Aadya Shukla

St Catherine's College 2006, DPhil in Computer Science

I came to Oxford in 2006 after working as a researcher for the Medical Research Council in Oxford and the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge. Coming abroad to one of the best universities in the world was a dream come true, thanks to a scholarship from Microsoft Scholar to join the Computing Laboratory.

I always had a predisposition to pursue higher education. All three of my siblings did their doctorates but I am the first one from my family to come abroad for graduate studies. I have shared my valuable experience with many students from my country. It has helped them to get first hand additional information about the benefits of an international education.

The graduate application process was quite straight forward. Applicants for a research degree are encouraged to get in touch with the faculty-members to develop and propose a project of their own. I was interviewed by two of my potential supervisors to further discuss the proposal I submitted. The benefit of this process is that the student gets a clearer picture of what the department can offer in terms of supervision, research resources and financial help.

External collaborations and participation in seminars and conferences, both inside and outside the lab, are encouraged. I have had an opportunity to develop teaching skills as a Teaching Assistant for a number of Computer Science modules. I have also attended relevant courses to develop entrepreneurial, presentation and communication skills.

A research degree is all about managing your time. One learns to manage their time only if there are opportunities for distractions. Oxford offers so many extracurricular opportunities. Departmental seminars on 'how to manage your time' are very helpful.

The Oxford environment encourages one to compete against, and learn from, some of the best minds in the field. In my opinion, success is the by-product of qualitative work and availability of the right opportunities. Oxford offers both in plenty.

As a graduate scholar and member of the senior common room at my college, I have interacted with a number of senior Oxford fellows. I became involved in the digitization of rare historic documents after speaking with a Senior Fellow in History, and I am writing a book about the economic impact of information and communication technology after discussing economic models over a dinner with a Senior Fellow in Economics.

Oxford is a wonderful experience for a number of reasons: it has the best resources and an open learning culture which supports intellectual development. It gives us a rare kind of confidence which comes only after being exposed to the best practices in learning and education in a very international atmosphere.