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
Before joining SAMBa, I studied MSci Maths and Physics at the University of Bath.
My PhD was motivated by the design of optical fibres, which are typically long, tubular structures that possess a thin, periodic cross-section. My studies centred around so called “singular” structures; hypothetical objects that come from imagining if you could send the thickness of these thin cross-sections to zero, which serve as a sort of “lower-dimensional” approximation to the original fibres. My PhD culminated in a detailed study of the functions and equations one ends up using in these approximations, and methods for turning them into classical problems that can be tackled numerically or analytically.
The flexibility of SAMBa’s programme also provided opportunities to improve my skills that are not contained to academic careers. In parallel with my PhD, I was able to develop my programming, teaching, and organisational skills through involvement at its ITTs, tutoring for the maths department, and programming skills courses with the Doctoral College. It was because of these wider opportunities that I ended up applying for my current role as a Research Software Developer at University College London. 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 – all of which are important parts of my current job. The teaching opportunities have also prepared me well for the teaching component of my role.
The SAMBa programme provides you with a lot of freedom to choose your PhD topic, but also extends beyond just 4 years of academic research. You will have (and are actively encouraged) to pursue opportunities in the wider university community, work alongside industrial partners, and tailor your experience over the 4 years to the skills that you want to develop.
SAMBa’s most remarkable feature is the variety of study options it offers
I had the opportunity to get involved in some international training and capacity building activities with international partners and was able to travel to Brazil and Mongolia to share my knowledge of statistical methods and applications, which was really rewarding.
SAMBa offers high level training in statistical and applied mathematical disciplines, as well as direct engagement with industrial partners
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
The SAMBa team understands how to efficiently bridge the gap between the abstract world of mathematics and statistics to industrial research
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 was able to use the SAMBa training in statistics, to support training workshops in Mexico and in fact took a break from my PhD to take on a statistics teaching assistant role.
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
(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
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
