Supervision
I very much enjoy working with research students, I have substantial experience in guiding student research, and I am available to supervise new research students at the University of Glasgow.
News - March 2022: The next due date for applications for our Computing Science PhD program at the University of Glasgow is going to be July 31, 2023.
For a first idea of degree options, research areas, entry requirements, fees, and funding, I would recommend having a look at this overview of postgraduate research degrees in Computing Science at the University of Glasgow.
Funding opportunities: Each year there are a number of School of Computing Science Studentships as well as other scholarships available to fund postgraduate research students, who want to pursue a PhD in Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Please have a look at the information for prospective PGR students on the School's website (particularly at the funding opportunities that the School of Computing Science Studentships, Minerva Scholarships, and the Scholarships of the College present).
Application process and guide: The School website explains the application process and requirements (such as the requested research proposal). I recommend also having a look at the application guide that my colleague Richard McCreadie prepared.
School information session: The School of Computing Science runs information sessions ahead of its application deadlines. The next one will take place on the 7th December 2022 at 11 am. Register here.
My research revolves around resource-efficient distributed computer systems, aiming to make computing more sustainable. Please have a look over my lab (for my current focus), research statement (for the general motivation and approach of my work), and previous publications (for examples of concrete results).
Research methodology: I am mostly interested in empirical systems research. That is, new ideas are usually implemented prototypically, integrated with open-source software systems, and evaluated in experiments with real-world applications, datasets, and compute infrastructures. Some of my work also makes use of simulations.Relevant skills: I consider the following competencies and skills particularly important for my area of research:
Much of the basics for my area of research are taught in classic systems courses. The computing environments targeted are usually distributed and virtualized. Data analysis, machine learning, and optimization methods are also commonly applied (to make systems more adaptive – where performance data can, for example, stem from dedicated profiling runs or previous executions of recurring jobs).
More important than any specific knowledge or skill is a high level of motivation, related research interests, and the ability to work independently and learn new skills along the way.
Slides: I prepared a slide set on my research and the environment for it at the University of Glasgow (in November 2022):
A recording of me presenting an earlier version of these slides can be found on youtube.
I have yet to act as the main supervisor for a PhD student for the first time, yet I have experience guiding students at all levels. Moreover, the PhD students that I have been working with – in the years since I was awarded my own PhD – are all on track to earn their doctorates, and I am quite sure that they would attest to my qualities as a mentor and collaborator.
PhD student advising: I have worked closely with PhD students and RAs as a postdoc, senior researcher, and guest professor – both as a direct supervisor in funded research projects and as a (co-)lead in team efforts without funding – at TU Berlin, HPI (at the University of Potsdam), and HU Berlin since 2018.
PhD thesis committees: I am currently part of the PhD Thesis Advisory Committees of Jonathan Bader, Fabian Lehmann, and Vasilis Bountris in the DFG Collaborative Research Center FONDA.
Final year project supervising: I (co)-supervised over two dozen bachelor and master theses (equivalent to dissertations in the UK) with Prof. Dr. habil. Odej Kao, Prof. Dr. habil. Andreas Polze, Prof. Dr. Robert Hirschfeld, Prof. Dr. Ulf Leser, and Prof. Dr. Björn Scheuermann in Germany. Moreover, I have acted as a supervisor for four MSc dissertation projects and am currently supervising three L4 projects at the University of Glasgow.
If you are interested in working with me, please contact me (lauritz.thamsen at glasgow.ac.uk). Please get in touch before you apply.
Please include:
There is no need for a cover letter, letters of recommendation, or course certificates.