We offer a PhD programme in Computer Science.
All full-time PhD students at Computer Science curriculum are guaranteed a net income of at least 1200 euros per month
The timeline for both, a supervisor and a student, is brought here:
Majority of the state-funded PhD positions in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) are distributed in the first (a.k.a Institute) and the second (a.k.a the Faculty) round of applications. A few positions might remain also for cross-faculty competition in the third and fourth round.
The application for opening a PhD position can be downloaded here. For more information about opening a PhD position is distributed in the mailing list csd [ät] lists.ut.ee (a list for ICS employees and PhD students).
Additional information is available at the Faculty site.
It is also possible to open PhD positions not funded by the State or accept the student to the curriculum as an external student.
For more information and questions, please contact jaanika.seli [ät] ut.ee (Jaanika Seli) (Narva mnt 18, room 3122).
You must submit a doctoral thesis project and CV. Detailed information about the application process is here.
Only candidates with the Master's degree in Informatics, Information Technology or equivalent are eligible.
More information about the on-going application round and list of vacant positions can be found here.
What was your motivation to pursue a PhD in Computer Science?
By the second year of Master studies, I was pretty sure I want to continue doing science. Thus entering the PhD programme was the most logical step. - Yauhen Yakimenka
My motivation to pursue a PhD in Computer Science came from two different aspects. Firstly, during my master studies in Gene Technology I got very interested in computer science (while taking some courses and studying on my own) and secondly, I saw that pretty much every biological problem is computational, hence PhD in bioinformatics seemed like a best way to combine both of my interests. - Ahto Salumets
I was fascinated (and still am) by the idea of learning new cool things in the areas I care about (e.g. bioinformatics, data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence) and also applying this knowledge to something that I personally find crucial for the society - healthcare and biology, especially, diagnostics and treatment of diseases. Plus, PhD is always a lot more than this. It is a way to constantly challenge yourself, e.g. become an expert in this complex area that nobody understands but want to know about. - Dmytro Fishman
I wanted to continue on the line of work that I did for my Master's thesis and I wanted to do research. - Pille Pullonen
I was interested in doing research work. - Jakob Mass
What has been the best part since?
There are two best moments in PhD research: a) when you have been stuck with a problem for a long time and finally find a solution, and b) when you present your results at a scientific conference and also meet all the cool researchers you have been referring in your research. - Yauhen Yakimenka
The best part is networking and meeting the community in your field. Also, the chance to introduce your results to others and seeing that they find them relevant. - Pille Pullonen
Challenging myself. - Dmytro Fishman
The freedom to guide my thesis' direction & the involved technologies, to manage my own time. - Jakob Mass
There are many good things about doing PhD. Firstly, projects are usually very interesting and you have the freedom to tackle them in a way you think is the best (of course discussion with supervisor is important). Secondly, you can go to conferences, meet new people, form connections and exchange knowledge with people who are working on a similar topic. Last but not least, colleagues are very nice and intelligent people (it is academia after all) and it is definitely a privilege to work with people like them. - Ahto Salumets
What has been the most difficult part?
You need to do many things at the same time. First, there are lots of interesting courses (both in the Institute and University of Tartu in general) - and I want to take them all :) On the negative side, they take time. Second, you do research. Third, you prepare for conferences or journal publications, you have meetings with colleagues, you have seminars in a countryside with fellow students, and so on and so forth. - Yauhen Yakimenka
Making sure that the work you do is publishable (and apparently also finishing the studies). - Pille Pullonen
Coping with pressures that I have invited on myself. - Dmytro Fishman
So far I've found that converting your work into (presentable/measurable) output is challenging. E.g. even though you might read a lot and do a lot of prototyping, experiments, if you don't convert this into something readable or usable, it will end up getting lost along the way. - Jakob Mass
Switching back and forth between different projects. It is common that PhD students have to do several projects simultaneously and therefore they need to switch between different projects frequently. Therefore, it is relevant to document your work well and keep things in order, otherwise it comes quite stressful. - Ahto Salumets
Which recommendations would you give to a Master’s student who’s thinking about applying for a PhD position?
PhD studies is the best time of studies (better than bachelor's or master's). Seriously. Go for it! - Yauhen Yakimenka
Make sure you are into the topic that you are about to work with and that you have a good communication with your future supervisors. - Pille Pullonen
Mind your step, this can be extremely hard if you are not used to really hard and persistent work on your own for long periods of time with no immediate outcome, but this struggle can make you stronger. - Dmytro Fishman
Try to learn the "working style" of your supervisor to determine whether it suits you in advance. - Jakob Mass
If you have a drive for research, you like intellectual stimulation, prefer to have more freedom in your work (i.e. you can choose your area of research and methods to use) and perhaps want to make a career in academia then doing a PhD is definitely worth considering. - Ahto Salumets
Institute of Computer Science
Narva mnt 18, 51009, Tartu, Estonia (+372) 737 5445ics [ät] ut.ee
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