University of Liverpool PhD student John Bentas recently visited his industry partner, Draken, to help ensure his research is aligned to the needs of their UK customers, and whilst there took the opportunity to fly a mission with one of their Falcon 20 crews.
John is currently undertaking a PhD at the Distributed Algorithms CDT. His research project involves using data science and Bayesian optimisation to understand similarities between historic pilot training exercises and propose new scenarios for real-world training.
John’s journey
John undertook a four-year Masters reading Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies at the University and realised that programming and research ignited his passion to continue to work in an aerospace related field.
He wanted to be in an environment that enabled him to be in a community of academics at the forefront of data science while allowing him to engage with industry partners from across the globe, knowing that his would give him an excellent opportunity to develop his future network and grow alongside his peers in his cohort.
Industry partner collaboration
John said: “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that Draken has provided. It was a thrilling experience to fly a sortie and this has really helped to increase my awareness and practical understanding.”
“The Liverpool DA CDT has helped me learn from and exchange ideas with a tight-knit community, and the continued partnership will enhance our capabilities and accelerate my learning.”
PhD opportunities
The Distributed Algorithms vision is to train 60 PhD students and develop the expertise needed to meet the world’s pressing requirement for highly-trained data scientists.
John is one of 40+ PhD students who enjoy a cohort experience, training to support their academic and career paths, as well as: –
- Differentiating themselves from other data scientists.
- Acquiring a unique set of data science, computing and problem-solving skills.
- Accessing technical research support from a team of academic experts and peer mentors.
- Collaborating with external partners to solve real-world challenges.
- Obtaining individual budgets for conferences, books and personal training.
- Taking part in a placement with industrial partners.
- Gaining skills to use state-of-the-art high-performance computing facilities.
- Working in a cohort environment that supports diversity and inclusivity.
- Benefitting from fully funded PhD studentships (for home and international students).
- Receiving a personal monthly tax-free payment of £1,552.
If you would like to find out more about the Distributed Algorithms CDT programme, please visit their website.