">16.940 – Numerical Methods for Stochastic Modeling and Inference</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18a.html#18.337">18.337 – Numerical Computing and Interactive Software</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><strong>DATA ANALYSIS</strong> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.316">8.316 – Data Science in Physics</a> <strong><em>or</em></strong></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6c.html#6.8300" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">6.8300 (6.869) Advances in Computer Vision</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.334">8.334 – Statistical Mechanics II</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.371">8.371[J] – Quantum Information Science</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.591">8.591[J] – Systems Biology</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.592">8.592[J] – Statistical Physics in Biology</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m8b.html#8.942">8.942 – Cosmology</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m9b.html#9.583">9.583 – Functional MRI: Data Acquisition and Analysis</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m16a.html#16.456">16.456[J] – Biomedical Signal and Image Processing</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18a.html#18.367">18.367 – Waves and Imaging</a> <em><strong>or</strong></em></li> <li><a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/mIDSa.html#IDS.131">IDS.131[J] – Statistics, Computation, and Applications</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">Grade Policy</h2> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">C, D, F, and O grades are unacceptable. Students should not earn more B grades than A grades, reflected by a PhysSDS GPA of ≥ 4.5. Students may be required to retake subjects graded B or lower, although generally one B grade will be tolerated.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Unless approved by the PhysSDS co-chairs, a minimum grade of B+ is required in all 12 unit courses, except IDS.190 (3 units) which requires a P grade.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">Advising</h2> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Though not required, it is strongly encouraged for a member of the MIT <a href="https://stat.mit.edu/">Statistics and Data Science Center (SDSC)</a> to serve on a student’s doctoral committee. This could be an SDSC member from the Physics department or from another field relevant to the proposed thesis research.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">Thesis Proposal</h2> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">All students must submit a thesis proposal using the standard Physics format. Dissertation research must involve the utilization of statistical methods in a substantial way.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">PhysSDS Committee</h2> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/jesse-thaler/">Jesse Thaler</a> (co-chair)</li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/michael-williams/">Mike Williams</a> (co-chair)</li> </ul> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none"><strong>Advisors:</strong></p> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-o3c container"><div class="row"> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oc col"> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/isaac-chuang/">Isaac Chuang</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/janet-conrad/">Janet Conrad</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/william-detmold/">William Detmold</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/philip-harris/">Philip Harris</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oc col"> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/jacqueline-hewitt/">Jacqueline Hewitt</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/kiyoshi-masui/">Kiyoshi Masui</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/leonid-mirny/">Leonid Mirny</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/christoph-paus/">Christoph Paus</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oc col"> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/phiala-shanahan/">Phiala Shanahan</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/marin-soljacic/">Marin Soljačić</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/washington-taylor/">Washington Taylor</a></li> <li><a href="https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/max-tegmark/">Max Tegmark</a></li> </ul> </div> </div></div> <h2 class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oh text-none">FAQs</h2> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>Can I satisfy the requirements with courses taken at Harvard?</h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Harvard CompSci 181 will count as the equivalent of MIT’s 6.867. For the status of other courses, please contact the program co-chairs.</p> </div></div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>Can a course count both for the Physics degree requirements and the PhysSDS requirements?</h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Yes, this is possible, as long as the courses are already on the approved list of requirements. E.g. 8.592 can count as a breadth requirement for a NUPAX student as well as a Data Analysis requirement for the PhysSDS degree.</p> </div></div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>If I have previous experience in Probability and/or Statistics, can I test out of these requirements? </h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">These courses are required by all of the IDPS degrees. They are meant to ensure that all students obtaining an IDPS degree share the same solid grounding in these fundamentals, and to help build a community of IDPS students across the various disciplines. Only in exceptional cases might it be possible to substitute more advanced courses in these areas.</p> </div></div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>Can I substitute a similar or more advanced course for the PhysSDS requirements?</h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">Yes, this is possible for the “computation and statistics” and “data analysis” requirements, with permission of program co-chairs. Substitutions for the “probability” and “statistics” requirements will only be granted in exceptional cases.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">For Spring 2021, the following course has been approved as a substitution for the “computation and statistics” requirement: <a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m18a.html#18.408">18.408 (Theoretical Foundations for Deep Learning)</a>.</p> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">The following course has been approved as a substitution for the “data analysis” requirement: <a href="http://student.mit.edu/catalog/m6b.html#6.481">6.481 (Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis)</a>.</p> </div></div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>Can I apply for the PhysSDS degree in my last semester at MIT?</h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">No, you must apply no later than your penultimate semester.</p> </div></div> <div class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-oa"><h3 class="accordion-title" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false"><span class="caret"></span>What does it mean to use statistical methods in a “substantial way” in one’s thesis?</h3><div class="accordion-content"> <p class="wp-block-opus-core-block-rewrite-op text-none">The ideal case is that one’s thesis advances statistics research independent of the Physics applications. Advancing the use of statistical methods in one’s subfield of Physics would also qualify. Applying well-established statistical methods in one’s thesis could qualify, if the application is central to the Physics result. In all cases, we expect the student to demonstrate mastery of statistics and data science.</p> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </section> <footer id="footer" class="text-center"> <div class="footer__menu container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm"> <h2 class="sr-only">Footer Menu</h2> <nav class="nav justify-content-center"> <a target="" href="https://physics.mit.edu/support-physics/">Giving</a> <a target="" href="https://physics.mit.edu/physics-directory/">Directory</a> <a target="" href="https://physics.mit.edu/contact-us/">Contact Us</a> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__social container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm"> <h2 class="sr-only">Social Media Links</h2> <nav class="nav justify-content-center"> <a class="opus-icon icon-twitter" target="" href="https://twitter.com/MIT_Physics"><span class="sr-only">Twitter</span></a> <a class="opus-icon icon-instagram" target="" href="https://www.instagram.com/physicsmit/"><span class="sr-only">Instagram</span></a> <a class="opus-icon icon-facebook" target="" href="https://www.facebook.com/mitphysics"><span class="sr-only">Facebook</span></a> <a class="opus-icon icon-youtube" target="" href="https://www.youtube.com/c/MITDepartmentofPhysics/"><span class="sr-only">Youtube</span></a> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__info container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm"> MIT Department of Physics<br /> 77 Massachusetts Avenue<br /> Building 4, Room 304<br /> Cambridge, MA 02139 <br /> 617–253–4800 </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__copyright container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm"> © 2024 MIT Physics </div> </div> </div> <div class="footer__sub-menu container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm"> <h2 class="sr-only">Footer Menu</h2> <nav class="nav justify-content-center"> <a target="" href="https://emergency.mit.edu/">For Emergencies</a> <a target="" href="https://accessibility.mit.edu/">Accessibility</a> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </body> </html>

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