CDT NGCM Seminar with Ioannis Begleris From Research in Computational Modelling to Industry

CDT NGCM Seminar with Ioannis Begleris From Research in Computational Modelling to Industry

By Stephen Gow

On 18 May, Ioannis Begleris presented a seminar to the NGCM CDT via Microsoft Teams on the process of moving from research into industry having achieved a PhD in computational modelling. Ioannis and I were both part of the first NGCM cohort, joining the CDT in 2014 after completing Bachelor’s degrees in scientific subjects with little programming experience, but have taken very different paths since completing our PhD projects: I have so far remained in academia, and the opportunity to hear about experiences from an alternative standpoint was therefore very enlightening.

Ioannis discussed a range of aspects relating to the transition from PhD to employment. These included reviewing the skills which PhD graduates gain from their programme, such as working independently in an uncertain environment, and how best to market these skills to potential employers. Ioannis also considered the types of jobs which computational modellers may enter in industry, highlighting two distinct options: more research-based roles in data science and machine learning, and more structured positions in software engineering with a focus on product development and deployment. The skills and software experience required for these roles is quite different, and Ioannis also provided advice on which skills are most important to learn before applying for these positions. Finally, drawing on his own experiences from both perspectives, Ioannis discussed the advantages and disadvantages of working in large, well-established companies and small startup firms.

Overall, the seminar was extremely valuable in helping to paint a picture of the realities – both positive and negative – of working in industry after graduating, and the steps we can take to improve our own experience. A very different seminar from most, but no less useful for it!

Ioannis Begleris graduated from the first NGCM cohort finishing his PhD at the Optoelectronics Research Center. He then went on to work at Sky as a data scientist, machine learning engineer at Eigen technologies and an MLOps engineer at EPAM systems. Recently, Ioannis has co-founded Goodloans, an AI-powered digital lending platform for emerging markets.