Hey all,

I’m a PhD student at US university, have finish my master’s, interned at top research groups in US (e.g., Google Brain), and have great prospects for full time positions in the US when I finish the PhD.

But I am very interested in living in Asia (Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan, or Singapore — maybe China, but that’s iffy). I’ve been to all these places and know what they’re like more or less, and I don’t want to waste any more of my youth putting off these dreams of living and working abroad.

However, I’m not sure what prospects there are for ML research in these countries, as well as if it’s a wise financial decision to make; e.g., I’ve seen some figures for $30k/year, and there’s no way I’d do that when I could make $150k+ for the same position in the US.

Does anyone here have experience doing ML research in Asia having originated from a Western country? My Mandarin and Japanese are beginner level, so I also realize this may be an issue (but I’ve also heard some claims that it might not be).

Would taking a position stateside then getting a transfer be the smartest option, or should I just apply directly to the foreign positions?

Anyone with any insights or suggestions? Anything would be greatly appreciated.