Type of internship:

Research visit to Graz University of Technology, Austria.

What did the internship involve? 

The research visit was spent pursuing a new research project proposed by Thomas Pock on the topic of bilevel learning – the primary focus of my PhD thesis. The project consisted of comparing different approximations of the bilevel learning problem and making connections both between them and to the original optimisation problem.

Seb’s reflections:

The SAMBa Internationalisation fund has made this international collaboration possible that we are optimistic will lead to a publication in the future. I also presented my recent work to Thomas Pock and his group – the vision, learning, and optimisation (VLO) group – which garnered insightful discussions regarding future directions of research. Indeed, both Pock and his group are world leading in the topic of bilevel learning. This research visit allowed me to establish a strong rapport with the VLO group by networking with the group every day for the weeks of the research visit – which was only possible due to the in-person nature of the visit. As a result, this brought both the VLO and my supervisors’ groups closer together which could foster future collaborations between the two.

As I am determined to remain in academia after my PhD, this research visit provided me with an invaluable opportunity to work and network with world leading experts in the domain of computer vision and bilevel learning which will help lead to future career prospects. Living outside the UK for several weeks improved my own independence, a crucial skill from both a personal and academic perspective. I really enjoyed the research visit and am very glad that I pursued this opportunity – I would certainly recommend that other students consider doing them.  For more details, see Seb’s blog: My research visit in Austria.

Comment’s from Seb’s supervisor:

In my view, Seb’s placement was a big success. He not only learned a lot academically but this research visit also supported his independence and wider outlook on the research landscape in a way which would not have been possible while staying in Bath. Since the hosting group was carefully chosen, Seb’s research over the summer directly feeds into his thesis. Also, this research stay gave Seb a great chance to network with world-leading scientists in his field, thereby directly supporting the next steps in his academic career.

When reading this form as a whole, it is apparent that this placement was money and time well spend and I am totally supportive of similar future activities. In fact, Seb’s placement motivated me to apply for an EU networking grant such that other PhD students can experience similar placements in the future without relying on internal funding.