“Supervising brings valuable insights to my PhD project”
In the spring of 2025 Gary Simethy, PhD student at Helix Lab, had a conversation with his PhD supervisor. The conversation revolved around the possibility of adding the insights from AI to his project, and the supervisor had an idea: Gary Simethy should supervise a Helix Lab Fellow, who is doing an MSc thesis project on AI and Autonomous Systems at the same company as Gary is doing his PhD.
Gary Simethy is as part of the Helix Lab PhD Program pursuing a PhD at Aalborg University, Esbjerg, in collaboration with Unibio in Kalundborg. His project, Optimizing Microbial Fermentation with Deep Reinforcement Learning: Advancing Control in Complex Biochemical Systems, focuses on developing intelligent control strategies for mixed-culture fermentation systems at Unibio in Kalundborg.
The collaboration between Aalborg University and Unibio allows Gary to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and biochemical engineering. And the opportunity to supervise was a good idea for several reasons.
“As a PhD student, I have teaching responsibilities, but in my case, I don’t teach classes, I supervise a master’s student. I prefer this, because supervising students from the same industry as you’re in exposes you to practical challenges and new perspectives,” Gary explains.
The MSc student that Gary Simethy supervises is working on a project, that spins off from his PhD project, so their goals align, while the execution differs. This means that they form a productive team.
“Our discussions are productive because we bring different viewpoints. For example, I can suggest research approaches, and he can point out what’s feasible from his area of expertise. It’s a valuable exchange,” Gary says.
Mutual benefits
Gary Simethy believes that supervising an MSc thesis student contributes to valuable insights to the process at Unibio.
“We’re trying to improve understanding of the production process. Even engineers at Unibio don’t have the full picture of what’s happening inside the reactors. We want to develop models that can predict process behavior, essentially predicting how engineers’ actions will change the process. If we can predict this accurately, it shows we understand the process dynamics well.”
That understanding, he adds, can help Unibio optimize and control their process more effectively.
“It’s also an opportunity for the MSc student to learn beyond his domain, and I see it as my responsibility to help him do that. I give him tasks, papers, and full access to contact me anytime. I really want him to succeed, and his success contributes to mine as well.”
Apart from the solving of real-world problems at Unibio, Gary Simethy highlights that teamwork, communication, and translating knowledge across domains are amongst the benefits that he also gets by supervising a student.
When asked about the communication aspect, Gary Simethy elaborates:
“My background is in chemical engineering, and I am self-taught in AI, whereas the MSc student has a background in AI but not in chemical or process engineering. When explaining concepts, I need to make them understandable across disciplines. It’s good practice for communicating technical ideas clearly, which is an important skill for any PhD student.”
Learning by Leading
Supervising a student for the first time has been both a challenge and a learning experience.
“It’s a learning process. I’ve always been on the other side as a student, so this is my first experience supervising someone. It’s a bit daunting because I still have a lot to learn myself, but it’s rewarding to guide someone and see how motivated and capable they are.”
Gary also sees supervision as a natural extension of his research.
“Supervising allows me to use my time more efficiently since it directly relates to my research project. In my case, the Helix Lab setting makes this possible, and Helix Lab has been a strong catalyst in making this happen. I wouldn’t have the connection to either Unibio or the MSc student without it.”