Information for Prospective PhD students

I have been the primary supervisor of more than 15 students who have successfully completed PhDs in the fields of Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval. Examples of their theses include Improving Stopping Methods for Technology Assisted Review and Embedding Multilingual and Relational Data Using Linear Mappings.

I am interested in hearing from motivated students who are interested in studying for a PhD and who have research interests that are good fit with my own. However, note that I receive a large number of enquiries from potential students. It is unlikely that I will be able to offer places on PhD programmes to applicants who do not have a research track record (ideally with publications) or have a source of funding. Also, note that it is very unlikely that I will be able to offer any internships.

Applying for a PhD You can apply by following the instructions in this guide and putting my name down as preferred supervisor. Please contact me beforehand to discuss your application to ensure that I am a suitable supervisor and that your application is as strong as possible.

Choosing a topic You will need to submit a research proposal with your application and a strong proposal is important for a good application. You should contact me to dicuss your research proposal before submitting your application to make sure it's suitable. The research proposal does not commit you to follow a particular research direction and it is possible to change the research topic after the start of the PhD if you are accepted.

Funding a PhD Details about PhD fees and possible funding schemes can be found here and here. Obtaining PhD funding for students from outside the UK is particularly competitive and these students normally obtain funding for their studies from own governments or other organisation, such as an employer.