Welcome

Welcome to Manchester and to our doctoral programme in Computer Science. We are very excited to have you here on this programme. We hope your time here is challenging, fulfilling and enjoyable.

Welcome, too, to the start of your research careers. You are enrolled on this doctorate to learn how to do research. During the next years you will be learning the skills of a researcher: how to address a problem and understand its context and importance, how to carry out effective investigations using the techniques of particular research fields, and how to evaluate and communicate research. You will be working under the direction of one or more academic supervisors (typically two) and will have the opportunity to work with other staff, colleagues and students. We hope by the latter half of the programme you will be communicating or collaborating with researchers world-wide in your chosen research area by attending conferences and meeting them face-to-face. We expect you will soon be contributing to the wider research community, by writing papers, making presentations at scientific conferences, and helping to shape the future of computer science. I hope together we will make your time here - as an early career researcher - a great experience. I wish you the very best success as a postgraduate research student.

**Dr Simon Harper, PGR Director,

School of Computer Science.**