The University of Brighton Logo

Welcome to The University of Brighton

  • concept Search across key concepts extracted from titles and abstracts
  • matching text Search across indexed text content in Pure, such as names, titles, descriptions etc.

The University of Brighton research portal

Welcome to the University of Brighton's database of research and enterprise including researcher profiles, activities, outputs, projects and our groups and centres.

Our research and enterprise activities tackle global challenges, solve practical problems and seek to improve people’s lives and environments. We foster a vibrant, agile research community; supporting our established experts and nurturing the next generation of talent from our thriving postgraduate and early career researchers.

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Click dots and donuts to bring up details or Select a country/territory from the list

Dive into details

Select a country/territory to view shared publications and projects

  • Name (descending)

Search results

University of brighton.

Organisational unit : University

University of Brighton logo

IMAGES: USING IMAGES

Using images, library image databases.

  • Artstor This link opens in a new window Images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences, with image management tools. By using this site, you are agreeing to comply with the site's terms and conditions of use paying particular attention to the fact that this site is to be used for internal educational purposes only and that you are not permitted to post content on 3rd party websites or social media.
  • Bridgeman Education This link opens in a new window Visual resource containing digital images of art, history and culture from global museums, galleries, private collections and contemporary artists, copyright cleared for educational use. By using this site, you are agreeing to comply with the site's terms and conditions of use paying particular attention to the fact that this site is to be used for internal educational purposes only and that you are not permitted to post content on 3rd party websites or social media.
  • RIBApix "a growing database dedicated to providing exceptional and unique images from the collections of the British Architectural Library at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the world’s most extensive visual archive devoted to architecture"
  • VADS (Visual Arts Data Service) Images on craft, design, fashion, ephemera, posters etc
  • WGSN This link opens in a new window WGSN is the leading online trend forecasting and analysis service, providing creative and business intelligence for fashion, interiors, design, and the retail industries, via its Fashion and Insight platforms. Registration required for the downloading of content. Instructions for creating or reactivating a WGSN account . By using this site, you are agreeing to comply with WGSN's terms and conditions of use paying particular attention to the fact that this site is to be used for internal educational purposes only and that you are not permitted to post content on 3rd party websites or social media.
  • Bridgeman and Artstor

Terms and Conditions Simplified

When using the databases/websites that the University subscribes to, you should always ensure that you are aware of and abide by the Terms and Conditions of use (T&Cs). Some companies assume that by accessing any part of their website you have accepted their T&Cs in full. Website T&Cs outline how authorised users are permitted to use the content. These permitted uses may vary between websites. T&Cs also summarise the prohibited uses. Prohibited uses outline what you cannot do with the content.

Authorised users are usually any individuals who are officially affiliated with the university (current students (including distance learners), staff, and researchers).

The information here intends to summarise and simplify the T&Cs for three of the key image databases that the University subscribes to.

Bridgeman Education and Artstor are image databases that provide access to millions of images from gallery, museum, library and photo archive collections from around the world. Images in these databases have been rights-cleared for use in education.

As a University of Brighton student, you are permitted to use this content, provided that you agree to the terms and conditions (T&Cs) of use.

university of brighton dissertation

Do use materials for - 

Teaching, instruction and related activities

Assignments and research, portfolios that will be internally viewed/assessed, as part of a public display or performance, if it is part of a noncommercial, scholarly or educational presentation, seminar, class, lecture, conference, exhibit or workshop, theses and dissertations, as long as reproductions are for personal use, library deposit or for internal use within your school., print and download content, but only the amount reasonably necessary for your intended purpose..

These uses are permitted, based on the understanding that materials will be used for educational purposes only and that you reference the materials appropriately .

university of brighton dissertation

Don’t - 

Publicly share content online on 3rd party websites or social media ​

Use the material for commercial use or for any purpose other than educational purposes.

  • Sell the content

Remove, obscure or alter copyright notices

Alter or adapt the material, share passwords to give unauthorised users access to content, disable any software protections or encryption features..

For full terms and conditions, visit Bridgeman Education and Artstor .

WGSN is a fashion forecasting service, which provides analysis of current and future trends in the industry. As a University of Brighton student, you are permitted to use WGSN content, provided that you agree to the uses set out in their Terms and Conditions of use.  

  • Use extracts for assignments (hard copy and electronic) provided they will only be shared and assessed internally (make blogs private or set them to ‘internal only’)
  • Attribute the content to WGSN
  • Download (only the amount you need) and print (one copy)
  • Share content (via email) with other authorised users for the purposes of collaboration (group work)

Don’t –

  • Share content on 3 rd party websites or social media
  • Share content with anyone who is not an authorised user
  • Use content for any purpose other than for university assignments and research
  • Use content in connection with any commercial work that you carry out for any third parties

If WGSN believes there has been a breach to the T&Cs, they reserve the right to suspend a user’s account. For significant breaches, access could be withdrawn for the entire institution, and other penalties may apply . Please make sure you have read and understood the permitted and non-permitted uses before using this website. The full terms and conditions can be found here .

Online Images- Check the Facts

Good practice.

Do use images that are copyright cleared for use in education (see Artstor, Bridgeman) for internal educational purposes.

Do reuse works that have been uploaded with a Creative Commons (CC) license . Always check the terms of use before using the images. Attribution is a basic level requirement of most CC licenses

Do use still images from TV programmes/films if you are reviewing them. Follow British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC) audio-visual citation guidelines

Do familiarise yourself with a site's terms and conditions of use before re-using images.

Do reference images correctly, using the guidelines set out by your school.

Do protect your own work by adding a [copyright symbol] followed by your name and year of creation, or use a watermark. Or, think about applying a CC licence to your work.

Do use works that are in the public domain (work that’s copyright has expired, or has been waived or forfeited by the author/artist).

Do select an image sized to your use, smaller file sizes (800x600 pixels at about 150Kb) are usually better for the web and assignments.

Don't post images that are copyright cleared for use in education on third party websites or on social media sites.

Don't assume that if you just credit the author there is no copyright infringement.

Don't use works that have ‘all rights reserved’ without permission from the creator.

Using Social Media

Do reuse images that are copyright cleared for use in education

Be aware of your own rights. If someone uploads a copy of your work to a website/social media site without your permission, you can ask them to take it down.

Don’t upload your own images to social media websites without reading and understanding the terms and conditions first. Many social media sites state in their terms and conditions that – whilst you retain copyright of your images – they can reuse your images however they like, without paying you (even if they make a profit from your work) or even asking for your permission

Don’t post images that are copyright cleared for use in education on public blogs that are accessible to anyone on the internet (even if you have created the blog for an assignment)

Photo Websites

university of brighton dissertation

  • Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024 4:20 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.brighton.ac.uk/images
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • Accessibility options
  • Business and community partners
  • Former students and friends
  • Academic departments
  • Current students
  • Staffcentral
  • Accessibility

Welcome to Brighton Research Data

Welcome to Brighton Research Data for more information please contact [email protected] .

Latest Additions Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

View the latest items added to the repository.

Search Repository

Search the repository using a full range of fields. Use the search field at the top of the page for a quick search.

Browse Repository

Browse the items in the repository by subject.

About this Repository

More information about this site.

Repository Policies

Policy for use of material in this repository.

Brighton Research Data supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of https://researchdata.brighton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

Related links

  • Information Services
  • Online Library
  • Contact Information
  • Publishers' policies
  • Research funders
  • Funders and Authors Compliance Tool
  • Google scholar
  • OAIster: search repositories worldwide
  • Download Statistics
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • Accessibility options

University of Brighton

  • Business and employers
  • Alumni and supporters
  • For students

Computer code and electronic symbols

User Experience Design MSc (PGCert PGDip)

Study user experience design (UXD) in a city that is one of the UK’s leading centres for creative technology. And benefit from our partnerships and collaboration with employers and our professional networks in the city and beyond.

Our accredited course fosters innovation and creativity in interactive design. You’ll develop your knowledge of human-computer interaction and design for interactive products in a range of application areas.

With a focus on applied learning you will plan and manage an interactive design project from concept to implementation and gain an understanding of the commercial contexts of interaction design. You also have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience on placement with a digital media company as part of your major project module.

You’ll develop your research skills, benefit from our well-established links with industry and have opportunities to attend networking events and talks with user ex professionals and researchers.

User Experience Design MSc is a flexible course that has been designed so that you can study full- or part-time and tailor your learning to your personal and career interests.

Full-time students also have the option to add work experience to their masters through a year’s paid placement in industry.

Find out about postgraduate events

Location  Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Start dates September and February

Duration: full-time September start: 1 year / 2 years with a placement January start: 17 months

  • Duration: part-time September and January start: 2–6 years

Apply now for your place

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us .

When can I start this course?

UK students can apply to start this course in January 2024, September 2024 or January 2025.

International students can apply to start in September 2024 or January 2025. The January 2024 start date of this course is now closed to international students.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience Normally, a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant discipline, ie those including substantial elements of computing, psychology, information design or product design. For appropriate candidates without an honours degree, entry to the course will normally involve an interview.

English language requirements IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept .

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Course content

Course structure

The course can be studied full-time or part-time.

The taught element of the course is delivered during the first two semesters. Modules involve approximately 20% classroom teaching and 80% individual or group work. The third semester focuses on your major project.

Part-time students study alongside full-time students with a minimum attendance of one half day per week, depending on the number of modules taken.

Lecture in Usability lab

Syllabus 

As an MSc student you will study five core modules and choose two option modules allowing you to specialise in areas of the course that interest you most. Full-time students also have the option of a placement year.

Core modules

  • Major Project The project provides you with the opportunity to demonstrate your capacity to work at masters level as developers in your chosen area of expertise. You do this through the design and production of an interactive product.
  • Research Methods You will develop the professional perspectives and skills needed to plan, carry out and evaluate research in your field of informatics-related studies. You also build your understanding of the social, legal and ethical issues in this context. 
  • Interaction Design and Evaluation Process This module provides professional software developers with a solid foundation for developing user interaction aspects of projects, and the capability to reliably evaluate the usability of your own and others work. 
  • Interface and Information Design You will build on your understanding of the user centred interaction design process, developing your interface design skills and enabling you to produce work to a commercial design quality. 
  • Design Thinking This module helps you develop your creative problem solving and design thinking through practice. You will be guided through the entire design process using research methods to understand stakeholder groups, identify need and create an innovative, user-centric and ethical solution. Whether a process, service, produce or an app. 

Option modules*

  • Independent Portfolio Project This module provides you with a structure to develop your own innovative products to the prototype stage, which can be added to your professional portfolio of work.
  • Independent Research Project You will explore theories, concepts, methods and technologies in your specialist field.
  • Web Development Introducing you to standards-based web technologies, you will learn how to apply best practice in front-end web design and development. 
  • The Business and the Information System You will learn how to critically evaluate the role of information systems within the wider enterprise, assess the issues and problems a business analyst will face in this environment and propose what they might do to address those issues.
  • Industrial Placement (open to students starting the course in September) You will undertake a minimum of 24 weeks work experience in an MSc UXD role (48 weeks for international students). You will put in practice UX design skills and knowledge acquired in taught modules, to reflect upon them in a business context and to enable and develop teamwork and leadership skills.

It is possible to undertake a postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma instead of the full MSc.

Students take three modules:

  • Interaction Design and Evaluation Process
  • Interface Information Design Process
  • Design Thinking

Students take six modules:

  • Research Methods
  • Web Development 

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placement year

To further increase your employability and international experience we offer full-time students starting in September the opportunity to take a placement year. This means that your course will take two years, but you’ll be graduating with work experience.

The year on placement in a role related to your course will allow you to put all that you have learned on your masters into practice, enhancing your career opportunities and giving you practical experience in your area of expertise.

The placement is assessed formatively throughout the year, giving you the chance to reflect on your experience and helping to build your CV.

Work placements are optional, and you'll arrange your placement with support from our dedicated Placements and Employability team.

We offer a two-year international study visa route to support applications for this course.

Staff profile 

Dr Andrew Blake , Senior Lecturer

I am course leader for the User Experience Design MSc, and my research interests encompass the theories and principles that underpin the discipline of user experience design, UXD. 

The UXD course at Brighton equips students with the practical skills needed to work as effective UXD practitioners in the interactive/digital industries. We encourage students to critically reflect on and question the effectiveness of contemporary thinking that underpins UXD best practice. 

My research interests focus on the efficacy of diagrams, and my PhD explores the impact of graphical choices on diagram comprehension. I am currently collaborating with colleagues from Cambridge University on a project entitled ‘Accessible Reasoning with Diagrams’; the project is funded by The Leverhulme Trust. And I am also collaborating with colleagues from Jadavpur University charting the cognitive processes active when interpreting diagrams.

I’m delighted to welcome students from the UK and all around the world onto the course – the diversity of the student body really supports engaging discussion and different perspectives that help make this course all the more exciting and prepares students for global careers in UX Design.

Andrew Blake profile photo

Professional accreditation 

Accredited by the British Computer Society, The Chartered Institute for IT for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional.

Accreditation is conditional on studying module ISM105 The Business and the Information System.

Prepare for your career

In your career you need a combination of knowledge, skills, personal qualities and relevant experiences – and you’ll get all of this from your degree. 

  • With a flexible timetable to suit full-time or part-time students and commuters, and lecturers available to support you in your module choices, there are different study routes available to you.
  • Build advanced research, analytical and communication skills through working on your dissertation.
  • At the end of the taught element there is the possibility of a placement with a digital media company for the major project module. This puts real experience on your CV as you consolidate your expertise.
  • You will benefit from access to our computer suites with professional standard software, digital and games studios and our usability lab with eye-tracking technology.

Industry links

  • We work particularly closely with Zoonou ltd , an East Sussex-based software testing and QA consultancy.
  • You will have opportunities to network with companies and organisations in the sector through external speakers and taking advantage of the many digital media events organised in the city.
  • The course cohort has regularly attended the annual conference UX Brighton.

Graduate destinations 

UXD MSc graduates will be able to work as commercial interaction designers on both software and software-enabled physical products. This may also be a starting point for a research career in human-centred interaction design.

Our graduates are working in roles that include:

  • digital consultant
  • senior developer
  • UX designer
  • web designer
  • digital marketer.

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,450 GBP

International (full-time) 15,900 GBP

Home 1,500 GBP

International 2,280 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding .

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2024–25 .

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

  • Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate and postgraduate students
  • Student finance and budgeting while studying
  • About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that are included and any extras that you may be expected to pay while studying a course  in the School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Travel and accommodation costs are included for all mandatory taught residential field trips, but you’ll need to provide your own food and drink.
  • There will be opportunities to attend additional study trips or optional taught residential field trips throughout the school, but these are not required to pass your course. Normally, a contribution will be required towards expenses such as travel, entrance fees and accommodation. This will vary depending on where and how long the trip is, but you should budget around £1,500.
  • Where optional international field trips are offered, these are not required to pass your course. You should expect to budget £300–£500 for these, to cover flight, accommodation, food and entrance to museums. The total amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken.
  • If you choose to take an optional paid placement, you’ll be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation, food and drink.
  • Some students require specialist outdoor equipment and/or personal protective equipment (PPE) and should budget up to £150.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software; however, many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses. Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton.
  • Course books are available from the university, but you may wish to budget from £15 to £100 per year to buy your own copies and subscribe to design magazines.
  • In most cases coursework submissions are electronic but students may wish to print notes which would involve an extra cost.
  • Costs of up to £50 are included in the fees for students on engineering courses to pay for materials for their final year projects. On rare occasions where material costs exceed £50, they will need to be paid for by the student.

Architecture, interior architecture, design and product design additional costs

  • Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year.
  • In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others optional. You should budget around £100–£250 for these.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £100 to £300 per year for printing and portfolio costs. Costs will vary depending on type of printer and type and size of paper used. Some students tend to work digitally, spending more on printing and some by hand, spending more on materials so these costs vary widely between students.
  • For most courses you will need to budget between £10 and £100 for material costs per design project. Costs will vary depending on how and what you use to make models. You are encouraged to recycle used materials where possible.
  • You will need to budget between £5–£50 to exhibit work for the end-of-year show. Fundraising by the student society, BIAAS, normally helps towards this cost.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of Brighton seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

Two people walking past Mithras halls

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students . So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park  is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting .

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

About Brighton

The city of Brighton & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

Brighton is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton

Moulsecoomb campus map

Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more .

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton .

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships .

Students playing frisbee

Stay in touch

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

Related courses 4 courses

university of brighton dissertation

Data Analytics MSc (PGCert PGDip)

Computer science msc (pgcert pgdip).

university of brighton dissertation

Journalism MA (PGCert PGDip)

Sports journalism ma (pgcert pgdip), search again.

Back to top

university of brighton dissertation

LL703 - Dissertation 2019

LL703_2019 was used for teaching between September 2019 and July 2020. Use the buttons below to find the module relevant to you.

Understanding your studentcentral module - LL703

This page provides general information about Study Materials and Assessments for Dissertation in studentcentral. The university has agreed the use of a standard menu template in module study areas on studentcentral. This means that access to study materials, assessments and grades should be consistent for all the modules that you study.

Study Materials

Learning materials provided by the tutors will be available under the Study Materials menu item. Handouts (for example, lecture notes, powerpoint presentations) are provided there.

Assessments and eSubmission

​Assessments in studentcentral will be provided under the Assessment menu item and help is available in submitting your assignment

If your grades are being made available in studentcentral the following video page describes how to access My Grades

  • Can't log in?
  • About StudentCentral
  • Student email
  • Turnitin guidance
  • Contact StudentCentral
  • Check your Browser
  • Accessibility

Featured Topics

Featured series.

A series of random questions answered by Harvard experts.

Explore the Gazette

Read the latest.

Trees flower outside Widener Library.

Roger Ware Brockett, 84

Liz Breadon (pictured) speaking during the event.

Providing community support

LyLena Estabine standing at the entrance to her church.

A change of mind, heart, and soul

So how do you track spread of disease by the numbers.

Headshot of Ivan Specht.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Anne J. Manning

Harvard Staff Writer

Ivan Specht decided to employ his love of math during pandemic, which led to contact-tracing app, papers, future path

Part of the commencement 2024 series.

A collection of stories covering Harvard University’s 373rd Commencement.

Ivan Specht started at Harvard on track to study pure mathematics. But when COVID-19 sent everyone home, he began wishing the math he was doing had more relevance to what was happening in the world.

Specht, a New York City native, expanded his coursework, arming himself with statistical modeling classes, and began to “fiddle around” with simulating ways diseases spread through populations. He got hooked. During the pandemic, he became one of only two undergraduates to serve on Harvard’s testing and tracing committee, eventually developing a prototype contact-tracing app called CrimsonShield.

Specht took his curiosity for understanding disease propagation to the lab of computational geneticist Pardis Sabeti , professor in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard and member of the Broad Institute, known for her work sequencing the Ebola virus in 2014 . Specht, now a senior, has since co-authored several studies around new statistical methods for analyzing the spread of infectious diseases, with plans to continue that work in graduate school.

“Ivan is absolutely brilliant and a joy to work with, and his research accomplishments already as an undergraduate are simply astounding,” Sabeti said. “He is operating at the level of a seasoned postdoc.”

His senior thesis, “Reconstructing Viral Epidemics: A Random Tree Approach,” described a statistical model aimed at tackling one of the most intractable problems that plague infectious disease researchers: determining who transmitted a given pathogen to whom during a viral outbreak. Specht was co-advised by computer science Professor Michael Mitzenmacher, who guided the statistical and computational sections of his thesis, particularly in deriving genomic frequencies within a host using probabilistic methods.

Specht said the pandemic made clear that testing technology could provide valuable information about who got sick, and even what genetic variant of a pathogen made them sick. But mapping paths of transmission was much more challenging because that process was completely invisible. Such information, however, could provide crucial new details into how and where transmission occurred and be used to test things such as vaccine efficacy or the effects of closing schools. 

Specht’s work exploited the fact that viruses leave clues about their transmission path in their phylogenetic trees, or lines of evolutionary descent from a common ancestor. “It turns out that genome sequences of viruses provide key insight into that underlying network,” said the joint mathematics and statistics concentrator.

Uncovering this transmission network goes to the heart of how single-stranded RNA pathogens survive: Once they infect their host, they mutate, producing variants that are marked by slightly different genetic barcodes. Specht’s statistical model determines how the virus spreads by tracking the frequencies of different viral variants observed within a host.  

As the centerpiece of his thesis, he reconstructed a dataset of about 45,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes across Massachusetts, providing insights into how outbreaks unfolded across the state.

Specht will take his passion for epidemiological modeling to graduate school at Stanford University, with an eye toward helping both researchers and communities understand and respond to public health crises.

A graphic designer with experience in scientific data visualization, Specht is focused not only on understanding outbreaks, but also creating clear illustrations of them. For example, his thesis contains a creative visual representation of those 45,000 Massachusetts genomes, with colored dots representing cases, positioned nearby other “dots” they are likely to have infected.

Specht’s interest in graphics began in middle school when, as an enthusiast of trains and mass transit, he started designing imagined subway maps for cities that lack actual subways, like Austin, Texas . At Harvard, he designed an interactive “subway map” depicting a viral outbreak.

As a member of the Sabeti lab, Specht taught an infectious disease modeling course to master’s and Ph.D. students at University of Sierra Leone last summer. His outbreak analysis tool is also now being used in an ongoing study of Lassa fever in that region. And he co-authored two chapters of a textbook on outbreak science in collaboration with the Moore Foundation.

Over the past three years, Specht has been lead author of a paper in Scientific Reports and another in Cell Patterns , and co-author on two others, including a cover story in Cell . His first lead-author paper, “The case for altruism in institutional diagnostic testing,” showed that organizations like Harvard should allocate COVID-19 testing capacity to their surrounding communities, rather than monopolize it for themselves. That work was featured in The New York Times .

During his time at Harvard, Specht lived in Quincy House and was design editor of the Harvard Advocate, the University’s undergraduate literary magazine. In his free time he also composes music, and he still considers himself a mass transit enthusiast.

In the acknowledgements section of his thesis, he credited Sabeti with opening his eyes to the “many fascinating problems at the intersection of math, statistics, and computational biology.”

“I could fill this entire thesis with reasons I am grateful for Professor Sabeti, but I think they can be summarized by the sense of wonder and inspiration I feel every time I set foot in her lab.”

Share this article

You might like.

Memorial Minute — Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Liz Breadon (pictured) speaking during the event.

Harvard Allston Partnership Fund awards grants to 26 Allston-Brighton nonprofits

LyLena Estabine standing at the entrance to her church.

Choosing Harvard took LyLena Estabine down an uncertain path. The former student co-president has no regrets.

Excited about new diet drug? This procedure seems better choice.

Study finds minimally invasive treatment more cost-effective over time, brings greater weight loss

How far has COVID set back students?

An economist, a policy expert, and a teacher explain why learning losses are worse than many parents realize

Epic science inside a cubic millimeter of brain

Researchers publish largest-ever dataset of neural connections

COMMENTS

  1. Find Student theses

    A 360-degree appraisal of the barriers to medication adherence in paediatric patients with long-term illness. Author: Ullah, N., Oct 2017. Supervisor: Macadam, A. (Supervisor) Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis. File.

  2. Preparing my dissertation

    Your dissertation is then broken down into different parts again, which will be explained before you begin. They may differ depending on the type of dissertation you choose and the course you are on, but for Media Studies, the sections are as follows: Introduction. Concepts and Theories. Research Methods. Research Results/Findings and Discussion.

  3. Study for your PhD. Postgraduate doctoral degrees in Brighton, UK

    Universities in the UK are world-leading in the development and provision of PhD degrees. At the University of Brighton, we offer a high level of personal support, a welcoming, cross-disciplinary postgraduate community and research environments that focus on high impact and real-world change. Brighton itself is a city renowned for its liberal ...

  4. Your PhD at the University of Brighton

    The University of Brighton is a modern, forward-thinking university. We have outstanding results in the most recent national excellence frameworks for research (REF2021) and knowledge exchange (KEF2023) and foster a reputation for high-impact and community-partnering research.. Most importantly, we put our students at the heart of everything we do.

  5. How to apply for your PhD

    4. Research proposal. You need to submit a research proposal alongside your application. Within this you should take the opportunity to clearly outline your research idea; your research methodology and critical approaches; experience; and original contribution to knowledge and key themes, concepts and ideas.

  6. HS796

    This page provides general information about Study Materials and Assessments for Dissertation (Level 7) in studentcentral. The university has agreed the use of a standard menu template in module study areas on studentcentral. This means that access to study materials, assessments and grades should be consistent for all the modules that you study.

  7. PDF Brighton Doctoral College

    Brighton Doctoral College A proposal should include the following: 1. Indicative title of the topic area ... A PhD thesis arises from original research ... (2007, 3rd edn) How to Research, Buckingham: Open University Press. Philips, E and Pugh, D (2005, 4th edn) How to get a PhD: A Handbook for Students and their

  8. REFERENCING & STUDY SKILLS

    Think about how broad or narrow the scope of your research needs to be, and what type of assignment is it (eg: is it an essay, 1000 word report or final year dissertation?) Ask yourself what type of information do I need? Use your course subject guide and the online library for credible subject specific resources such as academic journals and ...

  9. The micro-geographies of Studentification in Brighton and Hove

    Adopting a micro-geographic approach, this thesis investigates the unfolding processes and impacts of studentification in five case study locations within Brighton and Hove City, UK, and intersects with debates of gentrification, segregation, community cohesion, and 'otherness'. Date of Award. 2010. Original language.

  10. Conducting Dissertation Research

    The Psychology Lab has a range of equipment available for you to use for your dissertations. ... If you are recruiting participants from outside the University of Brighton, they can use the web browser version of Microsoft Teams to join the meeting. Prior to their interview, you will need to send them a unique Teams link, so that they can click ...

  11. Hydra

    This thesis proposes a novel framework to improve recommendations including the long-tail recommendation problem by applying a case-based reasoning approach based on user history. This method is extended with a multi-level algorithm that works as an add-on to existing collaborative filtering algorithms. ... University of Brighton; Supervisor ...

  12. Inclusive practice in undergraduate dissertation supervision

    Objective/Purpose Dissertations are a highly valued capstone assessment which showcases students' research skills, subject mastery, and autonomy. Yet, despite an increasingly diverse student body little scholarly attention has been paid to inclusive practice in supervision. ... The University of Brighton data protection policy. About web ...

  13. NA6169

    Understanding your studentcentral module - NA6169. This page provides general information about Study Materials and Assessments for Dissertation (Level 6) in studentcentral. The university has agreed the use of a standard menu template in module study areas on studentcentral. This means that access to study materials, assessments and grades ...

  14. The University of Brighton

    Welcome to the University of Brighton's database of research and enterprise including researcher profiles, activities, outputs, projects and our groups and centres. Our research and enterprise activities tackle global challenges, solve practical problems and seek to improve people's lives and environments. We foster a vibrant, agile research ...

  15. Lab Equipment

    Here you can get an idea of the equipment you can use for your dissertations. If you are planning on using any of the following equipment, please do get in contact with us as soon as possible to book in a meeting. Contact Information: [email protected]. Booking Equipment. Please try to book equipment at least 4 working days in advance.

  16. USING IMAGES

    As a University of Brighton student, you are permitted to use this content, provided that you agree to the terms and conditions (T&Cs) of use. Permitted uses. ... Theses and dissertations, as long as reproductions are for personal use, library deposit or for internal use within your school.

  17. Writing Advisory Service

    The Writing Advisory Service provides personalised feedback on your written work throughout the year. You'll be able to get comments from an experienced academic tutor on the organisation and clarity of your ideas, academic style and frequent language mistakes. The idea is that you learn from your mistakes and through implementing the ...

  18. Welcome to Brighton Research Data

    Brighton Research Data supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of https://researchdata.brighton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2. Login. The UBR (University of Brighton Repository) is a central institutional repository that records the work of the University's researchers. It is an open access, organic resource and is freely available via the web to researchers worldwide.

  19. PDF UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON University marking/grading descriptors

    2.1 Students' work should be assessed against published assessment criteria and marked/graded using the generic descriptors, including where work is marked as pass or fail. The descriptors describe key features and general characteristics of assessed work associated with each grade and where necessary they can be adapted (refer 2.4).

  20. NA3141-NA6169

    NA3141-NA6169 2020 Dissertation link to studentcentral - University of Brighton. NA3141-NA6169_2020 in studentcentral. NA3141-NA6169 - Dissertation 2020 ... The university has agreed the use of a standard menu template in module study areas on studentcentral. This means that access to study materials, assessments and grades should be consistent ...

  21. User Experience Design MSc (PGCert PGDip)

    Find out what free software is available from the University of Brighton. ... Students should budget around £25 for printing and binding dissertations in their final year. In your first year of studies, you will need to buy a drawing and modelling toolkit. Each course will suggest a list of items of which some will be essential, and others ...

  22. LL703

    LL703 2019 Dissertation link to studentcentral - University of Brighton. LL703_2019 in studentcentral. LL703 - Dissertation 2019 ... The university has agreed the use of a standard menu template in module study areas on studentcentral. This means that access to study materials, assessments and grades should be consistent for all the modules ...

  23. Reprographics

    All these services are available on a same-day while-you-wait basis apart from hardbound thesis bindery which can take up to a week depending on demand. ... Final permanent binding to University of Brighton specifications. ... Contact. Cockcroft Print Room - 01273 642417. Grand Parade - 01273 643934. [email protected]. Location ...

  24. Thesis & Dissertation

    The University of Florida Graduate School's Thesis & Dissertation team helps you format and submit your master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.. As you work on that crowning achievement of your graduate education experience, our Thesis & Dissertation team can inform you about policy and procedure, lead you to helpful resources, and offer sage advice so that you complete and submit your ...

  25. So how do you track spread of disease? By the numbers

    As the centerpiece of his thesis, he reconstructed a dataset of about 45,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes across Massachusetts, providing insights into how outbreaks unfolded across the state. Specht will take his passion for epidemiological modeling to graduate school at Stanford University, with an eye toward helping both researchers and communities ...