Sharmeen Asif

Research desk

From curious student to published researcher

Sharmeen's corner of AstolixGen is research: asking sharp questions, testing ideas properly, and publishing so others can build on the work. This is her field guide for anyone who wants to follow that path — students especially.

What the research focuses on

Applied artificial intelligence: how modern AI techniques — from classical machine learning to large language models — can solve real problems in education, business and everyday life. The emphasis is always on work that can be reproduced, measured and honestly reported.

The researcher's toolkit

• ▸Python — the working language of AI research (NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn)
• ▸PyTorch / TensorFlow — deep learning frameworks for experiments
• ▸Jupyter Notebooks — exploratory analysis you can share and rerun
• ▸Overleaf (LaTeX) — writing papers with proper math and citations
• ▸Zotero / Mendeley — organizing the papers you read
• ▸Google Scholar — tracking citations and finding related work
• ▸GitHub — publishing code so results can be reproduced

Your first publication — step by step

• ▸Beginner: build foundations — Python, statistics, and one ML course. Read 2–3 papers a week; start with surveys before diving into technical papers.
• ▸Beginner: reproduce — pick a published result and reimplement it. Reproducing teaches you more than reading ever will.
• ▸Intermediate: find a gap — while reading, note what authors list as limitations or future work. That's where your contribution hides.
• ▸Intermediate: run small experiments — change one thing at a time, log everything, and be honest about negative results.
• ▸Advanced: write it up — follow the IMRaD structure (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion). Clear writing beats clever writing.
• ▸Advanced: submit, revise, resubmit — rejection with reviewer feedback is normal and makes the work stronger. Every published researcher has a drawer of rejections.

Advice for students

• ▸Start reading papers early — even if you understand 30% at first, that compounds fast.
• ▸Join a reading group or find one mentor who publishes; feedback loops beat solo grinding.
• ▸Your thesis is a project, not a monument — pick a question small enough to finish, then finish it well.
• ▸Document as you go: lab notebooks (even digital ones) save you during thesis writing.

Where to publish and share

• ▸arXiv — preprint server; share your work fast and get early feedback
• ▸IEEE Xplore / ACM Digital Library — the major peer-reviewed venues for CS & AI
• ▸Conferences & workshops — present, get questioned, meet collaborators
• ▸Google Scholar profile — make your work findable and track citations
• ▸ResearchGate — share preprints and connect with other researchers