PhD Student Orientation

1
PhD Student Orientation

• Welcome !!
• Research Students in Computing Science
• Your Rights Responsibilities
• Progress Monitoring Progression
• Computer Facilities
• Teaching/Demonstrating
• Travel, Health Safety, Security/Fire ...

2
Useful Contacts

• Tim Norman, Head of CS (Research)
• Judith Masthoff, Head of CS (Teaching)
• Kees van Deemter, Res. Training Coord.
• Geeth de Mel, PG Representative
• Emily Gardner, School Research Secretary (FN165)
• Sheryl Mackay, School Teaching Secretary (G01)

3
Your Research Objectives

• To get a PhD !!
• Become familiar with the literature
• Identify a problem to investigate
• Make some progress solving the problem
• Publicise your research
• Write and submit a PhD thesis

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Your PhD Thesis

• Your thesis must
• Make a distinct contribution to knowledge and
  afford evidence of originality as shown by the
  exercise of independent critical powers.
• Oral examination
• You will have to defend your thesis to the
  satisfaction of an external examiner...

5
Your Supervisor(s)

• Your supervisor is your guide mentor
• She should advise, encourage, promote
• You should meet regularly with supervisor
• discuss progress future directions
• Eventually, you may become more of an expert than
  he is in your chosen field !
• Changing supervisors is not usually a big problem
  if there is a suitable alternative.

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Second Supervisors

• All students are given second supervisors
• Not necessarily immediately
• The role of the second supervisor varies
• Providing expertise in a different area
• Facilitating a connection with an existing
  project
• A different person to whom you can turn for advice

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Progress Monitoring

• Complete by 9 Months
• 1st year report seminar
• If successful, transferred to PhD(initially
  MSc with a view to PhD)
• Complete by 21 months
• 2nd year report (thesis proposal) seminar

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Your Rights

• Regular meetings with your supervisor(s)
• Prompt feedback on submitted work
• Adequate equipment to conduct research
• Access to facilities - buildings, Library, etc.
• Additional training courses, when relevant
• Problems/complaints Supervisor, RTC, HoD
  (Research) also maybe use student rep.

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Your Responsibilities

• Attendance interact with peers staff
• Participation seminars, research retreats
• Effort for research min 45-50 hours/week
• Planning time management, deadlines
• Record keeping
• Respect towards colleagues facilities

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Developing your Skills

• The University offers you many opportunities to
  develop your skills, to support your PhD study
  and prepare you for life after the PhD.
• Make the most of these!
• Discuss these with your supervisor, for example
  as part of your personal development plan

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Personal Development Plan (PDP)

• You do your PhD for a reason, e.g.
• become an academic?
• become an industrial researcher?
• start a company?
• You need to ask regularly, together with your
  supervisors
• Am I getting there?
• How can I improve (e.g. courses)

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Teaching Demonstrating

• Demonstrating is good experience!
• PhD Students can do up to 6 hrs per week
• Current rate is around 10 per hour
• Usually paid at end of term
• Taxable for UK students, not overseas?
• Need to have reasonably good English

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Demonstrator Choice (?)

• We like demonstrators to volunteer
• At start of each term a form is circulated
• Make your preferences clear (max 6 hrs)
• Choose courses that interest you?
• Choose courses that offer new challenge?
• Often, there will be paid preparation time
• Consult your supervisor first

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Pro-Active Demonstrating

• Please INTERACT with the class
• periodically, walk around the lab to observe
• ask students how the are getting on
• show an interest in what they are doing
• try to make useful suggestions
  (e.g., to point them in right direction)
• Please DO NOT
• sit in a corner read e-mail/newspaper/book

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Running Practicals

• Sometimes, you will be in charge of the
  practical lab. This may involve
• Circulating an Attendance Sheet to sign
• Asking students to make less noise
• Asking other non-lab students to leave
• practical labs are reserved for each course
• if they refuse, DONT get into confrontation
• Any problems call a member of staff

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Travel (Conferences, etc.)

• You will be encouraged to attend
• Conferences
• Workshops
• Meetings
• Summer Schools / Graduate Schools ?
• Submit Travel Authorisation Form to HoD
• Presenting a Poster/Talk improves chances!!

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Use of Computers

• You will be provided with a PC and access to a
  central UNIX server (via H drive)
• Be aware of the Conditions of Use
• Be aware of other users
• i.e. dont hog network, memory, CPU, ...
• http//www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/information/facilities
• Last year, PhD students were encouraged to pilot
  a system called Skills Forge (for computer-based
  record keeping) but this is no longer the case

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Backup

• Your home directory on the UNIX server (H drive)
  is backed-up nightly, so keep everything
  important there!
• Files in your My Documents may be backed up,
  but this is unreliable
• Its up to you to back-up other data (can automate
  using SyncBack)

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Your Home Page at CSD

• Tell the world youre here!
• Publicise your research achievements!
• URL www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/username
• Unix /public_html/index.html
• Windows H\public_html\index.html

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DIT Accounts

• DIT Directorate of Information Technology
• You will also have a DIT account
• Useful for
• Using non-CSD teaching labs
• Using wireless hotspots in the University
• Modem dial-in from home
• ATHENS accounts (Web of Science, etc)
• For problems, go to DIT Helpdesk, Edward Wright
  building...

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Access to Building

• Normal hours 6am - 6pm
• 6pm - 11pm keyholders only (sign-in)
• You will be supplied with a key
• After 11pm
• requires a Late Pass from HoD
• must ask a Porter to let you out!
• cannot re-enter until normal opening
• Weekends keyholders only

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Department Events

• Department seminars (including research student
  presentations) often happen on Wednesdays at 2pm
  in MT2, sometimes at other times
• The various research groups also have meetings
  and visitors (also away days)
• Special training events for research students
  are also sometimes organised

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Tea and Coffee

• People drink coffee/tea etc in the Common Room
  most days around 11am. Coffee etc is provided in
  the kitchen join the club if you are a regular
  consumer!
• On Friday 11am there are biscuits (people take it
  in turn to provide them)

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General Security

• Periodically, thefts do occur...
• Dont leave rooms/offices unlocked
• Dont leave valuables in jackets/bags
• Dont let people without key into building
• Do ask strangers if you can help
• Report suspicious behaviour Ext 3939

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Personal Safety

• Aberdeen uni/city is relatively crime-free BUT
• Avoid confrontation with thieves/students
• If working late, keep door closed...
• At night, keep to well-lit, busy streets, etc.
• Uni security 3939, Police 999

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Fire Drills First Aid

• Know where your nearest fire exit is!
• Full Fire Drill once each term
• Test Alarm each Wednesday morning

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Miscellaneous Costs

• Telephones
• Approx one per RS room
• Dial 100 for personal calls, 9 for external
• Mail
• You will be allocated a folder in the photocopier
  room
• Photocopying
• free charged via your Id. card
• Can now pay uni bills online

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Web pages for research student information

• See
• http//www.csd.abdn.ac.uk/research/researchstudent
  s.php

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Other Information Sources

• There is a vast amount of information and advice
  on Health, Accommodation, Sports, Research,
  Clubs, etc. on university site
• www.abdn.ac.uk
• Ask your supervisor or RTC ...

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Remember

• Most research thrives on groups of like-minded
  individuals. Others in the department will have
  ideas about, e.g.,
• whats an interesting research paper to read(but
  you can skip the last 20 pages)
• where theres an interesting workshop in your
  area (whose deadline is next week)
• who else works on problems similar to yours (and
  whether their work is any good)
• 50 (30 PhD) people know more than one!

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Questions?