This position closed in 2015.

A Microsoft Research scholarship place is available to study algorithms for massive data analysis, leading to a PhD in Computer Science. Increasingly, we are faced with larger and larger volumes of data from which to extract insights and intelligence. Of particular interest is data that can be represented as a graph or (adjacency) matrix. A promising approach is to look for ways to “sketch” such structures: to build a representation that is much more compact than the input, but which allows some function of interest on the original data to be approximated accurately using the sketch. Such sketches are well-known and widely used for data that can be represented as a vector (such as to identify the most frequent elements, or to count the number of distinct items). The goal of this scholarship project is to develop new algorithms for sketching of massive graphs and matrices, and to demonstrate their usefulness via theoretical analysis and empirical evaluation. The hope is to advance our knowledge of the theory in this area, and design algorithms which can be used in practice, such as for querying data represented as a (massive) graph, clustering/partitioning graph structured data, and optimization problems over large graphs.

The scholarship will support tuition fees and stipend to study at University of Warwick, under the guidance of Professor Graham Cormode and Dr. Milan Vojnovic of Microsoft Research. The Microsoft PhD Scholarship Programme recognises and supports exceptional students who show the potential to make an outstanding contribution to science and computing. Each Microsoft scholarship consists of an annual bursary for up to a maximum of three years.

During the course of their PhD, Scholars are invited to Microsoft Research in Cambridge for an annual Summer School that includes a series of talks of academic interest and posters sessions, which provides the Scholars the opportunity to present their work to Microsoft researchers and a number of Cambridge academics. There is also the possibility of internships at Microsoft Research. Applicants require a first-class Honours degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Mathematics or Computer Engineering, experience in programming and aptitude for mathematical subjects. Knowledge of algorithms, linear algebra, graph theory and probability is essential. A Masters degree is desirable. Before the Scholarship can be awarded the candidate must also undergo the formal admission procedure to the university of Warwick, and approval from Microsoft Research. The scholarship covers fees for students from European Union countries. In exceptional cases, it may be possible to support students from outside the EU.

To apply, please contact Graham Cormode or Milan Vojnovic directly with a CV and description of your experience relevant to this project. Please apply by January 31 2015 for full consideration. Further details and suggested reading is available from Prof. Graham Cormode.