Information for prospective PhD students

I have supervised PhD researchers since 2014, and since graduating they have worked in fields such as academia, geological surveys, environmental consulting, business intelligence, and others. When studying with me, they are part of one or more of our research groups, working independently and with other PhDs, postdocs and staff. If you are interested in studying for a PhD with me, then please read the information below.

Am I accepting PhD students?

Yes—I am currently interested in supervising PhD researchers.

Funding

I do not currently have my own individual funding for PhD researchers. Instead, you must bring your own funding, apply to a scholarship scheme, or apply for one of the advertised projects as part of a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP; Panorama in Leeds). These pay tuition fees, a stipend (living costs), and provide funding to conduct your research.

Open scholarships and DTPs are very competitive, so you will need to have a strong background academically, or relevant experience in the world of work. You will be required to show evidence of this in terms of a previous undergraduate or masters-level degree, research experience, work references, projects you have completed, and so on. You will also need to be organised to apply in time.

The right supervisor

To enjoy and learn in a PhD with any supervisor, make sure your interests align with theirs. Check what my own interests are, and look at my recent publications. It is important that you are sure I am the right person to advise you.

If you think I am the right person to advise you, then you should get in touch with me by email (but please read on first).

Choosing a research topic

In general, I am happy to advise PhD students on any of my areas of expertise. If you are bringing your own funding, then you should think about what scientific problem you would like to work on, perhaps writing up some notes on this as a short research proposal, and then we can develop a project together. It doesn’t need to be polished or advanced, but you will find it most rewarding to study something you are interested in, rather than just asking what to do.

Alternatively, it is usually also the case that I will advertise for students via our Doctoral Training Partnership scheme (DTP) or other similar schemes which come with funding. In this case, a project will already have been described and advertised, and if you are interested in working on this you should contact me and apply. There will always be scope to alter and shape the advertised project to your own interests and we can discuss this as part of the application process.

Contacting me about a PhD

If you have decided that you are interested in working with me as a potential supervisor, it is a good idea to email me. In your email, you want to show that you either have a research project in mind, or that you understand the advertised project. You should also show that you have the potential to do research, and so sending previous research projects such as a final-year or masters’ dissertation is very useful. Likewise, a CV is good to include. Feel free also to point to any papers you have been involved with, any code you have written that is on the web, etc. Finally, I would be interested to hear that you have read the information on this page!

How to apply

• Advertised projects with funding (DTP)

  If the project you are applying for is a funded project, then this is probably via a Doctoral Training Partnership such as the Panorama DTP or EPSRC DTP. In this case, you should follow the instructions for that scheme. The Panorama DTP how to apply page has the details you need for it.

  Note that timelines vary, but in recent year the DTPs have begun advertising projects in late October and had application deadlines in early January. This means you need to begin looking for a project and contacting supervisors in the autumn.

• Other projects

  If you have developed your own project with me and are bringing your own funding or funding from a scholarship scheme, then you need to follow the University’s procedure to apply to study for a postgraduate degree. You will need to submit the research proposal we have developed, alongside other documentation such as degree transcripts and proof of English lanuage qualifications if necessary.

  As part of this you should also contact the postgraduate research office via env-pgr@leeds.ac.uk.

What to expect as a PhD researcher with me

Studying for a PhD can be incredibly exciting, rewarding and open your eyes to new ways of seeing the world. It can also be hard work, and there will be times where you need to rely on your colleagues and friends. We understand this and will support you throughout your PhD.

In doing a PhD you will be making a new and unique contribution to scientific understanding. You might collect and interpret new seismic data for the first time, invent a new way of processing data to understand the Earth, or combine datasets like no-one else has and discover a new phenomenon. Along the way, you will learn new skills, but also develop relationships with your fellow PhDs and people in the group at all academic levels.

Working with me, you will be an integral part of one or more of the Deep Earth, Applied Geophysics, Tectonics, Volcanology, Geothermal or Seismology research groups or Geosolutions centre, depending on the project. You will interact with other researchers, travel to conferences, write papers, give presentations, discuss other people’s work, and focus on your own research. PhD students and I usually have regular meetings every week or two weeks, and also discuss your work informally as and when you need help to make progress. You will also rely on help from postdocs and other PhDs day-to-day. If you are a full-time researcher, you will be in the office most days and we will meet in person, but remote PhD supervision is also possible.

Most of my projects are seismological. You will spend most time in the office, but you may also be involved with gathering data in the field. Either way, during your PhD you will spend most effort manipulating, examining, interpreting and showing data and models using a computer. This means you will do lots of computer programming, so prior programming experience is advantageous—however the most important thing is an openness to learn to program well in your PhD.

Visiting research students

I have previously hosted and am interested in hosting visiting research students to work with me. I don’t typically have funds to support visiting researchers, but several funding schemes exist for visitors and I am happy to support you in applying for these if you have identified one or more such schemes.

Visitors to the school are welcomed as integral to the research group and take a full part in academic and social interactions.

Postdoctoral researcher positions

I sometimes have postdoctoral researcher positions available. These will be advertised on jobs.leeds.ac.uk. Searching there for ‘Nowacki’ will find these jobs.