The UK faces a shortage of up to 190,000 qualified data scientists, mirroring a US deficit that has seen job postings for the role skyrocket by 15,000% in a single year. This Centre for Doctoral Training aims to close that skills gap. Industry and the public sector are drowning in complex, unstructured data—from customer records to sensor streams—but lack the experts who can extract useful knowledge from it. The programme trains students over four years, combining coursework in machine learning and databases with intensive PhD research and hands-on projects with industrial partners. If successful, the Centre will produce a steady pipeline of data scientists ready to tackle tough problems across sectors. These graduates could improve systems people rarely think about: making supply chains more efficient, sharpening medical diagnostics, optimising energy grids, or strengthening cybersecurity. The work is fundamentally applied—it directly addresses a pressing industrial need rather than pursuing fundamental science for its own sake.
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Overview: We propose a Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Science. Data science is an emerging discipline that combines machine learning, databases, and other research areas in order to generate new knowledge from complex data. Interest in data science is exploding in industry and the public sector, both in the UK and internationally. Students from the Centre will be well prepared to work on tough problems involving large-scale unstructured and semistructured data, which are increasingly arising across a wide variety of application areas. Skills need: There is a significant industrial need for students who are well trained in data science. Skilled data scientists are in high demand. A report by McKinsey Global Institute cites a shortage of up to 190,000 qualified data scientists in the US; the situation in the UK is likely to be similar. A 2012 report in the Harvard Business Review concludes: "Indeed the shortage of data scientists is becoming a serious constraint in some sectors." A report on the Nature web site cited an astonishing 15,000% increase in job postings for data scientists in a single year, from 2011 to 2012. Many of our industrial partners (see letters of support) have expressed a pressing need to hire in data science. Training approach: We will train students using a rigorous and innovative four-year programme that is designed not only to train students in performing cutting-edge research but also to foster interdisciplinary interactions between students and to build students' practical expertise by interacting with a wide consortium of partners. The first year of the programme combines taught coursework and a sequence of small research projects. Taught coursework will include courses in machine learning, databases, and other research areas. Years 2-4 of the programme will consist primarily of an intensive PhD-level research project. The programme will provide students with breadth throughout the interdisciplinary scope of data science, depth in a specialist area, training in leadership and communication skills, and appreciation for practical issues in applied data science. All students will receive individual supervision from at least two members of Centre staff. The training programme will be especially characterized by opportunities for combining theory and practice, and for student-led and peer-to-peer learning.
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