·
·
Jordan Ellis, a postgraduate researcher at the Robotics and AI for Net Zero (RAINZ) Centre for Doctoral Training, shares his experiences from the first year of the programme – and reveals why research into robotics for the nuclear industry is his passion.
Transferring fields from physics to robotics
Jordan comes from a background in Physics, having studied his bachelor’s degree at Queen Mary University, London. He initially didn’t consider doing a PhD, but after a summer internship with Nuclear Security Science Network (NuSec), Jordan became inspired to discover his research expertise.
“Since the summer internship, I have loved postgraduate research more than the actual taught content – or anything else,” Jordan explains. Wanting to research as much as possible, he joined a neutron detector group, where he met PhD students and gained early insight into their work.
Jordan also took various modules in robotics throughout his undergraduate and master’s degree years, including advanced robotics and cognitive robotics, before ultimately deciding to apply for a PhD – where Jordan discovered RAINZ, a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) and a type of research degree that was advertising to students from multiple disciplines, not just computer science, to complete a PhD in Robotics and AI.
“I wanted to do something that combined my background in physics, nuclear and robotics – and a little bit of AI or machine learning – to bring together all the things I love into a PhD.”
Overall, Jordan’s early beginnings in Physics had a positive effect on his eligibility for the RAINZ CDT, giving him crucial background knowledge with plenty of crossover skills.
Building robotics and AI skills through MSc-level training
Jordan completed two semesters of taught modules from the MSc in Artificial Intelligence programme at The University of Manchester during the first year of the RAINZ programme. Although he found it difficult at first, he learnt a lot and gained the formal training in robotics and AI needed before beginning the research element of his PhD.
“Although some parts were difficult, the learning was a good experience. You could always talk to academics and explain, ‘Hey, I’m coming from a different background; could you explain this at the lowest level, then go up to the highest level so that I can understand it?’”, Jordan says.
Despite knowing it would mean a big change transferring fields, Jordan embraced the challenge and was eager to learn something new. Thankfully, the courses in knowledge representation he completed as part of his master’s training has given him the essential training needed for his PhD: “I feel like without those courses, I wouldn’t have been able to make this transition.”
Support from supervisors, mentors and the cohort
Jordan credits the academics, his supervisors, coordinators and fellow researchers for all being incredibly supportive during his first year. “There’s a lot of support here, you feel really comfortable.” Training in a cohort with other researchers, many of whom are AI and computer science graduates, has been invaluable – allowing Jordan to lean on his fellow researchers for help when needed.
Weekly meetings with his cohort, as well as regular contact with a mentor, PhD supervisors and academics, mean Jordan always has people to ask for help, or to ask questions and learn from.
Jordan has also already made connections with his PhD research group, the Autonomy and Verification Group (A&V), ahead of starting his research next year – from which he has already noted considerable support: “[Through A&V] I can pull from different aspects of each PhD student and ask them for help and support”.
Researching robotics for nuclear decommissioning at Sellafield
Jordan is excited to start his research in robotics at a nuclear decommissioning site: “Essentially, I’m defining what a team of robots can and can’t do, developing mission and interaction protocols, and verifying those rules using formal methods’”, he explains.
Jordan’s PhD is sponsored by Sellafield, a large nuclear facility in Cumbria. He explains that this PhD is going to give him real insight into industry, allowing him insider access to real data and research.
“Sellafield is a Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) – it’s a black box to the general public, giving me the opportunity to see what’s behind the veil in terms of research and what they’re working on.”
“I was supposed to have August off, but I love the research too much. For me, not having anything else to do but research is a massive break!”
Jordan Ellis, RAINZ CDT postgraduate researcher
Originally planning to have a break in August, Jordan has instead been inspired to take another research sprint thanks to his positive experience with RAINZ – embracing life as a researcher.
“I was supposed to have August off, but I love the research too much. For me, not having anything else to do but research is a massive break! I don’t have to focus on anything else; I don’t have to worry about meetings – it’s just me, my supervisor, the office and the air conditioning. It’s going to be an amazing focus.”
During this research sprint, Jordan will continue working with other PhD students for a week on a project – then he’ll meet his industry supervisor ahead of starting the research component of his PhD in September.
Building a UK-wide RAINZ network
Training within a cohort has not only provided Jordan with new skills and knowledge, but also a network of fellow researchers and a sense of community.
Now at the end of the first year, the RAINZ researchers will be spread across three institutions: The University of Manchester, The University of Oxford and The University of Glasgow, but Jordan knows they will keep in touch and continue to support each other throughout their postgraduate research.
“We’ve all built a pretty good relationship. We’ve already been talking about how often we’re going to have online meetings with each other to discuss our research – or just maintain that line of contact and keep the network really strong.
“Not only this year, but next year and throughout the rest of our PhDs, we will have the level of communication where we can just ask each other for support. They will meet people, I’ll meet people, and we’ll build a network.”
Becoming mentors for the second cohort about to start in September, Jordan’s network within RAINZ will continue to grow.
Advice for prospective PhD students
“Don’t be scared to just throw yourself in the deep end,” says Jordan when asked for his advice to potential PhD researchers. “There’s so much that you can talk to people about and learn from; it’s just about going with the flow and getting the ball rolling – and even if you feel like it’s not going fast, you’ll build up momentum if you keep trying.”
PhD opportunities in robotics and AI
Find a research project, explore PhD opportunities through the RAINZ CDT, and find out how robotics and AI research could shape your next step.
Last reviewed: