Department of InformaticsPostgraduate Research Induction

Computer Science, Robotics & Telecommunications

Welcome from the Head of DepartmentProfessor Peter McBurney

Welcome to King’s FilmKing’s College London

Student Support Services at King’s

Women in ScienceDr Elizabeth Black

Why do we need a Women in Science Initiative?

22%24% 23%

20%22%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Undergrad Masters PhD Researcher Academic

% of Informatics students and staff who were women

What are we doing?

• Not about positive discrimination or support that is only for

women.

• Rather, ensure that our culture and processes are fair and

inclusive, so that everyone is equally supported and has the

same opportunities.

• Beneficial to everyone!

• For details see our webpages:

www.kcl.ac.uk/nms/WomeninScience

5 October 2016

14:00 – Anatomy Lecture Theatre16:00 – Tutus

Celebrating Women in ScienceThis event is open to all staff and students.

Book your place at

adalovelaceday2016.eventbrite.co.uk

Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences

Welcome from the Senior Research TutorDr Panos Kosmas

Structure of the Department

Department of Informatics: Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Robotics &

Telecommunications

Head of Department: Professor Peter McBurney

Senior Tutors: Professor Costas Iliopoulos (S6.30)

Dr Panos Kosmas (S1.08)

Programme Administrators: Nicola Parsons (Computer Science & Bioinformatics)

Nicola Nayler (Robotics & Telecommunications)

(S5.01)

pgr-informatics@kcl.ac.uk

Departmental Officer: Sinead Fitzpatrick (Sinead.Fitzpatrick@kcl.ac.uk). Contact Sinead for

estates issues, stationery, expenses claims, post

Research Groups

You will be allocated to a research group within the Department. This will be the same research

group as your supervisor

Groups:

• Agents and Intelligent Systems

• Algorithms and Bioinformatics

• Centre for Robotics Research (CORE)

• Centre for Telecommunications Research (CTR)

• Planning

• Software Modelling and Applied Logic

Details can be found on the handbook:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/nms/depts/informatics/research/index.aspx

Offices & Office Hours

Informatics Department Office:

S5.01, 5th Floor, Strand Building

(We are on the right-hand side)

Office Hours:

Monday: 9am-5pm

Tuesday: 9am-5pm

Wednesday: 9am-2pm

Thursday: 9am-4pm

Friday: 9am-5pm

Supervisor Offices:

1st and 6th Floor, Strand Building

IT

• Check your KCL email address daily

• When emailing your administrator please include your student number (number on student card)

• Support with Faculty computing: Contact NMS computing support:

Website: https://apps.nms.kcl.ac.uk/sd/

Email: nms-computing-support@kcl.ac.uk

Drop-in: S3.16 (Emergencies only. Please raise a ticket)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingsNMSCompute

• Resetting your password: Contact College IT or use the password reset page which can be found

on the internal web pages

Email: 8888@kcl.ac.uk

Phone: 020 7848 8888 (Mon-Fri, 08:00-18:00)

Twitter: http://twitter.com/kingsITsystems

How the Department Supports You

• You will be allocated a work station with desk, computer, lockable drawers

• Access to the Faculty common room (S5.21)

• Stationery available in all research areas and in the Departmental Office (S5.01)

• Pigeon holes for post

• Staff Student Liaison Committee: Committee of student representatives and staff from the

Department. Meets three times per year. Contact Nicola Parsons to volunteer to be a rep

• The Senior Tutor will help with any problems

• The PhD administrators (Nicola Parsons for CS, BioInf and Nikki Nayler for Robs, Telecomms)

will answer any day-to-day queries (email pgr-informatics@kcl.ac.uk)

• Let us know if you have any problems. If you need to take a break from studies (e.g. illness, work)

then you need to interrupt your studies. Speak to your supervisor or programme administrator

who can advise you. Don’t just disappear!

• Get involved with the student societies. See handbook for details

What to Expect

• 3-4 years (depending on funding) of self-motivated study, working with your supervisor

• Go to meetings well-prepared

• Don’t expect your supervisor to know all the answers

• First and second supervisor

• You should meet your supervisor regularly (every 1-2 weeks)

• Attend research group meetings and reading groups

• Practice giving talks on your work

• Try to sort out any problems directly with your supervisor

Structure of the PhD

Year 1Define your problem and do your background research

Year 2Design and implement your approach, carry out experiments and collect

results

Year 33rd year: write up and submit thesis (plus VIVA: a private examination

with two examiners who judge your work) *writing up can go to a 4th year

Progress Checks

Registration in MPhil programme

9 month progress check

18 month MPhil > PhD transfer

Registration in PhD programme36-48 months submission

This is a Department requirement. This is not part of the online progress reporting via Student Records

Compulsory completion of Individual Progress Reports (IPRs) via Student Records In January and June each year. This is a College requirement

Transfer to PhD can occur anytime from 9 months until 18 months of study

RD1 form to create submission entry to be completed 4 months prior to submission date

FailTermination

Pass

Pass

FailWrite up MPhil

These progress checks are formal processes with written reports and vivas

Rules

• Adhere to deadlines (for progress checks, upgrade, submission etc). Speak with your supervisor if

there are any problems

• Read the Core Code of Practice for Research Degrees and familiarise yourself with the A4

Regulations for Research Degrees. You are governed by these

• Teaching: you can be paid for assisting with teaching support. You must have completed the

Preparing to Teach course before you will be permitted to teach (more on this later).

• If you are funded by a Graduate Teaching Scholarship (GTS) teaching will take 25% of your time.

You are required to complete 6 hours of teaching per week

• You must undertake some transferable skills training (about 10 hours per academic year)

• Familiarise yourselves with the handbook so that you are aware of all computer systems

regulations, rules about plagiarism, good research methods etc

• Respect your peers and research space (take conversations outside)

Handbook

• You must read the handbook

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/nms/depts/informatics/stu

dy/current/handbook/index.aspx

• Contains information which will answer many

questions and should be used as the check point

for queries

• Key information:

• Links to the key stages and milestones of

your degree

• Links to funding opportunities

• Information on seeking travel support

Financial Support

• Teaching: you can register to be a Teaching Assistant and receive payment for this

• Travel support:

• the Department offers students £1,500 over three years to assist with conference funding. An

application needs to be made in advance and approved by your supervisor. Expenses are then

claimed back

• Travel support is conditional depending on progress (see conditions of funding requests on the

internal web pages)

https://internal.kcl.ac.uk/NMS/depts/informatics/stu/pgr/PGR-Travel-Request.aspx

• The Graduate School also provides conference funding. There are four rounds of funding each

year

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/funding/database/index.php?action=view&id=477

The Graduate School

• Provides advice and support throughout your

degree

• Induction: 28 September, 13:30, Auditorium,

Franklin-Wilkins Building, Waterloo Campus.

Please attend

• Additional induction for international students: 28

September, 11:30, Room TBC, Franklin-Wilkins

Building, Waterloo Campus

• Researcher Development Programme (RDP)

brochure lists all the available courses:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/pg/school/RDP/index.

aspx

• Conference funding:

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/graduate/funding/database/i

ndex.php?action=view&id=477

Example Courses

• Starting your PhD in the Sciences

• Writing up the Thesis in the Sciences

• Preparing for the Viva

• Fundamentals of Time Management

• Fundamentals of good writing

• Reading critically

• Introduction to Statistics

• Interview skills

• Public speaking

• Word/Excel/Powerpoint

....many more.....

• Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network: list of courses for a shared skills training

programme with universities in the Bloomsbury area. If there are no courses within King’s, there

may be a course at another university. http://courses.grad.ucl.ac.uk/bloomsbury/

Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences

• Head of Graduate Studies: Dr Jean

Alexandre (Physics)

• Faculty induction: Wednesday 28 October,

10:30-18:00, K2.29. Please attend

• Provide Faculty specific training

• Monitor training which you have attended

• Faculty handbook: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/nms/study/current/handbook/resstu/index.a

spx

• Lots of information on how to complete the

Training Needs Analysis and PhD upgrade

review

Assessment and Records Centre

• Formally monitor your progression:

• IPRs

• Upgrade to PhD. Full details of what the

upgrade contains are detailed on their

internal web pages

• Writing up

• Process any changes to your official status e.g.

interruptions

• https://internal.kcl.ac.uk/student/study/arc/P

GR/index.aspx

Research Degrees Office

• Formally process:

• thesis submission

• Viva

• Outcome of viva (pass, 3 months/6 months of

corrections)

• Web pages have really useful FAQs to cover the

thesis submission and viva process

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/exa

minations/researchdegrees/index.aspx

Things to Do in the Next Couple of Weeks

• Receive a desk: your programme administrator will allocate you a desk and notify

you via email

• Introduce yourself to your fellow students

• Meet with your supervisor

• Complete the Student-Supervisor Agreement and return to your programme

administrator

• Complete the Training Needs Analysis form with your supervisor and return to

your programme administrator (to be completed every year)

• Send us a photo and create your own web page (we’ll email out instructions)

• Attend Graduate School Induction: Wednesday 28 September, 13:30, Auditorium

(B5) Franklin Wilkins Building, Waterloo Campus

• Attend Faculty Induction: Wednesday 12 October, 13:00, S0.13, Strand Building

Teaching in the DepartmentDr Lela Koulouri

What is a Teaching Assistant?

http://www.wisegeek.com/

http://www.irishtimes.com/

https://www.tafensw.edu.au

Support and Training

TA Lead

TA Fora

Module Lecturers

Peer Mentors

‘Preparing to Teach’ 1-day course

Higher Education Academy accreditation

Application and Allocation Process

TA ApplicationSkills

Preferences

Lecturer FormSkills

Recommendations

TA Allocations

Questions?

Email us at:

lela.koulouri@kcl.ack

Health and Safety

Working in the Labs

• Robotics students need to attend a lab induction before beginning work

• Please contact Jim Trotter (jim.trotter@kcl.ac.uk) to arrange a session

Fire and Safety

• Weekly alarm test on a Wednesday morning

• Fire drills can happen at any time

• Everyone must leave the buildings during a fire alarm

• Meeting point: Somerset House Courtyard

FIRE PROCEDURES:

• Two ways in which you will be alerted to a fire:

1. By hearing a fire alarm sound or

2. By being the person discovering the fire

• For your personnel safety at all times you MUST cooperate with College requirements and

instructions

• Be aware of local safety procedures such as working in laboratories

If You Hear the Fire Alarm or Discover a Fire

Hearing an alarm

You must:

Calmly evacuate the building without delayFollow the green running person signs to the nearest safe exitGo immediately to the assembly pointComply with the instructions of College Staff

You must not:

Use lifts for evacuationAttempt to return into the building until you are told it is safety to do so

Discovering a fire

You must:

Activate the fire alarm immediately via the nearest red manual call pointEvacuate the building by the safest routeIf safe to do so close doors behind you as you leaveGo to your assembly point and report to the fire marshal outside the building

You must not:

Delay evacuation, or move to a position where the fire is between you and your exitAttempt to tackle a fire unless you are certain you can do so safely If there is any doubt, get out - leave it to the Fire Brigade

First Aid and Accident Reporting

First Aid

• First-aiders are on all campuses and residences

• First-aiders can be called upon by phoning reception

• If urgent assistance is needed call the emergency number x2222

Accident Reporting

• If you have an accident whilst at the College report it as soon as you can using the College’s web-

based accident reporting system which you can find on the HSEPO website

• If the accident has occurred as a result of your studies tell your tutor

• Accidents are investigated by the Faculty to find out why it happened and prevent a recurrence

Your Health

Your studies will often require you to use a computer

• Avoid discomfort by taking regular short breaks to give your muscles and eyes a rest

If you have a laptop:

• charge the battery before your come for classes to avoid carrying the charger

• Avoid using a coffee table or resting the laptop on your lap for long periods – find a table at

desk height

• When working on your laptop at home use peripherals such as a spare keyboard and mouse

and put the laptop on a stand to raise the screen

If you use an ITS workstation

• Adjust the seat height so that you can sit comfortably

• Adjust the screen so that you do not have to stoop and you can see your work clearly

Personal health:

• Physical and mental well-being is important. The KCLSU Advice Service have dedicated

counsellors for you to talk to

Welcome PartyDate TBC

Tour of the DepartmentNicola Parsons & Nikki Nayler