My main area of work is Human Computer Interaction, particularly interaction design to improve exploration of large, interconnected sources of information.
More recently i've been looking at how design for presentation, input and rediscovery may help improve quality of life for users of info systems. More about these topics in the Research section of the site.
You can also find out more about my work by looking at the mspace.fm projects site, and at my pubs.
The following FAQ is about how to ensure excellent communication with a potential project or phd supervisor, right from the First Contact (very important).
This whole guide is useful for any prospective student, but be sure to observe the points on EMAIL througout.
If you're interested in doing an undergrad project, a group project, a masters project, or a PhD project, a great way to start the conversation is not, in the case of undergrad projects "i've been asigned to you; what do you want me to do" or phd interest "i'd like to do a phd with you, can i?" (i'm not kidding). Rather, a much better start is to look at the stuff your potential supervisor is doing (check out their listed projects/papers) and prepare a brief proposal about what you'd like to do, and show how it relates to *something* in these research areas. The more particular you can be in terms of your own interest and the connection to the supervisor's, the more delighted your potential supervisor will be. A delighted supervisor right off the bat is an accomplishment.
The student/advisor contract is a two-way agreement. It's important to understant clearly what the expectations are of the engagement, and for each partner to keep to their agreement. There are of course agreed consequences to breaking such an agreement - for both parties
Here's my side of the agreement in brief, once there is an initial agreement to engage in a project together
For my grad students and project students, these opportunities mean participating in international conferences, getting papers published (at the undergrad level, too), supporting participation in competitions, networking with field leaders, facilitating job opportunities and entrepreneurial activities.
You can confirm these points by checking out the names of students below, and looking at their pubs and associated projects.
Probably the most notable case of undergrad to grad success has been the mSpace framework. This project startted as an undergrad group design project. The student report became the most downloaded report on eprints; the project demo was slash-dotted. The students were all co-authors on several conference paper publications, and they went on to win 3rd place in a Software Engineering competition. Three of the students on that team have since gone on to start up PhD's, while another is a Research Associate. They continue to publish papers on their own research. The mspace software is continuing to be developed for open source and commercial deployment.
On the student side of the equation, there are expectations and consequences, too. These are:
I don't take on many PhD students at one time, but am always interested in hearing from folks who wish to do a PhD with me. My suggestion, as above, whether applying to me or anyone, is to take the time to put together a proposal based on
The thing is, we all get spam mail from students just looking for a place to touch down to do a phd. These emails are form letters, that show no knowledge of the person to whom they are directed. As a result they usually get junked. So if you want your email to get consideration, be as specific as you can.
Again, because this funding is so competitive, if you're really interested in going to a particular school to work with a particular person, seek out other means of funding, too, whether from Government or private scholarships.
If you are from outside the UK or EU without funding, School based funding is even more rare; the applicant has to show themselves to be exceptional for consideration. And if your potential supervisor thinks you are excpetional from your well-considered application, their support of your exceptionacality can, from time to time, carry considerable weight.
Project based funding From time to time, we get projects that have funding for PhD students. These are at times the most rare source of funding, but also the best: if a person thinks you're worth supporting, and they have the resources from such a project, it's only them you have to persuade to confer this largese upon you. So again, good idea to make a solid first impression/intro email.
Always reply in a timely way, but give your recipient time to reply. If you don't hear back from someone immediately, don't worry about it. Give it a week, and fire off another mail. What with hyperactive spam filters, and just the mass of Obviously Really Important Email that comes in, an application email may get missed. Likewise, if your recipient is on the road at a conference or related, they may be delayed in getting to any of their mail. So be polite, and, after a week, forward the mail with a header to indicate nicely why you're resending the mail.
The above point about email reminds me of one more point: always include everything in that email the person might need to formulate a reply. If you've sent an email before with a link in it, or a phone number or some other important and relevant information, send it again the next time you email if that information is still relevant. If you don't - if you say "i sent you an email last week with my references in it. Could you be sure to look at it and get back to me?" - that means the person has to go hunt for that email and for those references. Chances are that's another pebble in the stream of discourse that may interupt that reply getting completed. Much more effective for everyone just to re-present the critical info.
A good way to start a conversation with someone whom you've never met, especially as a student, is to use that person's title (and in the UK, their may be legions of them). The correct gender, where appropriate, also shows you've looked at their web page. In the UK, if someone is a professor, Prof. is the appropriate title. If they hold another rank as an academic, Dr. is correct. In the US, Prof. is almost always just fine, though Dr. is equally fine. The main point is, unless invited explicitly to do so use the title and surname.
This goes for in person contact as well: use the title as your openning exchange unless invited to do otherwise. Some folks may invite you to do this right away; others may not. You can't lose by starting with the respect of the formalism.
The subject line is a great opportunity to communicate critical info to make an email easy to find again. You'd be surprised how few people use the Subject line for clear, descriptive titles for email. They're like titles for memos, and hooks for search. So good clear headers will be your friend when that potential supervisor or referee is looking to find that email from you in the future.
One last email critical point. i hate loath and despise attachments. Please send links to documents, or just include what you need considered in TEXT in your email. Thank you.
That said, find out what your email recipient prefers. Links are a no-brainer, but ask if they'd like an attachment, and offer to forward it to them immediately if they wish. Me: links
Also PLEASE use descriptive file names. The number of papers i've downloaded called "my project" are too numerous to count. Or CV.doc. Um hmm. Can really rediscover YOURS from all the OTHERS really easily with that title. If you want someone's attention, make it easy for them to attend to you, right?
When thinking about a supervisor, it can help to review the work they've faciliated with their own students. Pubs, tools, positions held, projects, etc, are all part of the picture.
With that in mind, here's a list of present and past students.
PhD Students (current)
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Grad Students (past)
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Another thing to include in contact with a potential supervisor, whether as an undergrad or potential (post)grad student - something about you that is relevant. Increasingly, a web page is a good way to let someone get a sense of who you are, and least the who you are that's relevant to your life as a student/academic. Try to have your own web site available for that prospective supervisor, and invite them to look at particular components.