Parteek Jamwal

Why Birmingham Dubai?

Upon doing my research on which university to choose to do my master's from in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (ML), I came across multiple options. However, the University of Birmingham Dubai (UoBD) stood out to me due to the specific courses that it offered, its membership in the Russell Group of universities, and its top 100 world-wide ranking.

Why I chose to study AI and Machine Learning

I have always been fascinated by the limitless potential of artificial intelligence and its impact across various industries.

The ‘Neural Computation’ module stood out to me. It provided a solid understanding of various deep learning architectures, optimisers, loss functions, and different machine learning algorithms, which is vital for those aspiring to enter the field of AI.

My Birmingham Dubai experience

Overall, the academic environment was excellent. The curriculum was rich in knowledge, and the quality of teaching was exceptional.

During the initial weeks of my MSc AI and ML course, I realised I was no longer the smartest person in the room. I always adhere to the saying – "If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room." Hence, I saw this as a valuable opportunity for learning and gaining knowledge. In my opinion, the MSc AI and ML 2023 batch students were some of the brightest individuals I've had the pleasure of meeting.

Birmingham Dubai’s impact

I can say with confidence that the MSc AI and ML programme has equipped me with the necessary skills to become knowledgeable in the field of AI. The curriculum for MSc AI and ML prioritises solidifying the fundamentals. I firmly believe that this approach was the most effective way to prepare a student going into the world of AI, as all the advanced concepts are built upon these foundations. In the long run, this approach proved to be highly advantageous during my internship.

Internship support

To secure an internship, I required a letter of reference which was given to me by several professors. After work, I would meet online with them to discuss what I had missed, and this helped me immensely. I am grateful that my professors reserved time after their regular hours to address my queries, as I couldn't attend the usual meetings due to work commitments.

My journey from Birmingham Dubai

During the second semester of my MSc, I joined the Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation and Security Solutions as an intern. This evolved into an AI Lead Engineer, where I led a team focused on prototyping state-of-the-art research ideas and improving our AI models. This experience provided me with valuable insights into applied research and leadership, which helped me transition into my current role as a Research Engineer at New York University Abu Dhabi.

I didn’t need to undertake any additional formal training beyond my degree. Everything that I was taught turned out to be extremely crucial to becoming a proficient AI/ML researcher. These fundamentals have formed a foundation with which grasping any complex AI/ML-based concept has become easier and simpler. For example, the strong emphasis on mathematics and the underlying workings of different deep learning algorithms has been invaluable to my daily work, especially when reading and prototyping various research papers.

Advice for students

For those who have a genuine interest in AI, this is undoubtedly the most rewarding programme to pursue. To anyone considering studying at UoBD, I’d say go for it. The academic environment is amazing, and the professors excel at teaching complex concepts intuitively.