From Iran to Amsterdam

‘Originally I’m from Iran. I studied Information Technology Engineering at the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran. In my bachelor studies I focused on both the technical parts and the theoretical background of computer science. Because I’ve always had a passion for networking, I started orientating on suited Master’s programmes. The Master's programme System and Network Engineering (SNE) fitted my needs perfectly. Also, it was just rewarded as one of the best programmes worldwide – a nice bonus.’

High intensity

‘SNE was an intense programme. When I first arrived, I didn’t think I was able to learn and achieve this much in just one year. I really had to practice my time management skills. The courses itself were very cool. I worked on a variety of projects and met a lot of different people. This helped me acquire very different skill sets. Teamwork, communication and planning are essential in our field of study. As an international student, especially the beginning is tough. Everything is new: transportation, housing, studying and so on. Luckily, the international team at the Education Service Centre helped me out a lot.’  

Theory into practice

‘Every Wednesday at the colloquium day successful people from industry introduced their work. It’s great that there’s a lot of collaboration between universities and companies. There are loads of possibilities for internships and the programme is actively helping acquiring positions at companies or research institutes. You’ll get a lot of chances bringing theory into practice.’

PhD Software & Services Group

’When I finished my degree programme, I pursued my PhD studies in a joint PhD programme at the Software & Services Group (S2) of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the System and Network Engineering Group of the UvA. Our research group optimises software to make it more energy efficient. Our main focus is on energy efficiency of self-adaptive software systems, network services, and cloud computing. I really love my research. The topics are great and we are working on a better future. Also, I like working with my team. My skills obtained in SNE, I still use every day.’