Bio
Details: 35 from Chicago, USA
Imperial Course: PhD in Safe Artificial Intelligence
Optional Modules: Attributes and Aspirations
Previous Education: Applied Mathematics at MIT – GPA 4.3 (UK equivalent),
MSc in Artificial Intelligence at Imperial – Distinction
Tags: Home, PGR, FoE, DoC, Mature
Motivations and Frustrations
Motivations
Paul wants to use the skills he will gain from his PhD to create innovative new tools. This could be within an established business, or in a start-up. However, he would like to be on a good salary once he graduates. He would like to stay in UK although he would be open to moving somewhere else in the world. He is excited about continuing the research he started in his master's and working with a familiar group at Imperial.
Frustrations
Paul is finding the transition to PhD is difficult as he feels many of his academics still think he’s a master's student, not a PhD. He does not have as much disposable income as previously, especially after a year of doing his MSc so he is having to adjust his lifestyle.
Documents
Click on the links below to acces the documents relevant to Paul
AA Journey
Paul uses Attributes and Aspirations for PhD the sections in bold refer to the units he takes.
Throughout AA Paul is reflecting on his experiences. Paul was in the management team in his previous job. However, his first role at Amazon was on their graduate scheme in WWO1 for PhD – Working with Others we explore how that relates to him being both a leader and a follower. In IAS3 for PG – Failure and Opportunity Paul considers his past and his reasons for doing his PhD and how he has adapted to changes in circumstances. Then in EE2 for PhD – Decision Making we follow Paul in making some decisions throughout the day, from what to have for breakfast, to whether he should join a mentoring scheme, and explores the way those decisions are made.
In IAS1 for PhD - Your Academic Development Paul looks at ideas for what he might want to do in the future so he starts working on next steps while doing his PhD. He decides that he would like to would like to develop his network to help plan his future business. AA4 – Making the Most of your PhD helps Paul looks at how LinkedIn might be able to support him build his network. Then in COM2 - Communicating in Person Paul uses AI to write a Three-Minute-Thesis as a pitch for potential funders. When writing Paul uses techniques from EE5 for PhD – Practical Tools for his time management he also learned about ‘Forest’ a tool to help concentration. The Imperial Success Guide has other similar apps to help with focus and concentration.
As he is planning for his future Paul completes a skills audit in IAS2 for PhD – Your Skills and Values where he selects a set of skills, he believes he can demonstrate and works on evidencing them for his CV. For example, Paul uses his MSc group project to evidence communication, teamwork, leadership.