Currently the Graduate Studies Committee consists of:
Dr. M. P. Schellekens (chair)
Email: m.schellekens@cs.ucc.ie,
tel: + 353 21 4903083.
Dr. J. Doherty
Email: j.doherty@cs.ucc.ie, tel: + 353 21 490 2756.
Dr. J. Morrison
Email: j.morrison@cs.ucc.ie, tel: + 353 21 4902914.
Reasons for pursuing a PhD vary. The main goal of a PhD is to make a new contribution to the chosen scientific area. Hence the degree is highly regarded both in industry and in academia and can make a major difference in your career. For academic careers, a PhD is the minimal requirement. Most companies do not require the degree, but some firms focus mainly on attracting candidates with precisely this background. Many applicants pursue a PhD because it allows them to make a challenging new contribution to Computer Science. A PhD also allows researchers to follow unique career paths consisting of a combination of academic and industrial positions. This may improve one's job prospects and hence can be an advantage in changing industrial and academic environments.
There are advantages to both approaches. In the first case, there is a chance to focus on a small part of an area and make up ones mind whether to continue research. At the end of a successful completion of the degree one has a valuable qualification in hand. One also has the option to change from an MSc to a PhD; an option which should be discussed with the supervisor. If a PhD is started after obtaining an MSc, you will set out with a good background in the area and will be able to quickly pursue further research. In the second case, an advantage can be that you will not have to worry about producing an MSc document and hence can spend the time on active research and on learning the material which is necessary for your PhD. The relationship with the supervisor is a crucial aspect of graduate studies. This is a factor sometimes underestimated by applicants, especially in the context of a PhD. Even though you should follow your intellectual curiosity/heart/business-sense in choosing a topic, the choice of a supervisor needs equal care. Supervisors must be permanent academic members. Temporary academic members may co-supervise with a senior academic who is a permanent academic member.
In carrying out research, you will meet with your supervisor on a regular basis and it is important that both parties work on establishing a good relationship. In rare cases, graduate students opt to switch supervisors during their PhD, for which they can receive guidance from the supervisor or from the Graduate Studies Committee. It is recommended, in case of a potential problem, to seek help as soon as possible, in first instance from the supervisor and in second instance from the Graduate Studies Committee. Problems can arise, e.g. if the research takes a direction outside the supervisor's field of expertise/interest. In that case an alternative supervisor can be sought to remedy the problem. The Graduate Studies Committee can advise you on these matters. Another factor which should be taken into account is that the supervisor will play a crucial role in your further career. When applying for jobs following your graduation, your supervisor and other members of your PhD committee may be asked to write letters of recommendation.
In most cases, a good working relationship with the supervisor develops and the experience is enriching for both parties. You should have regular meetings with your supervisor to discuss progress of your work and to make sure the supervisor is up to date on the type of work you are doing.
Information on responsibilities of the student and responsibilities of the supervisor is available in the ``Guidelines for a code of practice for PhD supervision''. Supervisors and students should make sure they are at least familiar with Chapter 4 of these guidelines, which stipulates these responsibilities. The guidelines are available online at:
Of course, in the end you are the main person involved in the research. The research is an opportunity for you to set your own goals and to reach them in a personal way. Your supervisor will look for evidence of independent work and originality of approach. During your studies, your supervisor will guide you towards research independency and eventually will expect you to take your own research in hand and lead it to a successful conclusion.
During your studies, it is important to interact with other staff and graduate students to exchange experiences and to expand your research horizon beyond the area on which you are focusing.
Informal ``networking'' will naturally occur, providing enriching cross fertilization of ideas and added stimulus to explore novel ideas. One opportunity is the welcome reception for graduate students. A regular opportunity to meet staff and graduate students is the departmental seminar which is organized on a weekly basis throughout the academic year. National and international speakers participate and you are very welcome to provide a contribution to the seminar as well. Informal talks on ongoing research or a research area can be given. For further information, please contact the seminar organizer (indicated on the departmental web page).
Courses to be followed during the PhD can be specified by the supervisor in consultation with the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.
Your supervisor can inform you on departmental policies regarding interlibrary loans, publications and travel funding.
University College Cork
Department of Computer Science
Name of supervisor
Western Road
Cork.
If you are in Cork, it might be good to have a conversation with faculty. In case you are abroad, after initial (E)mail contact, it may be fruitful to have a telephone conversation. Once you have found a suitable supervisor, you will be asked to send the supervisor your CV. If the supervisor decides to accept you as a potential candidate and a research area has been determined, you need to fill out an application form and send it to the Graduate Studies Office.
The form will then be processed and sent to the Interfaculty Graduate Studies Committee board meeting which will decide on its suitability and inform the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee as well. You will then receive a letter concerning the outcome of your application in due time. Additional information on the application procedure is provided in Section 6 below and in Step 1 of Section 12.
The application for admission shall be considered by the Faculty on the recommendation of the Head of Department in consultation with the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee.
There you also will find information on a fee waiver for non-EU nationals.
You can contact the Graduate Studies Office at:
Tel: -353-21-4903670
Fax -353-21-4903669
E-mail: GradStudies@reg.ucc.ie
You will be required to submit the Standard Postgraduate Studies Application Form to the Postgraduate Admissions Office. Application forms can also be obtained online at:
In the case of Non-UCC
applicants the following documentation should accompany the application
form:
Students will be informed of the decision of the Academic Board by the Postgraduate Admissions Office together with details regarding registration, fees and rules governing submission of the PhD.
Departmental studentships can be exempt from taxes and can be complemented with additional funding. Your supervisor will supply you with forms which need to filled out in order to declare this exemption.
Additional funding can be obtained via a direct application by students in cooperation with a supervisor, e.g. from the funding body Enterprise Ireland. Another source of funding can be obtained from grants which supervisors or research groups have attracted from various funding bodies such as Enterprise Ireland, the Royal Irish Academy and Science Foundation Ireland. Please check with your supervisor on the availability of such grants. This changes year by year and faculty and their groups are actively seeking this type of grants on an ongoing basis.
Current regulations stipulate that PhD students have six years from the date
of acceptance to complete the degree. Students who do not complete within the
specified six years must arrange with the Departmental Graduate Studies
Committee to seek the InterFaculty Graduate Studies Board approval for an extension.
In initial meetings with your supervisor, the time required for the degree is a topic which should be addressed. Supervisors can have different opinions on this. Your supervisor can never guarantee that the time frame will be met or that a degree will be awarded. However, based on the supervisor's experience, it is possible to give a good indication of the expectations for the degree and the time frame which typically is expected. In order to help you meet the goals, the university has set up a system in which your progress will be monitored, not only by the supervisor, but also by the Graduate Studies Committee. It is important for you to take out some time to read the following section and understand the implications.
A special form needs to be filled out by the supervisor(s) and sent to the Graduate Studies Committee within the first year of your studies. The form should clearly state which research topic you have identified and include a research schedule. The form needs to be signed by the student and the supervisor(s), indicating agreement on the contents of the form.
In the event of unsatisfactory progress, the Graduate Studies Committee, in collaboration with the supervisor, will recommend means of improving progress.
The purpose of this evaluation is to:
The supervisor(s) need to form an evaluation committee consisting of the supervisor(s) and experts in the department or outside of the department, who are sufficiently knowledgeable in the chosen research area to form a sound opinion on the progress of the student, as well as one member of the Graduate Studies Committee. The size of the committee should preferably be four members.
A form needs to be filled out, which establishes that the student has made sufficient progress and is keeping to a research schedule towards his/her PhD. In case of insufficient progress, the evaluation committee needs to identify problems and clearly indicate these on the form, with suggestions for remedial action and a date for a new evaluation (within a year following the midterm evaluation at the latest and in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee).
The form needs to be signed by the student, the supervisor(s) and the other evaluation committee members. This form needs to be sent to the Graduate Studies Committee, who will keep track of progress and may arrange further evaluations in case of a continued problem. The frequency of further evaluations in that case will be decided jointly between the evaluation committee and the Graduate Studies Committee.
If problems arise during graduate studies which can not be resolved between the supervisor and the student, this problem should be referred as soon as possible to the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee which will aim to provide an adequate solution.
The Departmental Graduate Studies Committee will discuss the matter with the parties involved. The Committee will then write to the parties concerned giving an opinion on the situation and requesting a written response. If a satisfactory solution is not reached, the matter will be referred to the ombudsman.
In case the supervisor is a member of the Departmental Graduate Studies Committee, a potential problem should be brought directly to the attention of the head of department, who will deal with the problem accordingly.
Telephone numbers need the following international prefix where appropriate: +
353 (0)21. The Email address for faculty is obtained as follows: ``first-letter-of-first-name.second-name@cs.ucc.ie'', for instance the Email
address of Dr. Frank Boehme is: f.boehme@cs.ucc.ie
Frank Boehme, Lecturer
Research areas: Broad Spectrum Communications. Signal processing.
Tel. 4903163.
Jim Bowen, Professor.
Research areas: Intelligent Systems, Constraint Based Reasoning; Concurrent Engineering; Computer Supported Cooperative Work
(CSCW); Term Rewriting; Genetric Algorithms.
Tel. 4903086.
Derek Bridge, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge-Based
Systems, Case-Based Reasoning.
Tel. 4902133.
Jim Doherty, Lecturer
Research areas: Parallel Computing, Genetic Algorithms, Neural Networks,
Cellular Automata.
Tel. 4902756.
Simon Foley, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Computer Security, Formal Methods.
Tel. 4902929.
Dan Grigoras, Senior Lecturer
Research areas Parallel and distributed Computing, Cluster Computing,
Distributed Applications Design.
Tel. 4902795.
Eoin Healy, Lecturer
Research areas: Biological Modelling, Modelling aspects of animal
evolution.
Tel. 4902759.
John Herbert, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Software Engineering, Formal methods, with application
to digital hardware and real-time systems. Modelling and analysis supporting
system design.
Tel. 4902837.
Kieran Herley, Lecturer
Research areas: Algorithms and Theory, Algorithms, Parallel
Computation.
Tel. 4902134.
Joseph Manning, Lecturer
Research areas: Algorithms and Theory, Graph Drawing.
Tel. 4902907.
John Morrison, Senior Lecturer
High Performance Computing,
General Purpose Parallel Computing. Nontraditional models of parallel
computing. Condensed Graphs. MetaComputing. GRID Computing. eBusiness
Systems.
Tel. 4902914.
Dave Murphy, Lecturer
Research area: Distributed Virtual Reality, Collaborative Computing, and Computer Sound.
Tel. 4903579.
Barry O'Sullivan, Lecturer
Research areas: Constraint Processing, CAD, Artifical Intelligence in Engineering Design.
Tel. 4903085.
Steve Prestwich, Lecturer
Research areas: Constraint and Logic Programming, Combinatorial
Optimisation, Satisfiability, Evolutionary Computation.
Tel. 4903165.
Ian Pitt, Lecturer
Research areas: Multimedia, Audio in 3D Modelling Languages, Tactile Maps for
the blind.
Tel. 490 2863.
Michel Schellekens, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Basic Research in Computer Science, semantics
forprogramming languages, efficiency, domain theory.
Tel. 4903083.
Humphrey Sorensen, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Information Agents,
Object-oriented database systems.
Tel. 4902186.
Cormac Sreenan, Professor, Head of Department.
Research areas: Computer Networks, Computer Networking,
Mobile/Wireless Computing.
Tel. 4903629.
Richard Studdert, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Computer and Communications Architecture, Embedded Systems, Digital
Systems Design.
Tel. 4902436.
Sabine Tabirca, Lecturer
Research areas: Combinatorial Optimization, Parallel Computation.
Tel. 4903662.
Marc van Dongen, Lecturer
Research areas: Constraint based reasoning, Groebner Bases.
Tel. 4903578.
John Vaughan, Senior Lecturer
Research areas: Distributed Systems, Distributed & Multiprocessor,
Systems; Concurrent Systems.
Tel. 4902112.
Standard Operating Procedure for Processing PhD
Theses.
There are four forms that are required to be completed as
part of the PhD process:
Form A: to be completed by the Student, Supervisor(s), and
Head of Department on application for admission.
Form B: to be completed by the Head of Department,
following consultation with the Departmental Graduate Studies
Committee, on application for approval of extern and intern
examiners.
Form C: to be completed by the Supervisor(s), and Student
on submission of thesis to the Student Records and Examinations
Office.
Form D: to be completed by the Intern and Extern
Examiners on completion of Viva examination.
We have already indicated in Section 5 how Form A, the Admission Form, can be
obtained. Forms B and C are available from the Students Records and
Examination Office. Form D, the Examiner Report Form, is distributed by the
Examinations Office. It is usually sent out to the examiners together with the thesis.
Step 1. Application for Admission, Form A
Application: Completed application for admission Form A, signed
by the Head of Department, with necessary transcripts and references
(when required) is lodged with the Postgraduate Admissions
Office. Applications are accepted at any time during the
year.
Approval: When the admission documents are deemed complete
by the Postgraduate Admissions Office, the application is then
forwarded to the relevant faculty office for processing; first through
Faculty and then through the Interfaculty Graduate Studies Board. The
dates of meetings of the Faculty, the Interfaculty Graduate Studies
Board and the Academic Board are all listed in the UCC Calendar.
After the Interfaculty Graduate Studies Board meeting, the
Postgraduate Admissions Office notifies the applicant of the decision
on admission. The decision of the Interfaculty Graduate Studies Board
is sent to the Academic Board for Information.
PhD approvals should include the following information:
Step 2. Approval of Names Intern and Extern Examiners, Form B
It is the responsibility of the PhD Student to notify the Student Records and
Examinations Office of his/her intention to submit at least three
months prior to the proposed date of thesis submission. Once notified,
the Student Records and Examinations Office will forward Form B to the Chairperson of the Departmental Graduate Studies
Committee. The chairperson of DGSC will submit the completed form to
the relevant Faculty for approval at the next Faculty Meeting. The
name(s) of the extern(s) and intern examiners must be approved by
Faculty at this point. Faculty then informs the Student Records and
Examinations Office of the approved names of extern(s) and
intern(s).
Step 3. Thesis Submission, Form C
When submitting 3 spiral bound copies of the thesis, it is the students
responsibility to submit the completed Entry Form C as well
as the correct submission fee. It is the responsibility of the
supervisor(s) to be satisfied that the thesis is ready for submission
and if so to sign off on the Entry Form C.
Please note that each copy of the thesis must be accompanied by a
summary of the contents not exceeding 300 words in length.
Step 4. Arranging the Viva
It is the responsibility of the supervisor(s) in consultation
with the chairperson of the DGSC to arrange the date and location of
the Viva. The Viva should be arranged at least two weeks prior to the
Interfaculty Graduate Studies Board meeting at which approval of the
examiners’ report would be sought.
Step 5. Examiners Report on the Viva, Form D
It is the responsibility of the supervisor to ensure that the
Examiners’ Report Form D is completed immediately after the Viva while
all examiners are still present. All examiners’ names must be typed
on the report. The report must be typed prior to the signatures by
all examiners. It is the responsibility of the supervisor(s) to
ensure that corrections (if required by the examiners) are completed
prior to date of the Interfaculty Graduate Studies Board meeting at which the examiners’ report is to be
considered.
Step 6. Thesis Correction
If the InterfacultyGraduate Studies Board recommends that the PhD
Degree be awarded, the candidate must re-submit a hard bound copy of
the PhD Thesis, embodying any changes prescribed by the Examiners, where
recommended. A recommendation by the Interfaculty Graduate Studies
Board to Academic Board for the award of the degree shall not be made
until the revised Thesis, incorporating the recommended changes, and
confirmed by the Supervisor, has been lodged with the Student Records
and Examinations Office.
Additional comments:
Note that at the time of the notification of the submission date of the
thesis, i.e. three months prior to the proposed date of submission (Step 2 above), the student is required to pay the 320 Irish Punt NUI Submission Fee.
Note that on completion of the Viva the following needs to be sent to the Students and Examinations Office.
A leaflet giving full information on the format, layout and presentation of PhD Theses is available from the Student Records and Examinations Office.
ÜCC operates a policy of IPR protection and exploitation through the Industrial Liaison Office. UCC claims first right of ownership to college originated IPR and will, at its discretion, process relevant IP protection mechanisms including patents, and proceed to expedite commercialization where possible and appropriate. Inventors and originators of IP are required to assign rights in IP to the university and will share in income received in respect of any commercialization. Any inventions made or other relevant IP should be kept confidential until disclosed to the Industrial Liaison Office in a timely fashion."