The SPATIAL PhD series comes to its third issue! Let’s meet Thulitha Theekshana, who started his PhD in the fall of 2021 at the University College Dublin.
I came for curiosity and stayed for the challenge.
I started my PhD in the fall of 2021 at University College Dublin with excitement at heart. This was a new beginning for me as it was my first time away from home after living in Sri Lanka. The cherry on top was the opportunity to work on a European-funded project. After graduating with a bachelor’s in Electrical and Information Engineering, I started as a research assistant in machine learning. I began working as a junior data scientist in the industry shortly after. In all its splendour, my love for pursuing the field of research was only dormant all that time.
One of the many perks of working on an EU-funded project is the countries with pristine landscapes in the continent. Out of all, I find it enticing to have been allowed to work from Ireland. Amidst all the work, we had the chance to visit the famous Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, and Aranmore islands in the past year alone. It’s refreshing to have an escape here and there to give the creative muscles to restore the energy, and Ireland is an excellent place.
The famous Skellig Islands in County Kerry
Working both in my Ph.D. and the SPATIAL project seemed overwhelming at first, hearing stories of people doing a PhD alone and finding it an uphill battle. But once the research started, it was reasonably convenient to get the SPATIAL project tasks to align perfectly with my Ph.D. work. At the end of the day, everyone’s Ph.D. lives are different and impossible to compare. I was fortunate enough to have my work aligned well, making it easier to focus intensely on an area that I find passionate about; Explainable AI for security in IoT. The SPATIAL project focuses on making AI-based algorithms accountable and resilient with explainable AI. The knowledge gained from the SPATIAL project is transferable to the Ph.D. and vice versa. This type of connectivity makes the work more complementary.
“One of the critical aspects I find interesting in SPATIAL is the exposure to various collaborators from different countries and backgrounds. It’s an excellent opportunity to associate with leading scientists and researchers from the SPATIAL workforce that spans 8 EU states with 12 industry and academic partners”
Each meeting, task, and demonstration is an ideal opportunity to learn how to communicate, lead and critically analyse a research aspect. This is reinforced by the diverse reviews and comments you receive for the work that sheds light on subtleties that you might miss as an early-stage researcher. At the same time, I am deeply pleased by the respect and professionalism shown by each member at all times.
“Although there’s a long way for me to go in the project, one significant advantage of working in EU-funded research is the network you can build through contacts. These contacts come in handy to collaborate and expand your research work in academia or even when starting a career in the industry later on as a doctorate holder”.
PhD is hard and lonely work. But with collaborations and the supervisors on your side, everything seems brighter and hopeful. While there’s still a long way ahead of me, it’s intriguing to meet new challenges and find myself in the process of conquering them. After all, developing critical thinking skills is the most important thing to focus on in a PhD.
It is certainly accelerated when you associate with a group of well-experienced researchers from the EU. To conclude, it’s been a great experience in Ireland and sláinte to the future!
Dingle Peninsula at Sunset