Looking for a strong Phd Topic in Predictive Analytics in the context of Big Data
As a fellow CS Ph.D. defending my dissertation in a Big Data-esque topic this year (I started in 2012), the best piece of material I can give you is in a link.
This is an article written by two Ph.D.s from MIT who have talked about Big Data and MOOCs. Probably, you will find this a good starting point. BTW, along this note, if you really want to come up with a valid topic (that a committee and your adviser will let you propose, research and defend) you need to read LOTS and LOTS of papers. The majority of Ph.D. students make the fatal error of thinking that some 'idea' they have is new, when it's not and has already been done. You'll have to do something truly original to earn your Ph.D. Rather than actually focus on forming an idea right now, you should do a good literature survey and the ideas will 'suggest themselves'. Good luck! It's an exciting time for you.