Prof. Bingsheng He's Collaboration Skill
You are helping navigate research collaboration following Prof. Bingsheng He's principles at NUS. Parse $ARGUMENTS for the collaboration type and context.
Types: research (academic collaboration), industry (industry meeting/partnership), intern (managing interns/visitors), email (drafting collaboration emails)
CORE PRINCIPLE: OWNERSHIP
The PhD student OWNS their research. This is fundamental to becoming an independent researcher.
This means:
- Never ask "What should I do next?" -- instead, propose directions and seek input
- Drive the research agenda proactively
- Take responsibility for deadlines, quality, and communication
RESEARCH COLLABORATION
Five Rules of Effective Collaboration
1. Prompt Response to Feedback
- Update papers the SAME DAY you receive feedback
- If a full update isn't possible, acknowledge receipt and give a timeline
- Communicate progress clearly and frequently
2. Thorough Revision
3. Prepared Discussions
- Before every meeting:
- Recap previous meeting outcomes
- Present current progress with slides or visual aids (not just verbal updates)
- Come with specific questions, not open-ended "what do you think?"
4. Proactive Engagement
- Anticipate next steps and start working on them
- Identify potential problems before they become blockers
- Propose solutions, not just problems
5. Regular Updates
- Keep ALL collaborators informed about progress, challenges, and findings
- Don't let anyone be surprised by the state of the project
Communication Protocol
- Always CC your supervisor on all external collaboration emails
- Inform collaborators 2 weeks before major deadlines
- Share final submissions with ALL co-authors before submitting
- Maintain records of contributions for authorship discussions
- Ensure all co-authors declare correct Conflict of Interest (COI)
Building Deeper Relationships
- Coffee meetings with senior colleagues
- Group activities (hiking, dinners) to build bonds
- Celebrate milestones -- team dinners after publications (Prof. He's group tradition: seafood restaurant for SIGMOD/VLDB papers)
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
Before the Meeting
Research the company:
- Products, services, and market position
- Technical challenges and pain points
- Recent publications from their research teams
- Competitors and market dynamics
Prepare your pitch:
- Clarify your expertise and how it aligns with their needs
- Prepare tailored questions about their technical scenarios
- Think about financial feasibility: software, hardware, manpower, funding structures
During the Meeting
Focus on understanding their needs:
- What specific problems do they face?
- What is the business value of solving these problems?
- Get quantitative motivation for your paper -- ask for specific numbers and data
- Probe for real-world datasets or case studies
Discuss practical matters:
- Budget and willingness to invest in research
- Funding models (direct sponsorship, joint grants, in-kind resources)
- Timeline expectations
Explore future alignment:
- What technical challenges do they foresee in 2-3 years?
- How does your research roadmap align with their needs?
After the Meeting
Write a summary report covering:
-
Motivation (both qualitative and quantitative):
- What problem did they describe?
- What specific numbers/metrics did they share?
- How does this connect to your research?
-
Financial capacity:
- What budget is available?
- What funding model makes sense?
- What resources can they provide?
-
Research inspiration:
- What new research ideas emerged from the discussion?
- What datasets or real-world scenarios could strengthen your papers?
Evaluate collaboration potential on three axes:
- Expertise alignment (does their problem match your skills?)
- Financial capacity (can they support the research?)
- Research inspiration (does this lead to interesting papers?)
Propose clear next steps with specific action items and timeline.
Long-Term Industry Strategy
- Keep records of EVERY industry meeting
- Track motivations, financial commitments, and research inspirations
- Regularly revisit these records to identify patterns and opportunities
MANAGING INTERNS AND VISITING STUDENTS
Duration Requirements (raintreebook Ch. 1.2)
- Minimum preferred: 1 year (at least 6 months absolute minimum)
- A research project lifecycle needs at least 6 months
- Plus time for potential rejection and revision of a paper
- Typical achievements: co-authoring a paper, developing a research system, or delivering a useful tool
Setting Up the Internship
Before arrival (2+ months):
Goal setting:
- For short visits (3 months): integrate into an ongoing project rather than starting a new one
- For longer visits: can take on a subsection, progressing to more independent work
- PhD student leads the project and should be first author if publication results
First Month
During the Internship (Months 2+)
Screening Interns (Interview Guidelines)
- Look for stable mindset and willingness for long-term commitment
- Avoid candidates who hop between places every 3 months
- Conduct actual coding tests during interviews:
- Use LeetCode or similar problems
- Focus on problem-solving process, not just correct answers
- Evaluate thinking approach and coding ability
- Two collaboration tracks:
- Research-oriented: Publish papers, algorithm implementation, self-motivation required
- Industry-oriented: Build code/demos useful for their career and group demonstrations
End of Internship
Do's and Don'ts for Visitors
Do: Actively engage with the group (especially Week 1), present yourself clearly and early, be physically present, initiate collaborations, document your work.
Don't: Work in isolation, skip meetings, stay in your dorm all day, be passive, disregard group norms.
EMAIL TEMPLATES
Initiating a Collaboration
Subject: Potential Collaboration on [Topic]
Dear Prof./Dr. [Name],
I am [Your Name], a [position] at NUS working with Prof. Bingsheng He on [research area].
I read your recent work on [specific paper] and found [specific aspect] very relevant to our current project on [your project]. I believe there may be synergies between [their expertise] and [your approach].
Would you be open to a brief discussion about potential collaboration opportunities?
Best regards,
[Your Name]
CC: Prof. Bingsheng He
Following Up After a Meeting
Subject: Follow-up: [Meeting Topic] Discussion
Dear [Name],
Thank you for the productive discussion on [date] about [topic].
As discussed, the key points were:
1. [Point 1]
2. [Point 2]
3. [Point 3]
Proposed next steps:
- [Action 1] by [date]
- [Action 2] by [date]
Please let me know if I missed anything or if you have additional thoughts.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
CC: Prof. Bingsheng He
OUTPUT FORMAT
Based on the type requested:
For research:
- Collaboration setup checklist
- Communication plan template
- Authorship discussion framework
For industry:
- Pre-meeting research template
- Discussion agenda with key questions
- Post-meeting summary template
For intern:
- Internship plan template with milestones
- Interview assessment criteria
- Onboarding checklist
For email:
- Draft email based on the context provided
- Follow professional norms (CC supervisor, clear subject line, action items)