What I'm doing now and how the CDT experience has helped my career

I am currently working as a Research Associate within the CSN at the University of Bristol. Although I am working in a different research area than my PhD, the broad understanding in communications technology gives you a very strong knowledge base to be flexible from, allowing you to pursue a range of research interests.

Why I chose the CDT route and what I gained from being part of the CDT

My first degree was at The University of Bristol, Computer Science and Electronics. I knew I wanted to stay in Bristol as I really liked the city and I really wanted to carry on studying. So I went straight from my undergrad into doing the PhD. This coincided with the start of the CDT in Comms, which is a good option if you are unsure as to the direction you want your research to take. The cohort structure of the first year works well as you have a nice mix of backgrounds (maths, physics, computer science, engineering, industry) which means there is a good knowledge base within your peers that you can draw from.

PhD project topic

My PhD project was based around improving the energy efficiency of broadcast television and was in collaboration with BBC Research and Development. Working with the BBC was very interesting – I didn’t realise quite how much research they actually did there! I was proud of getting a large proportion of my research published in IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting.

How the CDT secondment benefitted my PhD research

During my PhD I had a two-week secondment at the Universitat Politècnica de València, in Valencia Spain. Here I got to study in a different research group and have access to further tools that we didn't have in Bristol. The research undertaken during those two weeks formed part of a successful conference proceeding.

Five to ten year plan

I would like to move away from academic research into industry. I have yet to decide exactly where I'd like to go.