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Teaching
The training programme will interleave activities with ongoing research, building from basic learning to leadership over four years as follows below. The training activities will be delivered through a mix of in-person and online sessions, representing approximately eight weeks in year one (approximately four weeks in-person), six weeks in years two and three (three weeks in-person), and four weeks in year four (two weeks in-person) of the PhD. The year one in-person training will include a week-long residential induction.
Year 1 – Learner: Our students will gain the basic knowledge and develop the core skills required for their transition to researchers. They will:
- Receive primers, via online and in-person delivery, on all aspects of Materials 4.0.
- Undertake training specific to their research projects, developed by their supervisors with the support of the CDT management committee, to ensure appropriate levels of challenge and workload. Justification of the tailored training will form part of the project assessment process.
- Undertake a first-year programme on Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Access (EDIA), Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), sustainable research and open and reproducible science, including NPL’s successful Fundamentals of Metrology course.
Year 2 – Trainee: Our students will deepen their background knowledge and develop the skills necessary to pass on their learning. They will:
- Undertake deep-dive training modules in areas most closely related to their projects, chosen with the help of their supervisors.
- Be trained as trainers, with classes on basic pedagogy, communication and coaching.
- Develop their own modules in a subject related to their research with the help of an academic mentor. These modules will become part of the CDT training offering and the students will produce a variety of materials to support remote and / or face-to-face learning as appropriate.
Year 3 – Trainer: Our students become involved in training the wider community of materials researchers from beyond the CDT and CDT students in following cohorts, which will help them deepen their own subject-specific knowledge and hone their skills. They will:
- Deliver data carpentry modules to get a first experience of training using well-established delivery methods and content.
- Deliver the training modules that they have themselves developed. They will be encouraged to reflect on the process and refine their material and delivery plan.
- Organise and run workshops on aspects of Materials 4.0 for a variety of audiences from academia and industry.
Year 4 – Leader: Our students will grow into leaders and become advocates for the digitalisation of materials discovery and manufacturing in industry and academia. They will:
- Organise and run the annual national conference in Materials 4.0, with the support of the CDT Manager and CDT academics.
- Undertake an advocacy project, aimed at building support for adoption of Materials 4.0 best practice, focused on methods, tools, skills or culture.
- Undertake skills modules on leadership, career options and employment readiness.
| One to one supervision | The °Ç¸ç³Ô¹Ï publishes an annual which sets out the University’s expectations regarding supervision. The supervisory team consists of the principal supervisor (normally referred to as the supervisor) and an academic adviser. There will also be support from the CDT team. |
|---|---|
| Taught/Research Balance | Predominantly Research |
Placements
There is a non-compulsory possibility for students to undertake a 2-3 month placement in a partner company during their second or third year of study. Project opportunities will be advertised in due course.
Feedback
Students are provided with formative feedback as part of each of the training modules taken.
Feedback is also provided as part of the ‘first-year’ assessment exercise, which involves submission of a report followed by a viva. This critical checkpoint establishes each project’s viability and each student’s ability to complete the PhD successfully. Students are also provided written feedback through termly reports on the CamSIS system.
In addition to the above, student feedback and discussion will be solicited on a regular basis, including an ‘open door’ policy, inviting feedback at any time in any form to Course Directors and the Course Administrator, plus during the external advisory board review where board members explicitly invite open, frank discussions on student experiences without the presence of the course organisers.
One student representative will be elected by the student body per cohort, to represent student concerns, in discussion with the programme director and course organiser, as well as acting as representative during course management committees.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
Examination at the end of the programme will be by submission of a thesis for examination for the PhD degree. The thesis is typically no more than 60,000 words, but word limits and requirements are set by the Degree Committee of the Department in which the PhD project is based. The thesis is examined by two examiners and includes an oral examination.
Other
Students are probationary in the first year and progression to the second PhD year (and registration to the PhD) depends on a successful first year review.
Students are required to submit a written progress report. The word limits and requirements are set by the Degree Committee of the Department in which the project is based. The report is assessed by two assessors and an oral examination of the report will be undertaken.
