The STOR-i training programme spans four years, consisting of a foundation year resulting in the award of a Master's of Research (MRes), followed by a three year period of study leading to a PhD.
During your first year you will undertake a Master's of Research in which collaborative and co-operative work will play an important part. The first year includes taught courses, projects and group activities providing you with a grounding in Statistics and Operational Research, an overview of thriving research areas, and an opportunity to develop a formal research proposal for your PhD.
In years 2-4 you will complete a PhD project, encountering real-life commercial challenges, developing leading-edge STOR research and making a real impact on major industrial and scientific applications. During this time you will also participate in a range of training activities to help develop other essential transferable skills.
Your Personalised Development Pathway takes you through your PhD study and consolidates all your hard work on skills and personal development. There are defined courses you can choose from to build your expertise and knowledge on aspects including key inter-personal and leadership skills and effective communication. Get involved with industry partner-led development with skills for the real world. Towards the end of your PhD, you can benefit from training on presentation and interview skills. All aspects are set to build you personally with the skills from writing your PhD to career planning. Get what you need for your future career.
Undertaking your PhD in STOR-i gives you a wealth of experiences you may not otherwise access. All students undertake an element of outreach and engagement. There are three varied options to appeal to different students.
Our student centred approach allows everyone to give back to the local and national community.
Students keen to do more will have the optional opportunity to develop research management skills. They will produce written proposals to a £150k research fund with small grants awarded for research adventure and international collaboration. If successful, they will plan and undertake the supervision of a STOR-i intern over the summer and take a lead role in research cluster events.
For the continuing development of STOR-i students’ research knowledge we hold three STOR-i masterclasses per year. Typically these masterclasses are given by visiting international experts in areas of STOR not covered by our in-house training.
STORC is a computing group organised by STOR-i students, for STOR-i students. It is a chance for students to share knowledge on common programs and techniques that can be useful when tackling academic research. The sessions also allow for the introduction of new software and engagement, in a friendly and understanding environment.
The idea for the group came from a specific problem faced by a large research group. By giving each student a basic grounding in common computing techniques the group aims to support each other. An online forum available to STOR-i students also allows for collaboration and help across all years and subject areas. This avoids unnecessary duplication for all year groups.
The group meets twice a term with sessions led by students and staff on a variety of computing issues. For more information, please contact Lidia Andre.
At STOR-i we are committed to providing a challenging and rewarding student experience. The primary source of support and direction for each student is their supervisory team. Cross-disciplinary work is intrinsic to the operation of STOR-i and all students will be supervised by a team representing at least two of STOR-i’s four constituencies (statistics, OR and industry, international partners).
Projects are presented to the students in written form and via a series of talks at a Project Market. The students then have the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with the supervisors towards the end of the second term, taking advice from current PhD students as well. Over Easter students are given time to investigate areas of interest and contemplate which projects are best suited to them. The final project allocation will be made by the Executive Committee after meeting individually with the students to discuss their preferences and motivation.
At STOR-i we are dedicated to providing a diverse programme. With that in mind, in addition to the training in all four years we offer:
The STOR-i forum, STORC, STOR-i research kitchens, STOR-i support group (self-electing help network) and STOR-i cluster networks are all further ways to get involved.
STOR-i students assume a high degree of ownership of their research. They have wide-ranging opportunities to practice and develop the skills they learn such as:
