Mirroring the above, nothing to worry about (as long as your track record's Jim-Dandy) :)

I should imagine that this was intended as a reference to courtesy. Without any explicit disclaimer before the work was conducted, imposing that sort of condition after the event would be an interesting case to raise a grievance (or lawsuit) against.

Might we presume that, if your girlfriend is switching supervisors, there have been issues with the conduct / professionalism of the previous supervisor? In which case, it might explain why the message was worded / communicated as poorly as appears to be the case. Of course, I would hasten to add that many academics don't have the most developed interpersonal skills in the world, so it could just be ineptitude and inexperience on the previous supervisor's part...

Hi All,

Hopefully the title caught your attention. I am currently finishing off my M.Sc. in Computer Science, before starting my Ph.D. in a couple of months in Robotics.

The intended focus of the Ph.D. will be a study on the trust / trustworthiness of an artificial intelligence (BuddyLite) that I'm developing to be used in a range of robots. The first step towards doing that, however, will be to build up a nice, big dataset of responses to playing with the intelligence on a smartphone.

I am currently awaiting confirmation of ethical approval before commencing the study, but hopeful that this will come through in the next week or so.

If you'd be interested in taking part (ten minutes to load and play the games on an Android device, and about fifteen to twenty minutes to complete a survey), I would be really grateful if you could send me a P.M. As and when the study begins, I'll then be delighted to send you a copy of the Android App and a link to the questionnaire for completion.

The entire study is completely anonymous; however, anyone who has asked for a copy of the software will (if they like) be kept on a list of interested parties for invitations to take part in future experiments with the intelligence embedded in a number of robots.

Thanks :)
Semp

Hi Johan

Lots of universities will permit PgDip students to proceed to the MSc. The key difference (which accounts for the greater cost of the MSc compared to the PgDip) comes from the fact that you will have to complete a dissertation / major project in order to achieve the MSc.

As long as there is an MSc being offered by your institution, I would imagine it's possible for a student to 'upgrade' or proceed on to the dissertation stage, subject to satisfactory performance (which you clearly suggest would be the case with an average over 70)

All Best
Semp

Hi there,

I'm not sure what the funding is like for studies in management, specifically, so hopefully someone else will be able to provide some help on that front.

In terms of your candidature for a masters degree, your grades seem pretty much in line with what most (if not all) universities would be willing to accept as minima; obviously, each institution will have its own rules for admission, and for PhD there is stiff competition for entry - and even stiffer competition for funding (generally speaking, although this does of course vary by subject, especially here in the UK).

One thought that comes to mind, after serving a decade in management in the UK, is that your academic record wouldn't preclude you from applying for a graduate training scheme / entry level management role in Britain. I know of many people who have taken a route of working in management for a number of years (myself included), been funded through professional and academic qualifications, and had the employer pay for the whole lot.

In terms of how high you dare apply, how high do you want to? (Incidentally, the Russell Group aren't the be all and end all. I'm currently at a Russell Group uni, but did my undergrad at St Andrews - which isn't Russell Group, but is hardly low down in the league tables - and, frankly, I found it had a better environment for research than my present institution)

Hi There,

I'm just finishing a conversion course in CS, myself, and starting a PhD in Robotics come September. I had the option of going straight in to an advanced masters, but declined it in order to really ground myself in formal computer science and work my way up. In my case, I definitely made the right choice; however, I know many folk who have gone from a non-CS background in to an advanced MSc program and are flourishing.

It's great that you've done some Python and Javascript - the Python will come in handy if you move to robotics.

I can't speak so much for HCI or general Informatics; however, I would encourage you, as IntoTheSpiral has said, to brush up on your maths (mechanics particularly useful, I think). If you're looking to do an MSc in Robotics straight up, I would also suggest becoming familiar with C (ideally a bit of C++ as well), to learn pointers and data structures. There are a host of great books out there, but feel free to ping me a PM if you'd like some specific suggestions (I just don't think I'd be very popular if I posted a massive bibliography on here :) )

I personally would recommend a conversion course if you haven't read computer science formally and wanted to pursue further research; however, if your goal is to head in to industry or simply supplement your Psychology background, then going straight in to a specialist masters would be quite feasible (of course, this will be dependent on tenacity, mathematical knowledge, programming aptitude and a whole host of other things: but the same can be said of doing a conversion course, to some extent)

Robotics has a whole host of Experimental Psychologists involved in it, so please do not feel put off from jumping in the pool and joining the robotics world. :)

All Best

This can be a bit of an odd one.

One of the CDTs that I applied for earlier in the year asked for a personal statement. Turned out that everybody else at the interview had basically put the CV in to essay form, per your original post, Dunham. Thing is, the rest of your application pretty much covers off that stuff, right?

So I pondered this one over with my supervisor, and she gave me the best advice I've ever had when it comes for applications: your research IS going to be personal, so make a statement. JennyPenny's views above struck a chord when I read them, as this is the same thing I was told. So, I took my research proposal (which wasn't explicitly asked for this CDT interview process) and gave it a very personal edge, threw in a touch of character and reference to some outside interests, drivers, motivators.

Seemed to work a treat, anyways: starting there in September.

Comparing the various other applications I submitted to various institutions, the research statement was always more of a synopsis (2000-3000 words) of the intended work, so that gave more scope over to making the personal statement shorter and a little more flowery.

Guess it depends as much on who's reading your statements as anything else. My advice would be to shower them with your drive to study in the field, to do things people have never done before. If you've got an enthusiasm and passion to do that, it will hopefully shine through in your writing. You can always spend the first ten minutes of the interview getting to know each other... Hell, you might even talk about your mutual love of Discworld (yeah... that ACTUALLY happened in one of my interviews). End of the day, if I was in the recruiters shoes, yeah, I want someone who can gel with my team; however, I'd be just as interested in knowing you have the drive and stamina to do the work.

The only thing I know for sure, after the old application process, is this:

It's never the same thing in any two different institutions.

Feel free to drop me a P.M. if you want to shoot the breeze over this. I found it a nightmare, personally.

Hi Tulip,

Personally, I'd recommend using GIMP or Inkscape. They're both open source. GIMP will be better for photo manipulation or 'artwork'; Inkscape does lots of useful things with vector graphics, so probably more use for diagrams in general.

(And don't worry, neither takes a lot of time to get to grips with :) )

Hope this helps.
Semp

I would suggest focussing on which of the two Masters programmes you prefer. It's fantastic that you've got the scholarship for Belgium, and fingers crossed for Paris, as well!

Whilst I don't wish to put a dampener on things, you write as though to presume that you would automatically proceed to PhD in Paris. Potentially, though, this could (possibly) not turn out to happen, even if you were to study the Masters there. You may also find that, having done a Masters at one institution, it's not necessarily the place you want to continue on to doctoral studies.

My tuppence worth would be to sit down and be very honest with yourself about which of the two Masters programmes (forgetting finances for that moment) you would prefer to do. PhD will come later, pending successful completion of the Masters course and application for PhD itself: and that success will (arguably) come all the more easily if you are settled and enjoying your Masters year as much as you can.

Best of luck with whichever of the two you decide to take: they both sound like fabulous opportunities.

Skype PhD interviews are (I understand) becoming more common at UK universities, even for students based in the UK. I had a few, whilst looking for PhD opportunities (even at universities only 1 or 2 hours away). If my experiences are anything to go by, I would say relax.

I imagine that the running of the interview will very much depend on whether or not you've already been discussing research interests with a potential supervisor. I am not sure if this is the case in your situation, as you mention the position was advertised. However, I imagine the running order will possibly include:

- Background information. The interviewers won't want your entire life story, but they will want to understand your drive, motivation, and interests. Sure, it's an opportunity for you to begin to sell yourself and provide context on why you're the best candidate for them to accept; however, you may also find (I certainly did) that this is a great ice-breaker, and helps settle your nerves.

- The research itself. The interviewers may or may not ask you what work you've already conducted in the field, what recent publications you're familiar with, and how you potentially could see the work developing. It is possible that they may ask you to review a few recent articles ahead of the interview itself; however, it is always a good idea to read up on what the interviewers have been doing (one or two recent articles) as this will allow you to play an equal role in the interview. I wouldn't be surprised if your interviewers were also a little flattered by the fact you've gone and taken the time to study their work.

- They could, potentially, ask about your experience of life in the UK (if any) and how you feel about making the transition to living in the UK. This will not be to catch you out: it is important that you are helped settle in to your work as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Remember: British universities are, in general, quite cosmopolitan - so there's usually a broad mix of people from all corners of the globe.

In terms of how long the interview will take, that's a difficult question to answer. I had one Skype interview that lasted 20 minutes, and one that lasted three and a half hours (we ended up talking about video games...). I think setting aside 40 minutes to an hour is probably closer to the average, though.

Very best of luck with the interview. Let us know how it goes :)
Semp

I would suggest looking at the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) website. They disperse (limited) funding to universities around the UK for funding PhD students. Some universities will have their own funding that they can make available - but that will be on an institutional basis. Also, there are some universities that will post links to charitable organisations that make some scholarships available.

It isn't easy to get funding - but don't be put off. It has to go to someone, and you've as good a chance as the next person :)

All Best

Hi There!

A very exciting stage to be at. My own tuppence worth:

1. Court potential supervisors - focus on individuals who will be great to work with and have research interests closely aligned to what you want to do.
2. Funding can be a tricky one (much depends on which country you're in) - but always a good one to discuss (at a little later stage) with potential supervisors. If a potential supervisor is willing to sponsor and fight your corner with the university, you stand a much better chance of success, in my experience.

The big question is are you in Arts/Humanities or Sciences/Engineering? Funding is a bit more free flowing for the latter, in general.