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Shreyan Banerjee, a final-year PhD student, reflects on his academic journey and opens up about the challenges he faced in the four years.
I am in the 4th year of my PhD at the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. I have a background in electrical engineering and currently work in neuromorphic computing for monitoring and control of dynamical systems. My research addresses the missing benchmark in the field of neuromorphic algorithms for control systems. My work involves demonstrating the computational cost and accuracy metrics for these algorithms.
I realized I wanted to be a researcher when I was introduced to the Condition Monitoring Lab at my university in India. This led to my decision to pursue a PhD after my undergraduate studies. I had known my supervisor from interning with him during my final undergraduate year. I approached him for a research opportunity, and he directed me to Science Foundation Ireland.
The Centre for Research Training in Foundations of Data Science selects 33 PhD students annually. For the application process, I submitted my research proposal, final-year project summary, and résumé. After my initial application was reviewed, I was shortlisted for an interview. The interview panel was friendly and supportive, and they chatted with me about my previous experience.
When I saw the email confirming my selection, I couldn’t believe it! The euphoria subsided as I began planning my move abroad, realizing there were so many things to figure out. My biggest concern was finding suitable accommodation, which I tried to coordinate remotely. My fellow lab members helped by recommending areas close to the university, dependable bus routes, and other logistics. When I arrived in Ireland, a fellow PhD student from the CRT cohort gave me a campus tour. We all know the feeling of being new on campus—I often got lost!
During my first year, I was based in a lab in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, where I completed the credit-bearing modules for my program. Fortunately, I was able to explore neuromorphic engineering and control in a structured, module-based environment before diving headfirst into research.
The PhD journey can be quite lonely at times. Although I spend most of my days in the lab, I try to attend as many SFI CRT events as possible. They are designed to bring like-minded students together to interact, present their work, and discuss science. The cohort consists of people from all over the world, representing different ethnicities, cultures, and research topics. It’s great to meet and discuss academics and student life with others pursuing a doctoral degree. I was part of a group that flew to the UK to work on data science projects for Stor-I. We collaborated with FareShare UK and Red Cross UK to address some of their challenges using statistical tools. As part of the program, I completed a project and an industry alliance internship with TCS UK and Ireland. The SFI events were highly informative and engaging, though they focused more on Statistical Machine Learning, which differs slightly from my area of research.
In the second year, I worked closely with my supervisor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. That was a major change for me since I was based in a new lab, but soon enough I found my footing and made new friends. During this time, I reported to my supervisory panel and met with them in person; they helped me select a research direction. My supervisor and co-supervisor worked with me to outline a plan, which became more structured in our subsequent meetings. There were instances when my co-supervisor sat with me and helped me resolve technical issues. The Research Studies Panel (RSP) meetings are a valuable resource for research students at UCD. They provided constructive feedback on my work from a panel outside of my supervisory team. I also undertook research integrity training and academic writing, which helped me with my research.
In 2023, I attended a neuromorphic computing workshop in Italy. I remember my program director sent me a letter for my visa, even though it was requested outside of working hours. This workshop was about neuromorphic technologies where a consortium of research scientists, industry personnel, and professors came together to discuss the cutting-edge research and development going on in the field.
In my third year, I started writing manuscripts for the work I did in the Capo Caccia workshop and some other work in learning-based control. I’m in my final year now, and the perfect start to my day is a nutritious breakfast with a side of scientific literature. You can find me in the lab every morning at 10am working on my simulations and experiments. Lunch is at noon, which is usually spent with my labmates in the common room. I close up shop at 5pm and head to the student center for a swim. I’m back home at 6:30pm and get started on dinner prep. I unwind for the day by reading a book or watching a film. I look forward to getting these published, finishing up the experiments that are lined up, and writing my thesis.
Overall, the workshop experience was extremely valuable. I learned about mixed-signal processors, commercially available chips, and robotic edge computing technologies. Robotics is an interdisciplinary field combining mechanical, electrical, electronics, and computer science. However, my focus is to address the benefits (such as low power and adjustable latency) and limitations (such as reduced accuracy) of neuromorphic architectures for robotics. I spoke with researchers from Intel, MIT, and Heidelberg University. This refined my thought process and led to contributions to three different projects since then.
Besides research, UCD requires students to do paid tutoring activities, which gave me considerable teaching and lab demonstration experience for a future career in academia. I also served as a robotics officer in the UCD Electrical and Electronics Engineering Society for a year. I worked with a team of around eight undergraduate students to interpret BCI signals and honed my team-building, leadership, and technical skills. We also invited the CTO of Manna Drone Delivery to deliver a talk on drone delivery for the society members. Besides academics, I did get time to participate in activities like swimming, softball, badminton, and cricket. I have made friends, traveled places, and spent memorable times. I cannot deny that there were times when I was really frustrated, and support from my supervisor was crucial in helping me push forward and manage my frustrations. He encouraged me to spend time with friends on weekends, engage in physical activities like swimming, and establish a routine for a more balanced life.
At this stage of my research, all I can say is that a PhD is not a destination to be reached but a journey to be undertaken. It’s worth living the other aspects of life besides research during this journey. My advice to incoming PhD students is to ask for help whenever needed, whether academic or personal. This is a four-year journey that requires a great deal of perseverance and patience. Maintaining a work-life balance goes a long way!