Join Us

Thank you for your interest in joining my research group at Imperial College London’s Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. I recruit only one or two PhD students each year, which means you will work with me directly, receive tailored supervision, and be treated as an independent researcher from early on.

I believe that the quality of the PhD student-supervisor relationship is the main driver of successful doctoral outcomes, and that smaller supervisory loads allow the best mentoring culture.

Our researchers, past and present, at the ACM FPGA conference

Why Join the Group

My supervision philosophy is centred on your development as an independent researcher doing exciting cutting-edge research, not just the delivery of a project. My aim is that you graduate with deep expertise, strong disciplinary knowledge in computer science, hardware, and mathematics, the ability to design and evaluate systems, and the confidence to publish and lead research.

We work at the intersection of rigorous mathematics, hardware-aware architecture, machine learning acceleration, and structural models of computation. Your project will combine algorithmic thinking, digital systems design, mathematics, and hardware implementation, enabling you to publish in top venues and build proof-of-concept artefacts such as open-source software or hardware.

More than anything, I want my research group to be a place where people are able to unashamedly enjoy technical pursuits and have fun discovering new tech – just like I do.

You May Be a Good Fit If

  • You enjoy both mathematical reasoning and building working systems.
  • You are excited by computation as something with structure, cost, physical embodiment, and meaning, not only as software.
  • You are comfortable crossing boundaries between computer science, electronic engineering, mathematics, and machine learning.
  • You want to publish in top venues while also building artefacts that make the ideas concrete.
  • You like rigorous technical conversations and are willing to take ownership of a research direction.
  • You are motivated by problems where a better representation, arithmetic, architecture, or abstraction can change what is possible.

This Is Less Likely to Be a Good Fit If

  • You mainly want to apply existing machine learning packages without understanding the computational or hardware structure underneath.
  • You are looking for a tightly specified project where all the important questions have already been decided.
  • You are not interested in implementation, experimental evidence, mathematical structure, or the details of how computation is physically realised.

Current Topics

  • Hardware accelerator design
  • High-level synthesis and corresponding automated code analyses
  • Hardware-native neural networks and hardware–algorithm co-design
  • Equality-saturation and e-graph rewriting for arithmetic and acceleration
  • Novel computer arithmetics, precision models, and hardware
  • Semantic and intensional views of computation in machine learning and hardware

What You Can Expect

  • Deep engagement: With just one or two new students per year, I meet regularly and aim to ensure each student owns their topic end-to-end (theory → architecture → implementation → evaluation).
  • Immersion in the international research community: My research group is not an island. We work as part of an outstanding international research community, and from the first year, I aim to embed you in this community through introductions to key people, conference attendance, and active participation in the field.
  • Publishing as you go: We aim for high-visibility outputs, mentorship in writing and peer review, and strong placement outcomes.
  • Professional development: Beyond research you will gain experience in conference presentation, peer reviewing, and possibly teaching and industry collaboration, forming the basis of your post-PhD career, whether in an industrial research lab or in academia.
  • Supportive, inclusive culture: It matters not only what you discover but how you discover it. I believe good doctoral supervision is a key component of a healthy research ecosystem.
  • Having fun doing technical stuff: For me, this is key. The PhD is a chance to have fun doing deeply technical work.

People and Outcomes

I work with a small research group. Former PhD students have gone on to roles in academia, semiconductor companies, major technology labs, startups, finance, and research leadership.

For current students and PhD alumni, please see the People page.

Eligibility and Criteria

  • A first-class MEng (or equivalent) degree is required; candidates should demonstrate strong academic performance and evidence of rigorous thinking.
  • Overseas applicants: Scholarships from Imperial College London and external agencies are highly competitive. You will have a much stronger application if you already have one or more publications or substantial research artefacts.
  • Ideally you should apply by December for the following academic year. However, feel free to contact me year-round with a short statement of interest, attaching your CV and transcript, if you are strongly motivated.

How to Apply

  1. Send me a brief one-page research statement outlining your interests, your potential alignment with my group’s themes, and the kind of research question you would be excited to own.
  2. Attach your CV, transcript, and links to any publications, code, hardware artefacts, or technical writing if available.
  3. If you are a good fit, I will arrange a short virtual meeting, or an in-person chat if local, to discuss mutual goals and ideas.
  4. Following our discussion I will guide you through the formal Imperial application process, and scholarship process if relevant.

Further Information

For guidance on Imperial College processes and scholarships, including eligibility and deadlines, please refer to the department website.
If you have any questions not covered there, please feel free to contact me personally.