It has been three months since I became the head of the Robotics Perception Group (ROP) at CIIRC CTU. In this post, I want to share the challenges I’ve encountered after starting to lead the group and the initiatives I’ve introduced.
Our group
The group consists of 11 researchers, 5 PhD students, 2 technicians/programmers, 1 project manager and 1 admin. We are engaged in various industrial and research projects, focusing on merging classical perception techniques (especially vision) and knowledge representation with deep learning. Our interests include integrating data from multiple modalities to develop robust perception and task understanding for human-robot interaction, as well as industrial applications like welding and automotive perception.
Taking on the leadership of this group has been a significant challenge, and I aim to harness its potential carefully. The team is exceptionally diverse, with members ranging from psychologists and neurobiologists to physicists, mathematicians, and engineers. They span the spectrum from rigorous theoreticians to application-focused researchers. This diversity, cultivated by Prof. Hlaváč, the group’s founder and former head, offers immense potential for interdisciplinary collaboration. However, it also presents communication challenges. Bridging the different “languages” and approaches within the team is not always straightforward, but I appreciate the richness this diversity brings and effort everyone is willing to put to the group.
In these first three months, I’ve identified several challenges, most of them revolving around finding the right balance.
Finding a right balance – the biggest challenge I’ve encountered
- Infrastructure vs. Research Freedom
Balancing the need to build infrastructure (e.g., website, GitLab, Wiki, seminars) to facilitate collaboration and sharing with providing enough space for research is tricky. While infrastructure is vital for leveraging our group’s diversity, maintaining it consumes time that could be spent on research, which is our primary output. - Industrial Applications vs. Publishing
Encouraging researchers focused on industrial applications to publish their work is particularly challenging. These projects often demand full attention, and publications are not required. There doesn’t exist a quick fix solution but it rather needs long time effort. I am exploring ways to motivate and support this process more effectively. To address this, I plan to enforce publication commitments as part of industrial project submissions wherever possible. This should improve a balance between application-focused work and academic dissemination. - Personal Vision vs. Research Diversity
I strive to push forward my vision while preserving the group’s diversity. A cohesive vision is essential, but I believe large collaborative projects aligned with my vision can unify us. To this end, I’ve been dedicating significant effort to writing new proposals, including an EU proposal, GACR Junior STAR, and possibly in the close future an ERC Starting Grant. - Managing vs. Researching
Balancing management responsibilities with my own research remains the most challenging aspect of my role. While I engage weekly with bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD students on research topics, I deeply miss the uninterrupted focus on my own projects. As someone who has a limited capacity for social interaction and struggles to focus amidst the presence of others and the distractions of small tasks, constant engagement can be exhausting. Working from home a few days a week has helped to improve this balance. However, it still doesn’t feel entirely right. I know I need to put in more effort to refine this equilibrium and find a way to truly enjoy both research and leadership as the head of the group.
Initiatives introduced
We have introduced several initiatives to improve the group’s functioning:
- A weekly newsletter summarizes past events and upcoming activities, keeping everyone, especially PhD students, informed.
- Regular group board meetings to discuss topics such as finances, teaching, social activities, dissemination, publications, and collaborations.
- Starting in January, we’ll hold a regular machine learning study group, an idea we’ve long discussed and are now implementing.
- I encourage team members to focus on their research careers, improve their CVs, and refine their research topics. I discuss the state of their research, suggest areas for improvement, and share insights from my own approach. Whether this effort succeeds will take time to evaluate.
- We are collectively enhancing our infrastructure, such as improving the group’s website, creating a Wiki for sharing information, or starting to use LinkedIn to showcase results.
Final remarks
Despite these challenges, I deeply enjoy the responsibility and diversity this position brings. My hope is that everyone in our group feels valued and empowered to become the best version of themselves as researchers.