I really valued the experience of being part of a cohort of students in SAMBa, which guaranteed that we were not doing our PhDs in isolation, despite working intensively on independent projects
As a member of Cohort 2 of SAMBa, I got my PhD in 2020, and for the last two years I have been a Postdoc at the University of Vienna.
One of the great aspects of SAMBa is the format of the first year, before you start your PhD research. I could not have predicted precisely what my research topic would be when I joined SAMBa, and I was very grateful to have the chance to explore various different directions and opportunities during the first year. I also studied a variety of courses in the first year that I otherwise would not have considered, but which have later proven to be useful in surprising places!
Beyond this, I really valued the experience of being part of a cohort of students in SAMBa, which guaranteed that we were not doing our PhDs in isolation, despite working intensively on independent projects. Not only those that started with me, but also the other SAMBa cohorts, I found a lot of support and some great lasting friendships. During my time in SAMBa, I most enjoyed the many workshops and events that took place, from attending regular ITTs with industry partners, to organising the inaugural SAMBa conference.
The experience I had in SAMBa has definitely impacted my career since. Before moving to Vienna I worked for the Institute of Mathematical Innovation at Bath, which built on my experience of interdisciplinary and industrial collaborations at the ITTs. Statistical Applied Mathematics is a very diverse field, and I found it extremely interesting to be close to other researchers from quite different backgrounds. My own research focuses on stochastic analysis, but has shifted somewhat since my PhD. I think that the broad background that I gained in SAMBa has been very useful in adapting to my new research environment in Vienna. SAMBa should be highly recommended to anyone with interests intersecting with any part of its broad remit.
(My supervisors) encouraged me to take my own research direction, guided by my interests, and to be involved in the wider community, presenting at and attending a wide range of national and international conferences
Being a part of SAMBa was a great way to broaden my research interests and to apply this knowledge to cross-displinary problems
The SAMBa team understands how to efficiently bridge the gap between the abstract world of mathematics and statistics to industrial research
I found the one-on-one reading courses an incredible opportunity to both learn about a topic in detail, and to get to know a potential area and supervisor before starting my PhD
The ITTs were invaluable in providing experience in collaborating effectively with others on large projects, understanding and synthesising new information quickly, and liasing with academic leads and commercial partners
SAMBa’s most remarkable feature is the variety of study options it offers
I enjoyed the big portfolio of opportunities I was given, which I believe is an essential property of SAMBa and something which truly makes the programme worth it
I can't imagine studying for my PhD anywhere other than SAMBa
I joined thinking I wanted to do one type of PhD but ended up doing a completely different one due to the flexibility that was provided in finding/forming a PhD during the masters year
You get a lot of freedom to choose your research area...and there is a wide range of research areas within the department from which to choose
