Postgraduate students benefit from specific training and development provided within the 4-year programmes of several UKRI Centres for doctoral training including:
- Doctoral Training (CDT) on quantification and management of risk & uncertainty in complex systems & environments
- EPSRC centre for doctoral training in new & sustainable photovoltaics
- EPSRC centre for doctoral training in additive manufacturing and 3D printing
- EPSRC centre for doctoral training in the science and technology of fusion energy
- EPSRC centre for doctoral training in distributed algorithms
- EPSRC next generation nuclear centre for doctoral training
- Leverhulme research centre for functional materials design
School seminar series
All first-year students come together once a week for a doctoral training seminar. These seminars are designed to strengthen students personal skills; not only are our students able to undertake great research but also to communicate this to the public, to work together with researchers from other subject areas and integrate into part of the wider research community. We aim to improve analytical thinking, coherency, logic and writing skills as well as encouraging cross-area and interdisciplinary research collaboration or knowledge exchange with industry.
Throughout the seminar series students are encouraged to consider how they communicate their research and how to best use social media, websites and blogs to their advantage. Students will also undertake group projects, peer review, welcome outside speakers and prepare presentations.
Teaching
Many of our students will gain some teaching experience while studying with us. There are opportunities to work as graduate teaching assistants during undergraduate lab classes, providing feedback and marking student assignments.
Research skills workshop
During this three day workshop, participants work in teams to devise novel interdisciplinary projects, gaining skills in subjects such as peer review, writing effective abstracts and delivering oral presentations. Offering students the opportunity to meet and network with researchers from across the University, the first year workshop is designed to encourage interdisciplinary thinking and offer opportunities for developing research skills.
Departmental conference day
In April each year, the Department of Computer Science holds a doctoral conference day. PhD students can gain insight into the diverse research being carried out across the department. All 2nd-year students present their research to an audience of students & academic staff who are encouraged to ask questions & provide feedback. This also allows students to explore possible collaborations for their future academic careers as well as preparing them for external conference attendance.
Each year the University also hosts an annual poster day where all 2nd year PhD students across the university come together to display their research in a public setting. The day provides a fantastic opportunity for public communication of research and allows feedback from peers and senior staff from a range of disciplines and departments.
Careers development
As well as one-to-one help and advice from academic supervisors, students can also take part in structured seminars to support all stages of career preparation. Training is focused on topics such as career management, networking, self-employment and job applications. Moreover, the University has an award-winning careers department who can help you to explore career options and offer practical advice and tips.
Additional training
As well as the core training programme above, we also have many one-off optional workshops and events which students can opt to attend. Many of these are run by our PGR development team who run one-off events as well as a summer school programme for PGR students. Events range from ‘building an academic career and developing a personal brand’ to ‘project management’ or even ‘managing your supervisor’, Further details of this training can be found here:
The University also offers free English language classes specifically aimed at postgraduate research students. These classes focus on the use of language in thesis chapters within particular disciplines. It is aimed at developing the use of vocabulary and grammatical accuracy as well as offering opportunities to take part in 1:1 tutorials.
The Centre for Doctoral Training in Distributed Algorithms
The Centre for Doctoral Training in Distributed Algorithms has fully funded PhD opportunities and is accepting applications – find out more about the projects, placements and eligibility.
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