UKRI PhD in Interactive Artificial Intelligence

Our 4-year PhD programme is training the next generation of innovators in human-in-the-loop AI systems, enabling them to responsibly solve societally important problems.

The PhD is based in the UKRI Centre of Doctoral Training in Artificial AI which builds on the University of Bristol’s world-leading expertise in AI and human-computer interaction.

Fully Funded PhD Opportunity

Each year we offer ~10 fully-funded, 4-year UKRI studentships covering:

• £22,106 tax-free stipend per year for living expenses (increased in 2022 from £20,500 in response to high inflation)
• Tuition fees*
• £2,000 per year for equipment and travel allowance supporting research related activities.

* We are able to offer ~30% of studentships each year to non-UK students (with international tuition fees covered). These studentships are governed by UKRI/EPSRC student eligibility rules and applicants should check whether they are eligible.

Applications received from self-funded/sponsored non-UK students are welcome and will be considered.

The Programme

The Centre’s mission is to deliver cohorts of highly-trained PhD graduates with the skills to design and implement complex interactive AI pipelines. Our Interactive AI doctoral training programme has been designed from the ground up to train research leaders who will address this challenge in innovative ways.

The programme provides foundational training in the first year, covering a wide range of topics in data-driven AI, knowledge-driven AI, human-AI interaction and responsible AI. After the foundation year you will undertake a 3-year research project, supervised by one of the 100+ academics in the supervisory network and possibly in close collaboration with one or more external partners.

Why study Interactive AI in Bristol

Throughout the programme students will be encouraged to be ambitious in accelerating the pace of innovation, but will also be challenged to think more broadly about the role of disruptive new technologies in AI – they will be trained and gain crucial experience in ethics, fairness, regulation and law, privacy and transparency.

In addition to being part of a world-leading research and training environment, students will benefit from a wide range of extra training opportunities, events and support structures, including:

• having access to a wide range of research seminars, reading groups and other events on relevant topics at Bristol, including a Summer School and Winter School and an Interactive AI seminar series.
• a programming trainer, who will be available to provide advanced training and support to students in using the university’s high-performance computing and data storage systems.
• students will have the option to complete one or more internships or research visits to a national/international academic partner or industrial lab for one to three months.
• Bristol is a full partner of the Alan Turing Institute, the national research institute for Data Science and AI, which will provide access to further training and CDT-related activities.
• Professional and personal development opportunities include courses on entrepreneurial skills and public engagement training.

Application

Full details on how to apply and our entry requirements are available on the CDT website. Overall, we are looking for candidates who have strong interpersonal skills, a willingness to learn from and teach others, a desire to be an innovative leader in the field and have strong technical abilities (programming and software engineering skills; some level of sophistication in linear algebra, probability, stats, and discrete maths).

Contact

Please contact us if you have any questions: iai-cdt-admissions@bristol.ac.uk.

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.