Being part of SAMBa is like being part of a little community: everyone is super supportive and there is always someone to talk to if you need it (usually with cake!).
After completing my MMath at the University of Bath, I joined SAMBa as a SAMBa-aligned student to work on a project funded by one of SAMBa’s industrial partners, ANSWERS. The project involved developing stochastic models to analyse the long-term behaviour of systems of neutrons in nuclear reactors.
During these three years I spent several weeks at the ANSWERS team’s offices in Dorchester understanding their software and explaining my work, as well as attending and presenting at their annual conference. I was also exposed to many other opportunities, including participating in ITTs (including one in Mexico!), presenting at the annual summer conference and teaching a statistics course in Mongolia.
My PhD taught me how to bring together research from different disciplines to tackle real-world problems, which has been instrumental in shaping my research and the path my career has taken. The additional opportunities offered as part of SAMBa were also invaluable and something not many PhD students get exposed to. For example, working with academics from other departments and industrial partners has given me the confidence and fluency to speak with non-mathematicians and develop new connections and collaborations.
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
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
SAMBa exposes students to a wide range of cutting edge statistical and mathematical research that will be useful to them in their PhD and later career
Shortly after joining SAMBa I broke my neck in a bicycle accident. But thanks to the support from the amazing team, I was still able to make a success of my PhD. The SAMBa environment surrounds you with wonderful people and fantastic opportunities.
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
I can't imagine studying for my PhD anywhere other than SAMBa
The ITTs can be really fun. The best part is that each time you participate you come out with a head full of new ideas and knowledge. Truly amazing
(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
My experience in SAMBa shaped me as a versatile researcher with the ability to use maths to make an impact.
