SAINTS is a Centre for Doctoral Training which means there is a unique requirement for a structured training programme unlike other PhD programmes. For SAINTS, there are four training streams:
- Taught Courses
- Practice Based Learning
- Event-Based Learning
- Placements & Exchange
SAINTS postgraduate researchers are also expected to undertake individual research alongside the taught courses, however, there is less of an emphasis on this in year one.
SAINTS taught courses
SAINTS was awarded as part of the UKRI call for artificial intelligence Centres for Doctoral Training. Therefore it is important to remember that AI is central to the programme of study.
SAINTS taught courses introduce key concepts, tools and language to allow discussion around issues arising in complex AI enabled autonomous systems.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Safe AI
- Law, Ethics and Society
Regular Seminar Series
Alongside the taught courses, students will also learn a range of soft skills through a regular seminar series which prepares them not only for the challenges of research in an academic environment, but also for life beyond University. These seminars will cover a wide range of skills tailored to the needs of the cohort and address issues highlighted by our industrial partners and wider societal concerns.
Quarterly Workshops
On joining SAINTS researchers are allocated to a challenge team and, quarterly workshops provide an opportunity for researchers, and their supervisors, to consolidate and contexualise their learning.
As part of these workshops researchers will regularly present their ideas in a supported environment where they can get multi-disciplinary, context appropriate feedback to improve their work.
Each of these courses are run as a three-day block with lectures and seminars and make extensive use of group learning to embed the multi-disciplinary nature of the programme. This short course format is repeated for each of the taught elements of the programme.
SAINTS was awarded as part of the UKRI call for artificial intelligence centres for doctoral training. As such, it is important to remember that AI is central to the programme of study and we provide two courses to introduce our postgraduate researchers to AI.