C/O Paramita Bhattacharyya
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Paramita Bhattacharyya: My name is Paramita Bhattacharyya. I am currently doing my PhD in the department of engineering physics, where my specialization is in photovoltaics. I also did my master's here in the same department, so I have been with McMaster [University] for around three years now. I'm an international student, so I did my undergrad studies back in India.
What inspired you to pursue a PhD?
When I was doing my undergrad, it was by chance, or by luck that I got to know about an alumnus of my department who was working with photovoltaics. My dad is in a non-renewable energy sector, so he's associated with oil and . . . when I was growing up, I was always surrounded by concepts of renewables and non-renewables. When I got the chance in my undergrad to work on photovoltaics a little bit, I took that opportunity and I was fascinated by the research that I did. I came to McMaster for my masters because I wanted to specifically work on photovoltaics and I wanted to work with my supervisor [Rafael] Kleiman. Later, I loved my research so much that I was like, "No, I really want to do a PhD because I want to join the industry as a research scientist."
Could you elaborate on your research?
We are integrating solar cells [onto] the body of an electric car. Basically, we are not putting on panels, but we are making the body with steel and a [copper indium gallium selenide solar cell]. Particularly, my focus is that all the solar cells look pretty dull, like a blue or black colour. A market survey was done and it was found that no one really likes to have those dull coloured cars, and people definitely don't like to have a car which looks exactly the same as their neighbour’s. So, my research comes into the picture, because I am trying to make these dull, boring cells colourful by working with optical filters . . . I want to have solar cells that look colourful; that's the first part. The second is, we want to properly integrate those solar cells with the body of the car. Then we would love to see how much energy we are getting in different provinces in Canada and the States. We have to do a detailed study about how much energy the cells will be supporting for the battery and a lot of stuff. This is very new research, so it's in the very early stages. There are lots and lots of things to do, but we are keeping our goals pretty short right now, pretty small. Let's first know how to walk before we run.
Do you have a general idea of when we might be able to start seeing solar panel integrated cars?
I won't say many decades in the future, because the company called General Motors is working with us so it's already an industry collaboration. I expect to see the first prototype in four years. That means we will be able to make at least one car like that. After that, it takes a lot of time to scale down the existing manufacturing process that they already have right now and to integrate the new things that we will be recommending. So maybe in 10 to 15 years, we will be able to see those cars on the road, but again, I'm being extremely optimistic.
What has been your favourite part of your research?
Just the thrill of not knowing what I'm doing every day. It's very frustrating but it's very exciting. I love this adrenaline rush. I don't know whether what I am planning will actually work or not, so it can happen that three years down the line, whatever I was thinking is not working at all. There is always that risk. But, if we succeed, then we will also get the fun of doing something that no one has done before. It's that adrenaline rush, that uncertainty of life, because you just don't know what's going to happen. You are just trying to find something that you just don't know how it should look like, or what it is going to be — you're just trying to find something new.
Have you learned any personal lessons as a result of your research?
Yes, a lot. I have learned how to be more patient. I have learned how to not lose hope when things go bad because it's going to go bad all the time. Because the day you get your answer is the last day of your research. So, before that, every day may be a disappointment because you just don't know what's happening.
Do you have any other comments?
I would just tell people to be hopeful in this time. We are coming back, we will come back. So just keep working. Keep going. If you feel like you really don't know what you're doing in life, that's completely okay. The sun always rises after the darkest part of the night. It really doesn't matter what you do, you could do research, you join the industry, or you do something amazingly creative. Just do what you feel like doing, otherwise, you might be exhausted pretty easily so just do what you want to do.
When McMaster University negotiated its Strategic Mandate Agreement with the provincial government in 2014, 6,000 spots were allotted to domestic graduate students in the province.
However, only 2,400 were filled. To solve the problem of low demand from domestic graduate students and drive the economy, the provincial government spearheaded an internationalization strategy aimed at recruiting international students to Ontario universities.
In the wake of this effort, in February 2018, McMaster unveiled a plan to slash tuition for international PhD students.
In particular, come September, international PhD students at the university will only be charged the domestic student fee.
Though the Ontario government and, by extension, McMaster’s policy change is being lauded for its efforts to drive sustainable economic growth, the long-term effects of the policy on the labour market, specifically in Hamilton, are not clear.
In September 2017, only domestic PhD students were eligible for full funding by the province.
However, in October, this changed as the provincial government introduced its internationalization strategy in a letter to Ontario universities.
The letter outlined the government’s commitment to increasing support for international PhD students in the province.
Motivating this change was the fact that an insufficient number of domestic students opted into Ontario PhD programs in the years before.
To solve this problem, the government mandated that 10 to 15 per cent of PhD allocations be used to fund international PhD students.
The policy change is being praised by the university. Doug Welch, vice-provost and dean of graduate studies at McMaster, claimed that the policy change will drive economic growth, both in Ontario and Hamilton.
This perceived economic benefit is substantiated by a 2015 Statistics Canada study that illustrated that almost half (49 per cent) of international students who came to Canada in the early 2000s to pursue graduate education ended up acquiring permanent residence.
Motivating this change was the fact that an insufficient number of domestic students opted into Ontario PhD programs in the years before.
Welch argues that, by increating the affordability of PhD education, increasingly more international students will come to Canada, obtain permanent residence and boost the economy.
This argument is well-founded. Yet I believe it hinges on an assumption, namely that obtaining permanent residence directly leads to a de facto boost to the economy.
The Statistics Canada study does not explore the ways in which international students contribute to the labour market in the long-term.
Rather, it assumes that, after obtaining permanent residence, international students will enter sectors and conduct research that results in explosive and sustainable economic growth.
The study fails to consider what fields international PhD students are predominantly studying, what sectors they are predominantly entering, whether these sectors are likely to drive long-term economic growth, and whether these sectors are experiencing rising precarity.
Failing to address these dimensions of the issue, the argument seems to lack nuance.
Moreover, the study uses data from across the country, not the province or Hamilton.
The Ontario government does not include this information on its website; this is likely because, according to a 2016 Statistics Canada study, only nine per cent of university students in Ontario are international students.
Moreover, studies highlighting students’ long-term contributions to Hamilton’s labour market also appear to be unavailable.
There is also a lack of data that is specific to international PhD students, both in Hamilton and more broadly. The number of PhD graduates typically significantly outnumbers demand for permanent contracts and postdocs.
As a result, PhD graduates tend to struggle to find a permanent job in academia. As a result, it is not explicit that said PhD students are driving long-term economic growth in the first place.
Through a socio-cultural and wider economic lens, the effort to attract international students is fruitful. The exact ways in which said students will contribute to the labour market in the long-term, however, remains difficult to predict.
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As of Sept. 1 2018, international PhD students will be charged the same tuition fees as domestic PhD students. Nevertheless, the take-home pay for international students will remain the same.
In September 2017, only domestic PhD students were eligible for funding by the province. However, in October, this changed as the provincial government released part of its internationalization strategy in a letter to Ontario universities. The letter highlighted the Ontario government’s commitment to increasing support for international PhD students in the province.
Driving the government’s change was the fact that an insufficient number of domestic students entered Ontario PhD programs in the years prior. According to Doug Welch, vice-provost and dean of graduate studies at McMaster, last year, of the 6,000 PhD spots available, only 2,400 were filled.
“From both the university and province’s point of view, this was unfortunate,” said Welch. “They very much felt, and still feel, that graduate work actually has a strong benefit for the economy in terms of making the knowledge base better and government function better.”
Welch praises the Ontario government’s efforts to attract international PhD students to universities in the province.
“A lot of this talent comes here, stays here, and contributes to the economy,” he said.
Approximately 50 per cent of international students who enrol as PhD students at Ontario universities become permanent residents and Canadian citizens.
“Ontario needs to be competitive in its ability to attract highly qualified students from around the world to its PhD programs,” read part of the letter to Ontario universities.
Most Ontario universities can now use up to 10 per cent of PhD allocations to fund international PhD students. Because McMaster University meets five out of six research intensity criteria, it can allot up to 15 per cent.
Welch, however, doubts that the full 15 per cent will need to be used.
“We attract very strong domestic students, and I think we’ll continue to do so,” he said.
In the past, international tuition prices were not regulated by the province. As a result, tuition between domestic and international students experienced increasing polarization.
However, the university has provided financial support for international students. Some avenues include teaching assistantships, research grants and funds from faculties. In a few cases, these offset the difference between domestic and international tuition fees entirely.
Moreover, in the past, departments would receive $5,000 to $10,000 for each international student and be asked to make up the difference.
“Since we’re a research university and we pride ourselves on having an excellent research environment, we’re basically taxing ourselves for improving research intensity by having researchers find someone who may be the best candidate to any applicant in their particular research,” said Welch.
Welch explains that in the wake of the tuition change, international PhD students will not be able to take home more money.
“Effective Sept. 1, students will not be getting an extra $10,000 in their pays,” he said. “Because we’ve supported that difference in the past, they’re still going to have the same take-home pay after tuition.”
As a result, the tuition change may not significantly improve the affordability of McMaster’s postgraduate education.
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In the wake of increased provincial government funding aimed at attracting international PhD students, Ontario universities including the University of Toronto and Brock University have lowered tuition prices for graduate students from abroad.
In Jan. 2018, the University of Toronto announced that, come Sept., international students will pay the same prices as domestic students. A month later, Brock University scrapped international PhD student fees entirely.
These policy changes come in the wake of improved Ontario government funding for international PhD students.
According to an article published in The Globe and Mail on Feb. 8, in Oct. 2017, the Ontario government modified the structure of the grant it provides to Ontario universities, ensuring that 10 to 15 per cent would be allotted to international students.
The number is 15 per cent at McMaster.
When asked if the university has plans to lower PhD tuition costs for international students in the wake of these changes, Patrick Deane said that McMaster is in the early stages of exploring a fee structure that is similar to the one being implemented at the University Toronto.
“Work is underway on this and Doug Welch [dean of graduate studies] will follow up once McMaster’s plans are further developed,” said Deane.
Currently, McMaster international PhD students pay an average of $16,761 to $17,096 in tuition fees, which is approximately $10,000 more than what domestic students pay.
After four years of a PhD program at McMaster, costs can add up to $70,000 for international students. This approximation, however, does not account for mandatory supplementary fees, such as health insurance, and the costs of housing, textbooks, food and other services.
McMaster will continue to work on their own international PhD student fee structure and students may expect a change in the coming future.
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