Help me choose EE offers in MEMS: Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham on PostgraduateForum.com

akui
14 years ago

Hello, everybody! I'm new here and really hope that you guys can help me out. Thank you.

I've got 3 offers from universities in the title with the same funding. My research project would be MEMS-related (MicroElectroMechanical system). Supervisors in both Leeds and Birmingham are professors with excellent publications (Leeds is better, to be exact), whilst supervisor in Glasgow is not a professor with not so good publications. My follow-up plan after PhD graduation is to find a job in companies in UK or US.

Does anyone know about MEMS in these universities? Which university has the best research facilities and the best job prospects. Which offer should I take?

Thank you.:-)

G

Goodboy
14 years ago

Hi, It is not clear from your post that if Etching/Fabrication etc would be a requirement or only simulation is needed for this PhD. Personally, I do not like Glasgow as a city, been there during early 90s and lived in Maclay Hall near woodlands road and Kelvin Park. Left within 3 months and I hated the local Accent. I found Glasgow a terrible city littered with street begging and drug gangs. I been to Birmingham University to visit a mate doing PhD there and she is not very happy about the help received from her department and had been left alone to perform her research. I think she was in Engineering College.
Personally, I think that Leeds has far better + a professional research reputation. Go for Leeds(up)

C

Claudia
14 years ago

I vote Leeds! But then, that's where I am, so I'm biased

A

akui
14 years ago

Quote From goodboy:

It is not clear from your post that if Etching/Fabrication etc would be a requirement or only simulation is needed for this PhD.

That part, I'm still consulting with professors. Thank you for your advice.
I also heard that EE in Leeds ranked No. 1 in RAE 2008. Should it also count for taking offer in Leeds?

:-)

B

bandana
14 years ago

Hi

Am Bandana, looking for a phd in MEMS. Could u plz tell me how to get that.
send mail to my account - bandanavit@gmail.com

A

akui
14 years ago

Quote From bandana:

Hi

Am Bandana, looking for a phd in MEMS. Could u plz tell me how to get that.
send mail to my account - bandanavit@gmail.com

Hi, I don't think there is anything special here. Find a supervisor and make the application, that's all!

J

jepsonclough
14 years ago

Quote From akui:

I also heard that EE in Leeds ranked No. 1 in RAE 2008. Should it also count for taking offer in Leeds?

:-)

I know nothing about your subject but RAE should definitely be a (major) factor you consider. Leeds is a really popular student city so depending on how old you are you might also want to take that into account.

A

akui
14 years ago

Quote From jepsonclough:

I know nothing about your subject but RAE should definitely be a (major) factor you consider. Leeds is a really popular student city so depending on how old you are you might also want to take that into account.

I'm in my mid 20s and I also heard that there is a very popular student union here. Seems that I don't need to worry about my extracurricular time. Thank you for your reminding.

G

Goodboy
14 years ago

Quote From akui:

Quote From goodboy:

It is not clear from your post that if Etching/Fabrication etc would be a requirement or only simulation is needed for this PhD.

That part, I'm still consulting with professors. Thank you for your advice.
I also heard that EE in Leeds ranked No. 1 in RAE 2008. Should it also count for taking offer in Leeds?

:-)

Dear Akui!

Besides RAE Leeds also has attracted greater portion of EPSRC funding from Gov towards Doctoral Training Accounts which reflects its quality of research. http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ListSchemeOrgs.aspx?SchemeId=26. EE in Birmingham comes very low in terms of the success or pass rate as been told by my friend who studied there between 05-09.

S

squiggles
14 years ago

Quote From goodboy:

Hi, It is not clear from your post that if Etching/Fabrication etc would be a requirement or only simulation is needed for this PhD. Personally, I do not like Glasgow as a city, been there during early 90s and lived in Maclay Hall near woodlands road and Kelvin Park. Left within 3 months and I hated the local Accent. I found Glasgow a terrible city littered with street begging and drug gangs. I been to Birmingham University to visit a mate doing PhD there and she is not very happy about the help received from her department and had been left alone to perform her research. I think she was in Engineering College.
Personally, I think that Leeds has far better + a professional research reputation. Go for Leeds(up)

I know that Glasgow may get a bad reputation, but I'm sure every city has its rough areas. Having lived in Glasgow all my life, I find it a very nice place to live, and no worse than any other city I've visited. Yes, it has its problems, yes, there's begging on the streets, but isn't that the case in every major city up and down the country? The west end of Glasgow, which is where the University is, is lovely - parks, trees, beautiful houses.
I don't think that the original poster sounds too keen on Glasgow anyway for other reasons, but I just wanted to add my tuppence-worth and say that Glasgow is not as bad as people make out!
:-)

D

DragonBreath
14 years ago

Quote From goodboy:

Hi, It is not clear from your post that if Etching/Fabrication etc would be a requirement or only simulation is needed for this PhD. Personally, I do not like Glasgow as a city, been there during early 90s and lived in Maclay Hall near woodlands road and Kelvin Park. Left within 3 months and I hated the local Accent. I found Glasgow a terrible city littered with street begging and drug gangs. I been to Birmingham University to visit a mate doing PhD there and she is not very happy about the help received from her department and had been left alone to perform her research. I think she was in Engineering College.
Personally, I think that Leeds has far better + a professional research reputation. Go for Leeds(up)

Glasgow has pretty good facilities and the West End is a lovely area. I did 2 undergraduate degrees there, including recently EEE. If you want some feedback on the potential supervisor PM me (some are truly excellent, others pretty mediocre).

A

akui
14 years ago

Quote From goodboy:

Dear Akui!

Besides RAE Leeds also has attracted greater portion of EPSRC funding from Gov towards Doctoral Training Accounts which reflects its quality of research. http://gow.epsrc.ac.uk/ListSchemeOrgs.aspx?SchemeId=26. EE in Birmingham comes very low in terms of the success or pass rate as been told by my friend who studied there between 05-09.

Thank you for your information. EPSRC funding does reflect research quality. Still universities recieve funding supports from other resources, which may even take a greater part. :-) I will collect information as much as possible. Tired.:-(

M

Melsie
14 years ago

I bet we didn't like your accent either, Goodboy...

G

Goodboy
14 years ago

Quote From Melsie:

I bet we didn't like your accent either, Goodboy...

Sorry but due to the difference in accent which was very strong, I was an easy target and been pickpocketed 2 to 3 times at Buchanan Bus Station and left me with no money for weeks. You should not have taken this personally, I had trouble understanding local accent and it is just my personal experience.

A

akui
14 years ago

Quote From squiggles:

I know that Glasgow may get a bad reputation, but I'm sure every city has its rough areas. Having lived in Glasgow all my life, I find it a very nice place to live, and no worse than any other city I've visited. Yes, it has its problems, yes, there's begging on the streets, but isn't that the case in every major city up and down the country? The west end of Glasgow, which is where the University is, is lovely - parks, trees, beautiful houses.
I don't think that the original poster sounds too keen on Glasgow anyway for other reasons, but I just wanted to add my tuppence-worth and say that Glasgow is not as bad as people make out!
:-)

Hi, squiggles
It is definitely true that every city has its rough areas. I didn't mean to bring about a regional discrimination or something. Look at my orginal post "Does anyone know about MEMS in these universities? Which university has the best research facilities and the best job prospects." Please just focus on these.

I am not inclined on Glasgow just based on what I've got now. It is a process of collecting information. Who knows the final decision?;-)