Information for Prospective PhD Students and Interns

I receive a high volume of enquiries from prospective PhD students and internship applicants. To ensure that I can meaningfully assess whether there is a potential fit, please read the following before contacting me.

Prospective PhD Students

If you would like to be considered for PhD supervision, your message should contain a clear explanation of your proposed research topic. Please provide enough technical detail for me to understand the specific problem you want to investigate and the approach you are considering. General or overly broad statements (e.g., “I am interested in networks/AI/systems”) do not provide enough information for me to make an informed decision. You should also describe your technical background and what you have already done in the research area of your PhD proposal (e.g., publications, code in public repositories, or relevant professional experience).

It is also important that you explain how your proposed project relates to my previous work. Please indicate which specific aspects of my research you see as relevant and how they inform your proposed direction. I need to know which concrete research outputs from my team you expect to benefit from, not only a general research area. This helps determine whether the supervision match makes sense.

Applicants should also be aware that, in the UK system, PhD candidates are students and are normally required to pay tuition fees. For this reason, I ask that you state how you intend to fund your studies—whether through an existing scholarship (if so, which one), personal funding, or another route. Without this information, I cannot provide useful guidance.

Internships

I am often approached by students asking about internship opportunities. Unfortunately, the administrative and practical requirements for hosting overseas interns are complex, and after several attempts, I have decided not to take interns from outside my own institution.