Below follows blog entries from all three, so wheather you´re just curious about the exchange scheme, or perhaps, consider applying yourself, do read on. Psst: the deadline for application is april 12th!
Roxana Pop
´´I can say with full certainty that choosing to apply for the Alan Turing Institute Enrichment Scheme through NORA was the best decision I have made during my PhD. I anticipated to become more independent in my research, make connections and expand my knowledge in the area of AI. That is how I started my application motivation letter “Independence. Collaboration. Methodology” — as those are the pillars of the Enrichment Scheme. All these things came true. Yet, only two months in, I can say that this research stay has gone way beyond my expectations, and there are no words to express my gratitude towards NORA for making this happen. Even though what I am saying above deeply resonates with me, I understand that to the unfamiliar reader it might all sound quite vague. I will therefore give a few examples, to hopefully build a more concrete image of what my experience here has been so far. Since mid-January when I arrived at the institute I have already: 1) participated in multiple trainings, 2) met various researchers for coffee and had wonderfully interesting conversations, 3) found about a relevant conference deadline (through one of those coffee chats) and wrote and submitted my first PhD paper, 4) volunteered to two events organised by the Turing and 5) presented a 90 seconds pitch about my research in front of an audience counting in the hundreds. And these all are just off the top of my head. I write these not to praise myself (though I admit of all these I am proud), but to illustrate the incredible pace at which everything happened since my arrival in London.
I am filled with an energizing feeling of excitement — shared by most people on the scheme from what I can gather. I think that is what has allowed me to do more things in two months than I would have thought possible before. With more than half the stay to go, I am eager to see what more comes of it. I hope to keep my spirits high, do and learn as many things as I can, and come back to UiO a better researcher. I will end by encouraging anyone who has thought of applying for the next iteration of the scheme, but has not done it yet, to apply. It might just be the best decision of your PhD.´´
Davor Dundovic
´´These last few months of being a student at the Alan Turing Institute has undoubtedly been the most engaging and exciting period of my PhD project so far. Supported by the interdisciplinary and collaborative research environment here, I have gained a greater appreciation of how domain sciences, traditional numerical methods, and data science can work together, which is the focus of my research. I have learned and grown significantly as a data scientist, and my confidence as a researcher has greatly increased. Every morning I am excited to come to the Turing office in the British Library, which is the coolest place I’ve ever worked at and a true example of what a modern workplace should be.
Talking with other students and participating in different events sparked inspiration for my existing interests, as well as to learn about fields that are completely unknown to me. I have started collaborations with people in both computational science and glaciology, who have inspired me to push my research forward and helped me recognize the wider significance and application of my research.
Thanks to the engaging environment at Turing, I have also been given the opportunity to co-organize a seminar series on Physics-Enhanced Machine Learning. This is the first time that I have taken such a role, which has further helped me engage with researchers at Turing and worldwide.
I would genuinely encourage everyone working in data science and AI to consider applying for the NORA-Turing Enrichment Scheme. Both NORA and Turing are fantastic places to get involved in, and I am sure that the friendships and connections I have made here will continue throughout and beyond my PhD.´´
Mariyam Khan
´´I am one the three PhD students selected for exchange at the Alan Turing Institute. Needless to say, it is one of the most exciting places for research. With an open approach policy and plentiful of the advertised opportunities (especially for enrichment students), Turing easily is one of the most collaborative spaces I have encountered. I have also tried to jump the bandwagon and am currently working with a Turing professor on a project in Proximal Causal Learning. This opportunity was acquired solely because of this exchange, hence I would like to extend my gratitude to NORA.
Before coming to Turing, two of my main objectives were to engage/collaborate with researchers at Turing and increase my contact with the interest group in causal inference. This exchange has not only given me the opportunity to collaborate but also to physically take part in the meetings hosted by my interest group. I have had the opportunity to engage more actively in the group and partake in a lot of interesting conversations that get extended offline.
Apart from a plethora of opportunities from collaboration to networking, Turing also offers training opportunities and data study groups. It truly is a great space to expand your PhD career and meet world-leading experts in the field of Artificial Intelligence. I would strongly encourage Norwegian students to take advantage of this great opportunity provided by NORA.´´
Learn more about the exchange program here.
This articles was originally published on the 29th of March, 2023.