AcademicTransfer Career Advice Podcast · AcademicTransfer

Lab work - PhD Talk

·36 min·3 clips

Rico details how he cuts, bends, and constructs rebar cages himself, turning designs into real concrete columns.

This episode focuses on the practical realities of conducting experimental work for a PhD in civil engineering. Hosts Eva, a professor, and Rico, a PhD student, share their contrasting experiences with lab-based research. They provide a detailed look at the entire process, from design to data analysis, grounded in their work with reinforced concrete. Rico designed, built, and tested eight reinforced concrete columns at McGill, personally cutting rebar and assembling formwork. Eva’s PhD involved testing over 150 large concrete slabs, requiring her to automate data processing with MATLAB scripts. The discussion covers instrumentation like LVDTs and strain gauges, which Rico wires himself to a data acquisition system running on outdated Windows software. They describe dramatic lab moments, such as carbon fiber strips failing explosively and the constant fear of a hydraulic system mishap. A major challenge was a formwork blowout during a concrete pour, which required on-the-fly problem-solving and post-casting measurements. One insight is that hands-on construction, like building rebar cages, provides an invaluable practical understanding of theoretical design principles. Rico notes that even with digital data collection, he still relies on handwritten notes during tests as a crucial backup. The hosts agree that while advanced tools like digital image correlation exist, instrumentation must always serve a specific research question. A key lesson from Eva was to always have a predicted failure load ready when testing, after an early embarrassment of not knowing. Rico emphasizes the mental fatigue of constant decision-making during lab days, requiring a deliberate lunch break to recharge. The tone is conversational and collegial, blending personal anecdotes with educational explanations of engineering processes. The style is reflective, as both hosts look back on their lab work to extract broader lessons for current students. This episode is ideal for engineering PhD students, especially those in experimental fields, or anyone curious about the hands-on work behind structural research. Listeners seeking highly theoretical discussions or non-engineering perspectives might find it less relevant.

As heard by us

A practical look at experimental PhD lab work, data cleanup, and the patience behind long test days.

This episode keeps its feet on the ground, tracing an experimental PhD from undergraduate lab help through master's work and into a PhD program.

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Why you'd press play

If you want the real rhythm of an experimental, engineering-oriented PhD, start here.

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