David A. Patterson

EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley

Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2013-123

June 15, 2013

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-123.pdf

This paper contains my advice on building and running research centers based on being involved in a dozen of them over nearly 40 years. In keeping with my past advice pieces on talks and careers, where the goal was to be informative and entertaining, I first lay down eight commandments to create a bad research center before describing how to do the opposite: multidisciplinary, five-year centers that rely on biannual retreats and shared open space to guide the research.

Be forewarned that to persuade readers of the benefits of this approach I see no option but to cite impact on research results and on student and faculty careers I have witnessed in my decades at UC Berkeley. (Hint: the impact was positive.)

My intent is to publish this piece in a journal, but early feedback is that it will have to be less satirical and a lot shorter, hence this technical report to share the full history.

---

BibTeX citation:

@techreport{Patterson:EECS-2013-123,
    Author= {Patterson, David A.},
    Title= {How to Build a Bad Research Center},
    Year= {2013},
    Month= {Jun},
    Url= {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-123.html},
    Number= {UCB/EECS-2013-123},
    Abstract= {This paper contains my advice on building and running research centers based on being involved in a dozen of them over nearly 40 years. In keeping with my past advice pieces on talks and careers, where the goal was to be informative and entertaining, I first lay down eight commandments to create a bad research center before describing how to do the opposite: multidisciplinary, five-year centers that rely on biannual retreats and shared open space to guide the research.

Be forewarned that to persuade readers of the benefits of this approach I see no option but to cite impact on research results and on student and faculty careers I have witnessed in my decades at UC Berkeley.  (Hint: the impact was positive.)

My intent is to publish this piece in a journal, but early feedback is that it will have to be less satirical and a lot shorter, hence this technical report to share the full history.},
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Report
%A Patterson, David A. 
%T How to Build a Bad Research Center
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2013
%8 June 15
%@ UCB/EECS-2013-123
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2013/EECS-2013-123.html
%F Patterson:EECS-2013-123