PhD in Computer Vision (with Prof. Nick Pears)

If you are interested in doing a PhD in Computer Vision, please read on, and then contact me by email.

What sort of projects can I do?

You can propose to do any project related to Computer Vision, Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning - the dominant paradigm in Computer Vision is that of deep learning and all of my current projects employ that approach. In particular I am interested in:

The modelling of the human head and face using deep learning tools and techniques.
Medical applications of face/head models in craniofacial interventions.
Medical image segmentation and classification.
Safe and explainable autonomous driving and rail transport using Computer Vision.
Vision-guided robotics - both manipulators and mobile platforms.

For a more detailed view of recent research projects on which my PhD students have been working, please see my Research Projects web page.

What sort of skills and academic qualifications do I need?

You need to be a good computer programmer and be competent and confident with applied mathematics, such as linear algebra and calculus. A good first degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline is necessary, with a first or high upper second classification, or equivalent. Above all you need to be motivated to find innovative, high performance algorithmic solutions to challenging problems in Computer Vision. This requires a blend of creativity and technical excellence in order to succeed.

If you would like some resources (books and online lectures) relevant to typical PhD study, please look at my PhD student resources page.

Where will I be doing my research?

You will work with other PhD students in the Computer Science building (right picture) on the new Heslington East Campus at the University of York. Typically your office will contain six PhD students, with the possibility of one or two post-doctoral research assistants working there too. You become part of the Department, including having access to our excellent facilities and having your own desk and fully networked computer. You are encouraged to work in collaboration with others, and to present your ideas at some of the many informal research seminars held regularly in the Department.

In addition to the University of York being a top-ranking UK university, York (right picture) is one of the most historic, picturesque and safe cities in the United Kingdom. With a population of 200,000, York is big enough to feel cosmopolitan but small enough not to be overwhelming. It is a friendly place you can settle into quickly, but which still feels fresh and exciting once you get to know it well.

What is a typical duration of a PhD?

The typical duration of a PhD is 3-4 years. We will help you select an important unsolved problem for your PhD project, so that you can engage in meaningful research from the first year of the programme. In fact, many of our PhD students start publishing novel results from as early as the second year of their project. This is a great start to an academic career or a career in the commercial research sector.

What have your previous PhD students gone on to do?

Here are some examples:

Dr Tom Heseltine followed his PhD by becoming a Biometrics Consultant, he then became Head of Research at Aurora-AI and is now their CEO.
Dr Marcelo Romero followed his PhD with a University Lecturship working in 3D face analysis research at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico.
Dr Clement Creusot became a Toshiba Research fellow (a prestigious award) immediately after his PhD, then became a Research Scientist at the Cognitive Application Group, IBM Research Tokyo, in Japan. He then joined GM Cruise (autonomous vehicles)) followed by a post at Chef Robotics in California.
Dr Stephen Clement became a Post-doctoral Research Associate at Loughborough University. He worked on the joint Jaguar, Land Rover, and EPSRC funded programme for Simulation Innovation.
Dr Hang Dai followed his PhD with a University Lectureship at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and then moved to a lectureship at the University of Glasgow.
Dr Chaitanya Kaul followed his PhD with a Post-doctoral RA position in Privacy Preserving Machine Learning at the University of Glasgow, School of Computing Science.
Dr Hao Sun joined Ibex Innovations Ltd to work on deep learning applied to medical imaging.

Are there any scholarships available?

Please have a look at this page for information regarding available scholarships/funding.

Where can I find more information?

For an informal discussion of PhD topics, your suitability for the PhD programme and possible funding, please email me (nick.pears AT york dot ac dot uk).
More information about the PhD programme in the Department of Computer Science, University of York can be found here .
For more information about completing your application, please take a look at the University webpages which tell you how to apply and our Department's advice on completing applications.

Nick Pears