Nikos Papasarantopoulos

Nikos Papasarantopoulos (PhD 2016–2019) developed machine learning techniques to represent data from multiple views and modalities, with applications in Natural Language Processing. He is now a Senior Machine Learning Engineer in a Clinical Research Organisation.

PhD start and end years	2016 - 2019

What was your PhD research about?

Techniques to represent data from multiple views and modalities in machine learning algorithms, applied in Natural Language Processing.

What motivated you to undertake doctoral study?

I was deeply interested in the (not as popular as today) area of Natural Language Processing. Also, before deciding to undertake doctoral studies I was working for a research institute, and that made me realise the impact that doctoral studies could have on the way I approach technical problems.

What was a highlight (one or several) of your time as a doctoral researcher?

A PhD is a long, and at times, lonely process. Having a relatively stable social circle outside work and interests external to my area of study, was really important in navigating the mental rollercoaster of my PhD years.

What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

I am a Senior Machine Learning Engineer in a Clinical Research Organisation. Doing a PhD helped a lot in deepening my expertise in the area, but most importantly gave me the background to navigate the intricacies of the growing AI landscape and to be able to have an educated, science-based approach to the problems that my team is working on.

What are you doing now career-wise, and how did your PhD prepare you for it?

Critical thinking and a serious approach to research and science in general.

What’s one key skill or mindset you developed during your PhD that you still rely on today?

If you are considering it, don't hesitate to talk to people who are doing a PhD now or have done in the recent past (cold email them!). A realistic take on the everyday life and the experience is more important than other factors that might sound important to you now.

What advice would you give to someone considering a PhD in Informatics?

If you are interested in doing a PhD in Informatics and you get a chance to study in Edinburgh, take it! Especially in EdinburghNLP. The community of researchers, students, and employees is what makes it a great school.