Student-Proposed Projects

Student-Proposed Projects#

For students only

This page is for students only. Potential supervisors wishing to offer projects should see Supervisor-Proposed Projects.

We strongly encourage all students to find a main supervisor and develop their own Independent Research Project proposal. This is an excellent opportunity to align your IRP with your interests and career goals. You may approach any academic or professional at any university or company worldwide.

Project requirements#

All projects must be computational and include a substantial coding component to address a relevant research question or commercial challenge. Students must either:

  • Develop from scratch a simulation code, data processing/analysis pipeline, or machine learning model; OR

  • Substantially extend or enhance existing code and apply it to a substantial dataset or computational problem.

Projects that primarily involve running existing codes without significant code development by the student are not permitted.

Ensure you review the complete project requirements and restrictions in Project requirements.

Field restrictions:

  • ACSE and EDSML students may work on projects from any field. In previous years, students have worked on computational projects in environmental science, geoscience and engineering, fundamental and applied physics, mathematics, chemistry, healthcare, finance, computer science, climate modelling, and many others.

  • GEMS students must work on geoscience or geoengineering projects. Similarly, READY students must work on computational projects in renewable energy, geoscience, or geoengineering.

Supervision#

Each student has a main supervisor and second supervisor. At least one must be a staff member in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering.

You must obtain explicit agreement from your main supervisor before submitting a proposal. By submitting the form, you confirm you have secured their commitment to supervise you for the entire duration of the project.

You do not need to identify a second supervisor. If your proposal is approved, we will assign the second supervisor. However, if your main supervisor is not affiliated with Imperial College London, we strongly encourage you to approach a staff member in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering to act as your second supervisor and involve them in developing the project proposal.

See Supervision for complete supervision guidelines.

How to submit#

Extension requests are approved only if you have already secured a main supervisor and agreed on most aspects of the project, but need additional time for minor clarifications or modifications before submission. Contact the IRP Team closer to the deadline explaining your progress and the reasons for the extension request. Extensions are considered on a case-by-case basis.

To update a submitted proposal, simply resubmit the form. We will only consider your most recent submission received before the deadline.

Project description#

Your project description (maximum 300 words) should include:

  1. Problem description: State the problem, its importance, and relevance to the research community or industry.

  2. Computational methodology: Outline the computational approach and datasets (if applicable). Demonstrate that the project satisfies all Project requirements.

  3. Expected outcomes: Define the anticipated outcomes if the project is successful.

Tip

Projects evolve - we recognise that not all details can be defined upfront. Your description should provide sufficient information to demonstrate that the project satisfies all Project requirements while allowing flexibility for adaptation as the project progresses.

Approval process#

The IRP Team reviews all proposals soon after the deadline. If approved, the PG Office will contact your main supervisor directly to request further administrative information, such as your expected workplace, institutional health and safety, risk assessments, insurance policies, and other requirements. You will be allocated to the project only if it is approved by both the IRP Team and Imperial administration.

The IRP Team and PG Office cannot review student-proposed projects in real-time. Even if you request an earlier decision (e.g., for travel arrangements), it may still take several weeks to complete all necessary paperwork. We encourage you to inform your proposed main supervisor about the approval process so they can respond to requests from our PG Office promptly to avoid delays.

Contact#

For questions or assistance, contact the IRP Team at adalovelace-irp@imperial.ac.uk.

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