Gennaro Vessio

🎓 Motivated students are welcome to work on their thesis under my supervision, focusing on one of our research topics! Alternatively, you are encouraged to propose a topic of your own interest, and I will be happy to explore it with you! Occasionally, theses can also be conducted in collaboration with local companies, offering the opportunity to combine research with practical experience through external internships.

A thesis template in English, designed primarily for M.Sc. and Ph.D. theses, is available on Overleaf. A research diary template for sharing notes and tracking progress is also available for download.

Doing a Ph.D. is like "navigating stormy waters". It is a transformative journey that shapes your "intellectual identity". By the time someone completes a Ph.D., they are no longer the same person who started it.

🎓 Some tips for a successful Ph.D. thesis

Choose your topic wisely: Pick something you love and value the expertise of the supervisor working on that topic.

🔥 Prefer a hot topic: Unfortunately, the academic career path can be highly competitive and heavily influenced by quantitative measures. If you envision your Ph.D. as the first step toward an academic career, it's better to start with a topic that attracts significant interest rather than an isolated niche...
⚖️ Avoid extremes: Don't choose an overly famous professor who won't have time for you or an overly isolated one who lacks the "influence" to create opportunities...

Good ideas don't appear out of nowhere:

📜 Start with a very recent paper from a top journal or conference on your topic.
🕵️ Trace your bibliography backwards from the "Related Work" section to the foundational papers in the field.
🔄 Replicate the study: This helps you establish a baseline for comparison.
🔍 Identify open issues: These are often outlined in the "Conclusion" and "Future Work" sections of papers.

Structure your thesis well:

Think of it as an hourglass ⏳.
Start with high-level abstraction: motivations, goals, and background knowledge.
Narrow down into the specifics: materials, methods, and experiments, ensuring reproducibility.
End with high-level abstraction: discuss limitations, implications, and possible future directions.

Understand the purpose of a Ph.D. thesis: It typically focuses on solving one or more open problems in a research community. It demonstrates the effectiveness and limitations of your proposed approach through rigorous experimentation.
Set a productive routine: Some argue that successful people get up early and make their bed—a great way to start a focused day!
Last but not least: Coffee ☕. It's a Ph.D. student's best friend!

🎓 Some tips for a successful M.Sc. thesis

The principles are largely the same but in a more "relaxed" way. M.Sc. theses focus on a single experiment and require less autonomy. For scientific or technological topics, the thesis should be experimental or at least implementative. Avoid literary review theses at this stage, as they typically lack the depth needed for a strong M.Sc. thesis...

🎓 Some tips for a successful B.Sc. thesis

Similarly, the principles apply in an even more relaxed way. A B.Sc. thesis focuses on a single task and expects much less autonomy. It's a stepping stone for future academic endeavors.

🎓 Well, I have a Ph.D.: now what?

Being a post-doc is often the most non-linear and uncertain part of the academic career path. Even if you're brilliant, success involves several elements of luck...

Factors like these can significantly influence your chances:

Is your supervisor influential?
Are there enough financial resources to fund your post-doc?
Is the historical period favorable for hiring at your university or in your country?
Have you become (almost) indispensable to your group's research activities?

Statistically, only a small fraction of post-docs secure a stable academic position... However, going abroad and expanding your social graph can improve your chances. My advice? Be dynamic and proactive! If you feel stuck, like you're orbiting without progress, change the air—it might be the push you need to advance.

🎓 Well, I have an M.Sc. degree: now what?

If you're young enough (unfortunately, age is a factor that cannot be overlooked...) and have the light in your eyes ✨, you might consider pursuing a Ph.D. However, be prepared: you'll see your friends get married, drive the car you dream of, earn more money, and enjoy weekends off. But—hey—you’ll be a "real" doctor! More importantly, a Ph.D. will give you a level of maturity and self-confidence that can prepare you to tackle almost any challenge life throws at you!

🎓 Well, I have a B.Sc. degree: now what?

The situation is quite similar. If you're young enough, consider pursuing an M.Sc. It can open new doors and give you deeper expertise in your field. That said, the 3+2 formula is a hotly debated topic. Personally, I think it might need to be rethought—if not entirely removed—but that's a story for another day...

Alessandro Bianchi didn't like appearing in photos much, but I secretly took this one of him at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna during our first conference together. He was my Ph.D. supervisor, and we collaborated on formal methods. Sadly, he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on August 29, 2019...

Alessandro was a true gentleman of Computer Science. He taught me so much and, unlike many, always treated me as an equal. His kindness, humility, and brilliance left a lasting impact on me. Ciao, Prof.

He also found it amusing to have a connection to Paul Erdős. As one of Alessandro's co-authors, my Erdős number is at most 5. One known path is:
P. Erdős → S. Marcus → G. Păun → P. Mussio → A. Bianchi → G. Vessio.