Expectations & Support

Expectations of a CDT researcher & supervisor

During Induction Week you will be asked to sign the CDT Charter - this sets out the core expectations for all postgraduate researchers and academic staff involved in the CDT. These expectations include:

• Maintaining professional conduct: Demonstrating courtesy and consideration towards colleagues and staff at all times. This encompasses adhering to professional standards, such as timely email responses and punctuality.

• Prioritizing academic development: Diligently engaging with the training program, recognizing its significance.

• Open communication: Proactively informing the CDT of any challenges or concerns.

• Fostering a supportive cohort: Cultivating a positive and inclusive environment through regular interaction, mutual support, and active engagement in group activities. This may involve organizing social events, utilizing online platforms for communication and knowledge sharing, and participating in joint activities beyond the coursework.

• Effective CDT support: Seeking and receiving timely and appropriate assistance from the CDT management and support staff. This includes maintaining an updated and accessible Handbook, providing clear guidance and resources, and offering support for mental health and EDI through training, resources, and regular check-ins.

• Valuable industry collaborations: Promoting effective and productive interactions with supervisors and industry contacts, including timely availability, consistent meeting attendance, and open knowledge sharing. Providing training on effective industry collaboration, such as networking skills, would be beneficial.

This collaborative approach, involving input from both staff and students ensures a shared understanding of expectations and fosters a positive and productive CDT environment.

CDT PGR Charter (downloadable PDF)

Tips for research students

• Discuss your expectations with your supervisor and discuss their expectations of you. Being a research student will be a very different experience to being a taught student, or working, and all supervisors work in different ways.

• Agree with your supervisors the frequency of your supervisory meetings. Not the everyday chats, but the meetings at which you will discuss your progress, the problems you have faced, and set the objectives to have reached before the next meeting.

• Agree with your supervisor that you will keep a record of your progress meetings. It is recommended that you provide your supervisor with a copy. This will ensure no misunderstandings have occurred. If you feel like your deadlines are slipping, speak to your supervisor immediately. Timely submission of your thesis is very important.

• Expect the unexpected. It is very rare that research runs smoothly and produces the exact results expected. Have a flexible approach.

• Ask questions and ask for support when you need it. Never feel like you are on your own. You are not. You are part of a cohort.

• Keep reference publications to hand, this will provide you with vital information as you progress.

• Help us to keep spreading good practice and making improvements wherever possible. Tell us about your experiences, complete questionnaires and take part in activaties in the cohort and research community. You will get out what you put in.

• Keep a research diary – record why you made decisions along the way (you will forget when you are writing up your thesis!)

The first 3 months (October, November & December, Year 1)

Induction week

All students will start with the Induction week 1. This week is designed to provide you with useful context and technical information, to help you settle in, get to know your fellow students and set expectations over for your PhD/EngD. Further details for the induction will be released approximately one month before the event. All travel within the UK and accommodation will be paid for by the CDT. Details about how to advise your prferred travel arrangements will be provided by email.

Term 1, Year 1

All in-person CDT training is at either Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham or Sheffield University.

• Training is delivered in a hybrid format;

• Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are delivered online and synchronously (i.e. live) with resources accessed via Canvas at the University of Manchester.

• Wednesday afternoons and Thursday mornings are in-person training on a partner university campus

• You will arrange your train travel to the nominated university campus for in-person training. You can claim for the train ticket via an expense from to Fran. Ordinarily, you should arrange your return train journey to travel home on a Thursday afternoon.

• The CDT will arrange a hotel for the Wednesday night for students that are away from their home campus.

• Students will be able to claim expenses for both lunches and their dinner as part of the in-person cohort training programme, if none has been arranged by the CDT.

If requested, you will be issued with a basic Windows laptop that you will keep for semester 1 of Year 1, to complete the CDT core training. If for any reason you cannot attend any scheduled online or in-person workshop, recorded material and resources should be available on the Virtual Learning Environment (Canvas).

The first 3 months of the CDT programme is designed to be an intensive and general ‘fusion’ introduction. You will not be expected to do much research during this period, and should focus on the training. The course has been designed to cover a broad spectrum of topics and employs expertise from the partner Universities and members of the CDT Industry Expert Advisory Board. It may be that you have a good level of knowledge already for some parts of the training - as we have students from a wide variety of backgrounds, it is inveitable that some sections may be familiar to some. Please attend all the training sessions, and share your knowledge with your cohort peers.

You may have an opportunity to teach other students (most often undergraduates) at your home university. This is typically a positive experience and you are encouraged to get involved in teaching activities. However, the first 3 months will be dominated by the intensive CDT training, and we therefore make a strong recommendation that you delay any teaching activities until you have completed this part of the training programme.

Training programme (downloadable PDF)

Assessment

During the first 3 months of the programme you will engage with CDT core training, and an ‘assignment’ will be given at the end of each week to confirm that you undertstand the learning outcomes. It is important that you complete these assignments to progress to Year 2 of the CDT programme. Please note that the details of the training may be updated throughout the year.

• If you are unwell and unable to attend any training, you must led Sharon or Fran know immediately by email and completion of the Google form linked below.

• For anything longer then 5 days you will need to provide a GP letter to Sharon or Fran, and ensure your supervisor is aware of your absence. This relates to everybody on the CDT regardless of your home institution.

• PLEASE NOTE: If any training is missed you will be required to catch up on the content, and complete the assessment for an agreed later date - the revised assessment submission date should be proposed to Sharon and the training week lead by email, and approved by both.

Annual leave or illness

PGR students do not follow undergraduate semesters. PGRs are entitled to up to 40 days annual leave in any rolling 365 days, including bank holidays, when approved in advance from the supervisor/CDT. All annual leave must be requested in writing in advance by completing the form liked below. Most univeristies have a few closure days at Christmas and Easter that does not use the annual leave quota.

If you need to request annual leave within the first 3 months, please let us know immediately. Please note that annual leave requests for this period will usually be refused, unless in exceptional circumstances.

How to tell us about any absences (illness, holidays, project commitments)

If you are unwell during your training (throughout your PhD), or end up delayed due to travel – it is important that you let us know. You can do this using the form below. The same form can be used to notify us of any absence due to holidays and industrial/project commitments. If you are unwell for longer then 5 days whether for personal reasons (e.g. illness, family circumstances) or work-related reasons (e.g. requirements to attend statutory safety training), your absence should be alerted directly to a member of the CDT Management Group by email. It is important that you update your Supervisor so they are aware of what is going on.

Training absence notice & Leave notification Form

Supervision and pastoral care

The person who is directly responsible for you is your Academic Supervisor at your home university. Supervisors play a fundamental role in supporting research students throughout their programme. Your supervisor or supervisory team is responsible for helping you to manage your research, pastoral care and is your primary link to your department and the University. Your main supervisor is your first point of contact for any issues that arise throughout your programme. In addition to your PhD supervisor, students should use the CDT Director (Lee Margetts) as the local contact person while at Manchester for academic enquiries, and the CDT Manager for all other enquiries.

Each student will have at least 2 academic supervisors and an industrial supervisor. The academic supervisory team should meet with you at least once a fortnight throughout your PhD/EngD. Students are expected to have a meeting with their industry supervisor at least every 3 months. More informal interaction with the supervisors will be expected on a day-to-day basis with informal meetings taking place regularly.

Students should maintain brief minutes from each meeting in their supervisory log - this may be an online progression or supervision system at your university.

The role of the academic supervisor

The academic supervisor should;

• be approachable and accessible to the student

• give constructive and fair advice or recommendations to the student

• help plan deadlines in connection with the various reports that students must complete

• be available for frequent and adequate consultation

• ensure that the industrial supervisor is regularly updated with progress

• ensure that the student is supported to complete the programme of technical and professional skills training provided by the CDT

• make suitable arrangements for supervision in the event of their absence.

The role of the industry supervisor

• ensure the agreed deliverables and aims for the project are appropriate to the company aims.

• assist the student when they need to access to company materials, equipment or data.

• advise on local management and health and safety procedures.

• meet as required with the student to provide guidance on research progress, future directions and the industrial context of the work

• meet at least quarterly with the academic supervisor to ensure effective management and planning of the project

• ensure that the student is supported to complete the programme of technical and professional skills training provided by the CDT.