Bijaya Bhatta
Computer Engineer, Nepal Telecom — learning data science and NLP, one step at a time
I'm an average student by my own account, not a natural-born programmer or a seasoned researcher. What I do have is a habit of finishing what I start, and a genuine curiosity about data science and language models that grew out of my master's thesis. I'm looking for a structured, mentored PhD program that can teach me how to become a better researcher — not one that expects me to already be one.
01 — Abstract
About
I'm a computer engineer at Nepal Telecom in Kathmandu, and I'll be upfront about where I stand: I'm not a stand-out researcher or a hardcore programmer. I've completed a bachelor's degree and two master's degrees — through public exams and scholarships, without any academic or technical background in my family to draw on. What I have is a habit of finishing what I start, and a real interest in data science and natural language processing that grew out of my engineering thesis.
There isn't much room to grow that interest further in Nepal — few labs, few mentors, few structured paths from "interested" to "skilled." That's the honest reason I'm looking at PhD programs abroad: not because I already have a research agenda, but because I want an environment that will teach me how to build one.
Honest about it.
Still want to learn.
02 — Interests
What I want to learn more of
Low-resource language models
My thesis worked with transformer architectures for Nepali — a language with little existing NLP tooling. It's the area I understand best, and the one I'd want to explore first.
Applied predictive modelling
Boosting and ensemble methods for credit risk and default prediction — hands-on work, not deep theory, but it's where I first got comfortable with a full modelling pipeline.
Medical image classification
Earlier coursework applying CNN architectures (AlexNet, VGG-16) to diagnostic imaging — malaria and blood cancer detection.
The toolkit, properly
I know the know-hows — Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow — but I don't consider myself an expert with any of them yet. That's exactly what I'm hoping a structured, mentored program will change.
in any of these —
just genuinely interested.
03 — Record
Publications & projects
-
NepaliBART: Nepali Text Summarization using BART Transformer
Fine-tuned a BART-based transformer for abstractive summarization of Nepali text, addressing the shortage of NLP tooling for the language.
-
Enhancing Default Prediction using Boosting-based ML Techniques
Compared boosting algorithms for loan default prediction. Read the paper ↗
-
Comparison of ML Algorithms for Loan Default Prediction using SMOTE
Evaluated SMOTE-based resampling against class imbalance in credit default datasets. View poster ↗
-
Malaria Detection and Performance Evaluation using AlexNet and VGG-16
Benchmarked two CNN architectures for automated malaria detection from blood smear images.
-
Blood Cancer Detection using Image Processing
Image-processing pipeline for detecting blood cancer indicators, presented as a poster at the SET conference. View poster ↗
just what I've
actually built and finished.
04 — Record
Education
Master of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University
A second degree, pursued alongside full-time work — not part of my computer science research direction. Thesis: internet user satisfaction at Nepal Telecom.
M.Sc. Computer Engineering, Tribhuvan University
Specialization in Data Science and Analytics. Thesis: "NepaliBART," supervised by Dr. Arun Kumar Timalsina. Grade: 87.27%.
Bachelor's Degree, Computer Engineering
Tribhuvan University. Project: malaria detection using AlexNet and VGG-16. Grade: 73.72%.
Overall 7.5,
cleared.
05 — Work
Experience
Computer Engineer, Nepal Telecom (Nepal Doorsanchar Company Ltd.)
Recruited via the Public Service Commission's competitive exam (ranked 7th). Work spans SIEM, the email system, AAA services, and second-line FTTH support.
Computer Engineer, Government of Nepal
Recruited via the Public Service Commission's competitive exam (ranked 6th). Worked in the Public Procurement Monitoring Office on the e-government procurement system.
Steady pay.
Not enough room to grow.
06 — Toolkit
Skills & recognition
Python, Linux
Comfortable, not expert — I can build and debug a working pipeline.
PyTorch, TensorFlow, Git, IBM SPSS
Used across my thesis work and applied ML projects.
English — IELTS Overall 7.5
Listening 8.5 · Reading 8.5 · Speaking 7 · Writing 6.5
Merit-wise Scholarship
Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus.
Mastery, not yet.
07 — Off the Record
Beyond work
When I'm not at a desk, I like listening to music and travelling around Nepal. It's a small country, but a varied one — you can go from Kathmandu's temples to hill villages to the Himalaya foothills in the space of a few hours' drive. If a PhD ever takes me abroad, this is the part I'll miss most. And if you ever get the chance to visit Nepal, take it — it really is a beautiful country, and the people are as much a reason to come as the mountains are.
Himalaya.
Stay for the people.
08 — Record
Certificates
Short courses and training completed alongside my degrees and work.
steadily
stacked up.
09 — Looking Ahead
Why I want a PhD
I'm not applying because I already have a five-year research plan. I'm applying because I want to be mentored, taught, and pushed properly, somewhere that takes early-career researchers seriously. There isn't much room to do that in Nepal right now, and I want to change that for myself.
I'm drawn to structured PhD programs in Germany that begin with coursework and supervised exploration before you have to commit to a specific project — because that matches where I actually am: trained, willing, curious, but still learning how to think like a researcher, not someone arriving with a finished proposal.
I don't come from a family with an academic or technical background. Everything so far — the degrees, the exam ranks, the scholarship — I've earned through my own effort, without a model to follow. I'm not trying to sound impressive. I want to grow, become a genuinely skilled worker in this field, and I think a structured, mentored PhD is the most honest way for me to get there.
- Structured, mentored doctoral programmes in Germany
- Coursework-first orientation before committing to a research project
- IELTS completed (Overall 7.5); applications in progress
- Open to guidance on research direction — not fixed on one yet
still learning —
that's the whole pitch.
10 — Correspondence
Get in touch
Open to conversations about mentorship, structured PhD programs, or just about Nepal's data science scene.
Elsewhere
LinkedInLocation
Kathmandu, NepalReferences
Available on request