Freedom to Fail: From Rejection to Breakthroughs

“If one doesn't know how to handle failure, he cannot really enjoy the successes.” 

Jian Pei, Arthur S. Pearse Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, often tells his students that failure isn’t a reason to quit; it’s a chance to understand problems more deeply — and he would know. 

When he began his Ph.D., his first research project focused on solving a problem that others typically approached using what he describes as a “breadth-first search method:” starting with as many leads as possible and expands outward until it reaches a result. 

He and his advisor decided to try something different: a depth-first approach that pursued one direction completely before moving on to the next. The experiments produced strong results. They submitted their paper to a well-known but not the best conference. It was rejected. 

The rejection was disappointing, but it prompted deeper thinking. Instead of simply revising the paper by implementing the reviewers’ comments, he and his advisor reexamined the project from the ground up and asked why their approach worked, when it worked best and in what cases it might fail. 

That process led to a more rigorous and insightful version of the work, which they then submitted to the top conference in their field. This time, it was accepted, and the paper went on to become a landmark in the area, cited more than 10,000 times. 

He often looks back on that experience as a reminder that failure can be one of the most powerful teachers in research, as well as a reminder of the benefits of collaboration during failure. 

“An important thing about failure is that it gives us a chance to connect with people,” he said. “I let them know that we failed together. And then I tell them that we’ll look at how to fix it, together.” 

Pei often tells his students to be prepared for failure. When they question why their papers were rejected while others’ similar work was accepted, he reminds them not to compare themselves to others and that success often involves luck as much as preparation. 

His advice? Focus on doing the work and keep trying, because with enough effort and persistence, it will eventually pay off. 

And the achievement will be even better with the failures along the way, he says. 

“I tell my students, you must have the failure in order to be able to enjoy your accomplishments fully,” said Pei. “If one doesn't know how to handle failure, he cannot really enjoy the successes.” 

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If you are a Trinity faculty member interested in participating in Freedom to Fail, please contact Elizabeth Richardson from Trinity Communications.