An EPSRC studentship is a great opportunity for me to get support for my study and research
Jingxiang chose 91Ö±²¥ because the Algebraic Geometry and Mathematical Physics research group in 91Ö±²¥ is well known and they were particularly interested by the research of their PhD supervisor.
What is your PhD about?
My PhD lies at the intersections of Algebraic Geometry and Mathematical Physics. I study Gromov-Witten Invariants (which are some number associated to a target space that some algebraic geometers/ theoretical physicists care about) of some algebraic surfaces called Kleinian singularities and their minimal resolutions.
What's it like being a postgraduate researcher?
It's quite different from being a undergraduate/ master student. In research I try to prove some result that I'm not sure if it's correct or not. In order to do that, I search for existing results that could help but in many cases not, so I have to do them by myself. It's quite challenging and time consuming, but also a lot of fun. It's exciting to see how a research problem that requires deep theory to describe will be end up with computing/proving something that are basically some Linear Algebra or Analysis.
What kind of opportunities does an EPSRC DTP provide?
For me it's the financial support that helps me a lot. I don't have much pressure in living expends so I can concentrate on research and study. I also get support if I'm attending a conference somewhere else.
What tips would you give students interested in studying a PhD?
Find topics you are interested in and talk to people who work on that.