Vikas Unnikkannan

When I was considering where to study for my masters, I was impressed by the research being done at Surrey in the fields of computer vision and data science.

As a student from India, the MSc Data Science with Professional Postgraduate year also appealed because it provides an opportunity to extend your visa and gain some industrial experience in the second year of the course, giving students additional time to look for permanent roles.

"The course is industry relevant and not too mathematical but touches on all aspects of analytics, machine learning and software development – skills which are required in a typical tech company or consulting firm."

Surrey attracts a lot of students from Asian countries which helped me to feel at home during the early days here. It offers a range of teaching methods, both online and offline, and the academic staff are always ready to help students. 

For my placement I am going to CityMaaS, a start-up which aims to make travel easier for people with disability needs. The idea of working with a start-up and the opportunity to contribute to society through technology and practice machine learning skills were my motivations for choosing this placement.

I originally came into contact with CityMaaS through Professor Sotiris Moschoyiannis, who was collaborating with them in a research project and has been kind enough to support me throughout the process of setting up the placement. After graduating from this course I am planning to further extend my studies with a PhD at Surrey.

Discover our courses in computer science, including our MSc Data Science.