2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Doctoral Students Changing Labs Considerations in Engineering Graduate Education

This full paper empirical research study investigates the experiences and behaviors contributing to doctoral students changing research labs during their academic programs in engineering graduate education, focusing on advisor relationships. A self-report survey administered to 400 doctoral engineering graduate students from 50 engineering universities in the United States provides the sample for these analyses. The survey captures the frequency, predictors, and outcomes of lab changes and student persistence. Descriptive analyses identify student experiences and behavior around changing research labs during doctoral study. Overall, 15.9% of engineering doctoral students have sometimes considered leaving their PhD programs, 10.1% often seriously consider leaving by taking a master’s degree. 1.6% have seriously considered leaving with no degree, and 0.5% have changed their university. The decision to switch labs is often fraught with emotional and logistical challenges, prompting students to take various preparatory actions before making a lab change. Among these actions, 16.7% of all students searched for program information about changing labs, 13.9% searched for graduate college information, and 8.3% discussed changing with their advisor. Binary logistic regression indicated advisor relationship significantly predicted students considering leaving their doctoral program with or without a master’s degree. Our findings indicate that students with supportive advisor relationships are less likely to change labs or consider leaving their PhD programs.

Authors

Tabe Ako Abane http://orcid.org/https://0009-0008-9675-0186 Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Tabe Abane is a PhD student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. He holds an MA in Leadership in Education (2023) from Liverpool John Moores University (UK), a Bachelor of Technology in Renewable Energy (2018), and a Five-Year Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Teaching (2015) from the University of Bamenda (Cameroon). His dissertation research focuses on how engineering students develop systems thinking in socioenvironmental contexts. Using Social Constructivism and Mental Models theory, he examines collaborative approaches to systems thinking. As part of his research assistantship, he contributes to projects aimed at improving doctoral engineering student retention, advisor relationships, and laboratory transitions, enhancing graduate student success and academic experiences.
Dr. Matthew Bahnson http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-0134-0125 Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE) [biography]

Matthew Bahnson completed his Ph.D. in the Applied Social and Community Psychology program in at North Carolina State University. His previous training includes a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa and an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. Matthew’s research focuses on sociocultural inequality in engineering graduate education with the intention of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in STEM graduate education. He is completed a postdoctoral appointment in engineering education with the Engineering Cognitive Research Laboratory with Dr. Catherin Berdanier at Pennsylvania State University. He is currently a Research Scientist at Purdue University with the STRIDE research group directed by Dr. Allison Godwin at Cornell University.

Note

The full paper will be available to logged in and registered conference attendees once the conference starts on June 22, 2025, and to all visitors after the conference ends on June 25, 2025