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Unlike most students in my CDT cohort, I didn’t join the programme directly after my bachelor’s degree. I have returned to academia after a decade in the industry, where I worked as a senior software engineer at Microsoft and even led my own technology startup, which, at its peak, reached a valuation of £2.7m. Before applying to Sensor CDT, I was thinking about taking a sabbatical to get up to speed with the rapidly developing field of sensor-powered edge computing. It is an interdisciplinary field which involves various topics, ranging from on-device machine learning to sensor hardware design. After discovering the CDT programme, I was excited to learn how closely it matches my professional interests and gives students the opportunity to specialise in the area of sensing of their choice. Prior to moving to Cambridge, I was a little nervous as I was not sure whether the programme will truly enable me to learn new things, given my extensive industrial experience. Now that I am in the middle of my MRes year, I am very pleased to say that the CDT has exceeded my expectations. The lecturers and academics I have the opportunity to work with are world-leading experts in their fields. To me, the CDT is not just an academic programme – it is a platform for professional and personal growth, a place where I can exchange ideas with truly incredible people, and an inclusive environment which motivates towards academic excellence. Furthermore, unlike many other universities, Cambridge puts emphasis on positive societal impact of its research and commercialisation of the generated knowledge.
Tomas Paulik (March 31, 2023)
I chose the Sensor CDT because I felt I had not fully explored the University’s rich research environment during my MPhil. The MRes year of the CDT allowed me to explore my research interests further, enhance and gain new skills, and build a good support network in the form of my cohort, academics and the community at my college. The knowledge and skills gained in the first year have made my transition into the PhD uncomplicated. I built a good rapport with my supervisor; I know who to contact when I need specific support and am aware of as well as how to access the University’s vast resources. This foundation is unique to the Sensor CDT because of its multidisciplinary approach through extensive collaboration with other departments and research groups within and outside the University and industry. They ensure we exploit these collaborations by providing interdisciplinary modules, industry talks, research discussions with other cohorts, and sensor design, team and mini projects. Without ESPRC’s funding, the uniqueness of the Sensor CDT PhD programme its not possible, and more importantly, international students like me would not have the necessary foundation and support to pursue the PhD successfully.
Josephine Tumwesige (May 31, 2022)