Hi Diala I have attached 2 papers to this email.

Please read them and try and write up a proposal of a scientific problem you want to address in this context. You will o nly need to write a maximum of 2 pages. Please use these and any other reference s you need. Please send me a copy when you are done. I can proof read and sugges t changes if you want. The broad theme that you want to address is using machine learning / data mining for equipment health monitoring. Note the following (a) Write the proposal in your own words, citing relevant papers. (b) Keep it brief; people don't have time, so everything from the title onwards must convey the science problem you want to address. I want to emphasize that the proposal is not fixed. If you get selected and come here, your proposal and research trajectory may change as a result of our discu ssions, readings, circumstances... (c) Include sections on why the problem is important (e.g. cite the mining indus try and its importance in Australia) and why you must be given this scholarship (e.g. your background studies in relation to the problem, your past achievements ). It may be worth mentioning that the Rio Tinto Centre for Mine Automation (RTCMA) , within the Australian Centre Field Robotics at the University of Sydney is the perfect place for you to develop and validate your proposal, *if you believe th is is the case*. (d) As a general remark, the IPRS selection committee tends to award really outs tanding candidates who apply from all over the world; your CV will need to highl ight all your awards or scholarships, distinctive qualifications, any highly ran ked outcomes, great marks in prior education, prior publications etc. Any rankin g (with evidence) that can highlight your position amongst your peers will help your case. Research publications that you may have written will also help - list them. You may also want to look out for any local scholarships at your end that would allow you to pursue your PhD here. (e) For the application, please note the following Supervisor - Dr. Steven Scheding Associate supervisor - Dr. Shrihari Vasudevan Topic - I will let you decide this based on your proposal Starting date - January 2014 (I think this is the earliest you can apply for) Let me know if you have any questions. Regards Shrihari Dr Shrihari Vasudevan http://tiny.cc/dsv | shrihari.vasudevan@ieee.org | +61(0) 2 911 40891

Hi Diala, Your proposal needs a lot more science in it. Right now, it has the following structure - intro to data mining + its application in the context of equipment health moni toring - importance of the research to industry - why you are the right candidate and the RTCMA/ACFR/U of Sydney is the right pl ace This looks more like a cover letter for a job application than a research propos al, if you see what I mean. The second paper that I sent you (survey on prognostics) should lead you to read ing about methods/approaches used in this context and open problems. That couple d with your own research should enable you to come up with a science problem tha t you think is interesting in this context. The text that you have now needs to be summarized significantly (perhaps to 2-4 small paragraphs) of the proposal. The rest should only be about science. Read the survey, pick up on approaches that interest you, read on them and then come up with a proposal that you think is worthwhile pursuing. Regarding your being the "right candidate" - the committee should decide this on the basis of the evidence you provide. So instead of "appealing directly", disc uss the knowledge/skills you have that ideally position you to address the resea rch problem you have proposed. Similar argument applies to the University / RTCM A. I hope this helps. Regards Shrihari