Why this field

I want to pursue autonomous systems engineering because dependable behaviour matters as much as technical capability when machines share working spaces with people. During my master's project, I observed that a route planner could perform well in a simulation yet become unsafe when sensor readings were delayed or a person moved unpredictably. That gap between nominal performance and verifiable safety led me to study how planning assumptions, uncertainty and human movement can be represented explicitly rather than hidden inside an average success rate.

Academic preparation

My MSc in Control and Systems Engineering developed the mathematical foundation I need for doctoral work. Modules in optimisation, stochastic systems and embedded control taught me to connect formal models with measurable system behaviour. For my dissertation, I implemented a model-predictive controller for a mobile platform, designed repeatable tests for localisation drift and documented the conditions under which the controller ceased to meet its tracking bound. The project trained me to state assumptions clearly, separate observed results from interpretation and retain a reproducible record of design changes.

Research experience and agreed scope

The proposed PhD will investigate verified motion planning for collaborative warehouse robots operating near human workers. The agreed scope is limited to planning and validation methods for indoor mobile platforms using simulated and institution-provided experimental environments. I plan to compare chance-constrained and reachability-based approaches, define safety margins under bounded sensing uncertainty and evaluate the resulting planners against transparent latency, intervention and near-conflict measures. The work does not involve weapons, surveillance deployment or unrestricted transfer of sensitive technical data.

Why this programme

This programme is appropriate because it combines formal verification, robotics experimentation and responsible systems engineering within one supervised research setting. Professor Eleanor Shaw's group uses the same emphasis on traceable assumptions and controlled evaluation that shaped my master's work. I am particularly interested in learning how to translate a proof-oriented safety claim into an experimental protocol that another researcher can reproduce, challenge and improve. My aim is not to broaden the project beyond the approved statement, but to investigate the agreed questions with greater methodological depth.

Future direction

After the doctorate, I intend to work in civilian industrial robotics research, focusing on assurance methods for machines used in logistics and manufacturing. In the short term, I want to publish reproducible evaluations and contribute well-documented research software within the permissions set by the university. In the longer term, I hope to help engineering teams make safety evidence understandable to operators, auditors and system designers, so that deployment decisions are based on stated limits rather than optimistic demonstrations.

Responsible research practice

I understand that the ATAS application must be complete, accurate and consistent with institutional records. I will keep the submitted description aligned with the department-approved research statement, follow the university's research-security and data-handling procedures, and seek written guidance before any material change to the project, supervisor or research scope. I have reviewed every factual claim in this statement and can support it with my academic records or project documentation.