Failure evidence
What didn't work, method by method
Papers report the method that worked. Theses also record what didn't. 202 methods, 11,840 records from 8,781 dissertations, each built only from records whose thesis link we could open.
Machine learning & AI
31 methods
- Autoencoders & Generative Modeling 106 theses · 27 institutions
- Transformers & Attention Models 100 theses · 29 institutions
- Data Augmentation 94 theses · 28 institutions
- Zero-Shot Learning 93 theses · 21 institutions
- Random Forests & Tree Ensembles 91 theses · 29 institutions
- Neural Network Architectures 82 theses · 26 institutions
- Dimensionality Reduction & PCA 75 theses · 25 institutions
- Reinforcement Learning 74 theses · 18 institutions
- Anomaly Detection 73 theses · 24 institutions
- Feature Extraction & Selection 70 theses · 25 institutions
- Graph Machine Learning 69 theses · 21 institutions
- Gaussian Processes 68 theses · 14 institutions
- Markov Models 68 theses · 25 institutions
- Convolutional Neural Networks 67 theses · 21 institutions
- Probabilistic Latent Modeling 67 theses · 24 institutions
- Variational Inference 67 theses · 16 institutions
- Hierarchical Clustering 66 theses · 21 institutions
- Contrastive & Representation Learning 65 theses · 21 institutions
- Support Vector Machines 65 theses · 25 institutions
- Model Pruning & Compression 60 theses · 20 institutions
- Transfer Learning & Domain Adaptation 56 theses · 20 institutions
- K-Means Clustering 54 theses · 28 institutions
- End-to-End Deep Learning 51 theses · 21 institutions
- Large Language Models & Prompt Engineering 50 theses · 17 institutions
- Recurrent Neural Networks 47 theses · 18 institutions
- Ensemble Learning 47 theses · 25 institutions
- Multi-Task Learning 46 theses · 17 institutions
- Supervised & Unsupervised Learning 44 theses · 22 institutions
- Natural Language Processing 44 theses · 20 institutions
- Rule-Based & Expert Systems 35 theses · 19 institutions
- Deep Learning & Pretraining 23 theses · 15 institutions
Optimization & control
15 methods
- Convex & Mathematical Programming 112 theses · 21 institutions
- Decentralized & Distributed Control 97 theses · 28 institutions
- Finite State Machines & Logic Control 92 theses · 24 institutions
- Feedback & Closed-Loop Control 86 theses · 28 institutions
- Regularization Methods 84 theses · 25 institutions
- Trajectory & Motion Planning 79 theses · 17 institutions
- Constrained Optimization 78 theses · 22 institutions
- Optimal Resource Allocation & Scheduling 71 theses · 20 institutions
- Multi-Objective Optimization 52 theses · 20 institutions
- Gradient Descent & Backprop 51 theses · 21 institutions
- Parameter Optimization & Hyperparameter Tuning 47 theses · 18 institutions
- Adaptive Control 35 theses · 18 institutions
- Combinatorial & Discrete Optimization 31 theses · 15 institutions
- Actuation & Robotic Control 26 theses · 8 institutions
- Autonomous Systems Control 16 theses · 10 institutions
Simulation & modelling
16 methods
- Time Series Forecasting & State-Space 93 theses · 32 institutions
- Hydrodynamic & Fluid Simulation 84 theses · 23 institutions
- Monte Carlo Simulation 82 theses · 24 institutions
- Finite Element Modeling 75 theses · 18 institutions
- Surrogate & Reduced-Order Modeling 72 theses · 17 institutions
- Kinematic & Dynamics Simulation 69 theses · 17 institutions
- Thermal & Heat Transfer Simulation 61 theses · 16 institutions
- Agent-Based & Multi-Agent Simulation 59 theses · 20 institutions
- Stochastic Modeling 59 theses · 25 institutions
- Molecular Dynamics Simulation 53 theses · 16 institutions
- Structural Mechanics & Stress Modeling 52 theses · 18 institutions
- Structural Docking & Molecular Mechanics 41 theses · 19 institutions
- Density Functional Theory & Quantum Chem 40 theses · 15 institutions
- Biomechanical Modeling 40 theses · 15 institutions
- Electromagnetic & Optical Simulation 35 theses · 13 institutions
- Multiscale Modeling 33 theses · 16 institutions
Signals, sensing & imaging
23 methods
- Digital Filtering & Signal Denoising 98 theses · 30 institutions
- Image Segmentation & Computer Vision 95 theses · 32 institutions
- Sensor Fusion & Multimodal Integration 94 theses · 26 institutions
- State Estimation & Kalman Filtering 86 theses · 25 institutions
- Signal Thresholding & Edge Detection 84 theses · 29 institutions
- Remote Sensing & Satellite Imagery 82 theses · 24 institutions
- Fourier & Spectral Transformation 76 theses · 24 institutions
- Acoustic & Audio Signal Processing 74 theses · 23 institutions
- Image Reconstruction & Tomography 74 theses · 18 institutions
- Spatial Mapping & GIS 74 theses · 22 institutions
- Ultrasonic Imaging & Characterization 55 theses · 18 institutions
- Wearable & Mobile Sensing 51 theses · 20 institutions
- Electron Microscopy (TEM/SEM) 39 theses · 14 institutions
- Electrochemical Biosensors 38 theses · 14 institutions
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques 36 theses · 19 institutions
- Optical Waveguides & Fiber Sensing 34 theses · 16 institutions
- Semantic & Object Recognition 33 theses · 20 institutions
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) 28 theses · 13 institutions
- Super-Resolution Microscopy 27 theses · 12 institutions
- Surface Acoustic Wave Sensing 24 theses · 12 institutions
- Surface Plasmon Resonance 24 theses · 10 institutions
- Mass Spectrometry Imaging 23 theses · 10 institutions
- Optoelectronic & Photovoltaic Probing 23 theses · 11 institutions
Materials, chemistry & fabrication
36 methods
- Transition Metal Catalysis 110 theses · 30 institutions
- Electrode & Electrolyte Design 92 theses · 27 institutions
- Thin-Film Coating & Vapor Deposition 90 theses · 24 institutions
- Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing 84 theses · 26 institutions
- Hydrogel Biomaterial Synthesis 80 theses · 25 institutions
- Polymerization Techniques 80 theses · 18 institutions
- Thermal Annealing & Calcination 71 theses · 23 institutions
- Surface Modification & Plasma Treatment 68 theses · 25 institutions
- Asymmetric & Chiral Synthesis 67 theses · 21 institutions
- Photolithography & Microfabrication 65 theses · 22 institutions
- Raman & Infrared Spectroscopy 63 theses · 25 institutions
- Cross-Coupling & C-H Functionalization 63 theses · 19 institutions
- X-Ray Diffraction & Crystallography 62 theses · 18 institutions
- Chemical Functionalization & Crosslinking 60 theses · 17 institutions
- Laser Sintering & Ablation 60 theses · 19 institutions
- Nanoparticle Synthesis & Doping 59 theses · 23 institutions
- Chemical Etching & Surface Micromachining 55 theses · 13 institutions
- Peptide Synthesis & Modification 54 theses · 18 institutions
- Metal Oxide Material Engineering 53 theses · 17 institutions
- Semiconductor Doping & Implantation 51 theses · 15 institutions
- Fuel Cell & Battery Cycling Protocols 49 theses · 17 institutions
- Solvent Extraction & Crystallization 46 theses · 21 institutions
- Lewis Acid Catalysis 44 theses · 15 institutions
- Porous Materials & MOFs 40 theses · 19 institutions
- Electrochemical Deposition & Synthesis 39 theses · 15 institutions
- Solid-State Synthesis 38 theses · 15 institutions
- Catalytic Degradation & Redox Cleavage 33 theses · 21 institutions
- Dielectric Spectroscopy & Impedance 33 theses · 14 institutions
- Microencapsulation Technologies 32 theses · 14 institutions
- Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) 30 theses · 16 institutions
- Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) 28 theses · 16 institutions
- Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA/DSC) 25 theses · 16 institutions
- Photochemical Synthesis 23 theses · 11 institutions
- Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) 20 theses · 11 institutions
- X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) 16 theses · 9 institutions
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) 7 theses · 7 institutions
Biology & lab methods
63 methods
- Chromatography & Protein Purification 77 theses · 21 institutions
- CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing 76 theses · 20 institutions
- High-Throughput Assays & Screening 75 theses · 20 institutions
- RT-qPCR & Nucleic Acid Amplification 73 theses · 22 institutions
- Lipid & Membrane Engineering 71 theses · 21 institutions
- Microfluidics & Lab-on-a-Chip 71 theses · 19 institutions
- Bioinformatics Homology & Sequence Alignment 71 theses · 25 institutions
- Cell Culture & Co-Culture Engineering 70 theses · 25 institutions
- Genetic Circuit & Plasmid Construction 69 theses · 20 institutions
- Single-Cell Sequencing 65 theses · 15 institutions
- Stem Cell & Lineage Differentiation 63 theses · 18 institutions
- Transient Transfection 62 theses · 20 institutions
- Reporter Gene Assays 59 theses · 19 institutions
- Cytokine Profiling & Immunomonitoring 58 theses · 18 institutions
- In Vitro Binding Assays 57 theses · 19 institutions
- Western Blotting & Immunoblotting 56 theses · 20 institutions
- Immunofluorescence & Confocal Microscopy 56 theses · 16 institutions
- Flow Cytometry & Cell Sorting 55 theses · 25 institutions
- Epigenetic & Chromatin Profiling 54 theses · 16 institutions
- Targeted Drug Delivery Systems 54 theses · 18 institutions
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) 53 theses · 25 institutions
- Biomarker Discovery & Profiling 52 theses · 17 institutions
- RNA Sequencing & Transcriptomics 49 theses · 12 institutions
- Gene Trap & Reporter Transgenesis 48 theses · 16 institutions
- Microbial Inoculation & Fermentation 47 theses · 20 institutions
- Site-Directed Mutagenesis 46 theses · 13 institutions
- Immunohistochemical Staining 45 theses · 21 institutions
- Live-Cell Imaging & Calcium Probing 45 theses · 18 institutions
- Vaccine Delivery & Formulation 45 theses · 16 institutions
- Transgenic & Recombinant Expression 44 theses · 18 institutions
- Gel Electrophoresis & Blot Transfer 43 theses · 17 institutions
- Phylogenetic Tree Reconstruction 42 theses · 16 institutions
- Metabolic Profiling & Metabolomics 41 theses · 15 institutions
- Gene Deletion Engineering 38 theses · 15 institutions
- Mass Spectrometry & Proteomics 38 theses · 11 institutions
- Microscopy Sample Cryo-Preparation 38 theses · 16 institutions
- Microbial Colony Screening & Selection 38 theses · 16 institutions
- Receptor Binding Kinetics & SPR 37 theses · 16 institutions
- siRNA & RNA Interference Knockdown 36 theses · 17 institutions
- Constitutive Expression Systems 36 theses · 19 institutions
- Amplicon Sequencing & Metagenomics 35 theses · 17 institutions
- Cellular Apoptosis & Necrosis Assays 35 theses · 16 institutions
- Targeted Gene Overexpression 32 theses · 11 institutions
- Co-Immunoprecipitation Assays 32 theses · 14 institutions
- Gas & Liquid Chromatography (GC-MS/HPLC) 32 theses · 14 institutions
- Targeted Gene Knockout 31 theses · 10 institutions
- Heterologous Expression 31 theses · 13 institutions
- Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics 31 theses · 11 institutions
- Bacterial Resistance & Antibiotic Assays 29 theses · 13 institutions
- Nanocarrier Drug Loading & Release 28 theses · 13 institutions
- Enzyme Activity & Kinetic Assays 27 theses · 15 institutions
- Kinase Inhibition Assays 26 theses · 10 institutions
- Patch-Clamp Electrophysiology 26 theses · 17 institutions
- Small-Molecule Drug Screening 25 theses · 11 institutions
- Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) 25 theses · 15 institutions
- Optogenetics & Neural Stimulation 23 theses · 12 institutions
- Solid-Phase Peptide Extraction 21 theses · 10 institutions
- In Vivo Microdialysis & Ex Vivo Probing 20 theses · 11 institutions
- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) 20 theses · 9 institutions
- Cellular Membrane Transport Probing 18 theses · 9 institutions
- Protein-Protein Interaction Screening 16 theses · 8 institutions
- Pharmacological Receptor Modulation 13 theses · 9 institutions
- Conditional Gene Knockout 6 theses · 5 institutions
Causal inference & statistics
13 methods
- Bootstrap Resampling & Permutation 82 theses · 26 institutions
- Fixed Effects Panel Methods 80 theses · 26 institutions
- Propensity Score Matching 75 theses · 26 institutions
- Sensitivity & Uncertainty Analysis 68 theses · 26 institutions
- Difference-in-Differences Design 64 theses · 19 institutions
- Multilevel & Hierarchical Linear Modeling 57 theses · 20 institutions
- Longitudinal Growth & Latent Curve Modeling 53 theses · 20 institutions
- Instrumental Variable Estimation 47 theses · 14 institutions
- Survival & Proportional Hazards Modeling 47 theses · 18 institutions
- Causal Mediation Analysis 38 theses · 20 institutions
- Structural Equation Modeling 33 theses · 16 institutions
- Event Study Designs 24 theses · 13 institutions
- Moderation & Interaction Modeling 24 theses · 12 institutions
Engineering & mechanics
5 methods
- Vibration & Damping Analysis 109 theses · 26 institutions
- Thermal Dissipation & Heat Exchangers 71 theses · 20 institutions
- Friction & Wear Tribology 49 theses · 18 institutions
- Colloidal & Suspension Rheology 47 theses · 17 institutions
- Composite Material Layup & Testing 43 theses · 17 institutions
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