Information for new postgrads
If you've just started a MSc or PhD at our department, welcome! Here's some information to get you started.
- The postgrad coordinator is Zhiyi Huang. The coordinator is chairing a Postgraduate Committee which consists of Haibo Zhang and Stefanie Zollmann. Feel free to contact them about any postgrad-related issues. The Postgraduate Committee also includes postgraduate representatives Pradeesh, Wei Hong Lo, Mahdi Arghavani and Ying Pang. Feel free to seek help from them or ask them about postgraduate life at the department and the University of Otago.
- You're joining a large community of postgrads! You'll meet many more of them as soon as you arrive — there's a complete list on the department's postgraduates page.
Visit the postgraduate page - When you first arrive, your primary supervisor will take you on a tour, meeting people and doing various bits of admin along the way.
Find our what happens when you first arrive - All postgrad students (MSc and PhD) must submit a written 6-month report. These reports appear on the current postgrads page. (They are only visible locally within the University.)
Find out more details about the 6-month report - PhD students have regular progress meetings during their course, and must be confirmed at an intermediate point in the course in order to proceed to the PhD degree.
- All postgrad students must complete a student-supervisor agreement within the first weeks of starting work. You can use the University's official agreement form, or a (much shorter) form that's customised for our department, or you can adapt either form to your own needs. MSc students should send the signed form to the department secretary; PhD forms are processed during the student's first Progress Meeting.
University's official agreement form (PDF)
Student-Supervisor Agreement (Computer Science abridged template) (DOCX) - It's a good idea to look at the digital handbooks for your degree.
Visit the Graduate Research School to view the digital handbooks
Postgrad academic events
There are various seminars and meetings which postgrad students are invited to attend---or are sometimes obliged to attend!
- We run a regular seminar, which is held on Fridays, 1:00-1:50pm, during semesters. Postgrad students are expected to attend these seminars.
- Many of the department's research groups organise topic-specific seminars. You should certainly attend the seminars organised by the group you're in, but you're most welcome to attend other groups. If you'd like to be added to the mailing list for a particular group, here's who to contact:
For information retrieval contact Andrew Trotman
For graphics and vision, and artificial intelligence contact Steven Mills
For systems contact Zhiyi Huang - Visit the current postgraduate webpage
Postgrad social events
- We're computer scientists, but we still try to be social from time to time. The throbbing heart of social life in our department is the tea room on the 2nd floor. As postgrads, you're welcome to use this room whenever you like: tea, coffee, milk, sugar and hot chocolate are all free. You can also use the cooking facilities here, and the fridge. (Please name and date anything that goes in the fridge!)
- We organise a few social events for postgrads, mainly involving eating. You should hear about these through the postgrads mailing list. If you want to organise something yourself, we would be delighted!
- Otago's Postgraduate Society also organises various activities which provide an opportunity to meet postgrads from other departments.
- Otago's Recreation Services organise lots of activities.
- OUSA's Clubs List is also worth checking out.