Join

Mentorship

I am very aligned with NYU Tandon’s Ph.D. Mentor/Mentee Guidelines, and I try to work that way. I believe that an open and respectful environment is key to being productive. When working together, we should be able to talk openly and respectfully with each other. We should agree on a meeting cadence and keep it, and if one of us cannot make a meeting, we say so ahead of time.

Your dissertation is the center of the PhD, so we should be clear about what progress looks like, and how that is balanced with whatever else is happening in your life. You should be present in the lab, but also have real time off.

I care deeply about research curiosity and creativity. I want you to be interested in the questions themselves, and to think creatively about them. This is your PhD. You have to want to do the work, be able to explain it, and be able to think it through with me. I can help you shape it. I cannot care about it for you.

I care about honesty, meaning that I want to know what a result actually is, including when it is disappointing or when it does not support the story we hoped for, and I want to understand what you know and what you don't. It is ok not to know things, we just have to be in the same page about it. I also care about resilience. Research includes (a lot!) of failure. You will be wrong. Things will not work, sometimes for a long time. What matters to me is that you can stay with the problem, say what happened honestly, and try again.

I also care about collaboration. The lab is a shared place. You should be able to work with the other students, contribute to what the group is doing, and let other people contribute to your work. This means making time to discuss ideas, explain your thinking to each other, and give and receive thoughtful feedback. The lab is better when everyone takes part in building a shared, lively, and supportive research environment.

PhD students

I hire through two programs, computer science and music technology. Be strategic and apply to the program that fits your background. If both fit what you do, apply to both. Every PhD student works with me in the Music and Audio Research Laboratory (MARL). When you apply, mention my name as the faculty member you are interested in working with.

Submit the application. That is what the admissions committee reviews. You should also reach out to me with your CV and any audio-related projects you have worked on, and what you hope to work on in the PhD. I can't reply to all emails, but this will put you on my radar and help me understand if you are a good fit in my group.

• Be specific about why you want to join us and do this kind of work.
• Read recent papers on Google Scholar to see what the lab is doing now.

PhD students are fully funded for at least four years. An external fellowship is welcome. It is not required, and it is not a guarantee of admission.

After the program committee reviews the applications, I write to the applicants who are a good fit, usually in January or February.

Postdocs

It is hard to get funding for a postdoc, and I usually cannot offer one from my own grants. There are still some opportunities, such as the Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow program at Tandon. In any case, reach out if you are interested in working with us and you think you are a good fit.

Visiting scholars

I have hosted visiting students when there is a good fit between the student and the lab. One way that has happened is through the IEEE Signal Processing Mentorship Academy (SigMA). Those have been good experiences. I expect some external funding either through joint grant applications or from your institution, that is what makes visits possible.

Master’s students at NYU

I am open to working with master’s students who are already at NYU, when the project and the timing fit. Fill out this form with your CV, what you are doing now, and what you want to work on. I read these notes and write back when there is a match.

Undergraduates

I only mentor undergraduates through the REU at MARL. Apply through that program.