Expectations of a CDT researcher

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

• Professional conduct:

  • Treat the CDT like a job - you are not an undergraduate. You are an ambassador for the CDT and the reputation of the Universities and the CDT is your responsibility.

  • Show courtesy and consideration towards colleagues and staff. This encompasses professional standards, such as timely email responses and punctuality to all meetings.

  • In-person meetings - your phone is on silent, do not engage in conversation with other meeting attendees during presentations or perform other tasks during meetings. It is rude to the presenter.

  • Dress code - follow a ‘smart-casual’ style for all in-person events - as there will be external visitors from other universities and companies present and first impressions are important.

  • Online meetings - have your camera on at all times, actively contribute to discussions and tasks/activities.

• Prioritizing academic development: Diligently engaging with the training program, recognizing its significance. Send apologies to the meeting host in advance if you are unable to attend, and complete the absence notification form.

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

• Foster a supportive cohort: Cultivate 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.

• Valuable industry collaborations: Promoting effective and productive interactions with supervisors and industry contacts, including timely availability, consistent meeting attendance, and open knowledge sharing.

CDT PGR Charter - we wil ask you to sign this in the indcuction week

Engagement with Training

To manage the administrative workload for booking hotels, trains, and catering for the cohort for CDT training and so that external trainers can prepare resources for the group size, we require ALL students to respond promptly to requests for information to arrange travel and accommodation for training.

From Year 2 onwards you must register for ALL Tritium training workshops in advance via the CDT Training Registration Microsoft Form. Each workshop will have a clear registration close date (minimum 6 weeks prior to the workshop).

Engagement with Training Policy PDF download

Definitions

1. CDT training includes all workshops during Protium and Tritium, and CDT conferences (National Student Conference in Fusion Engineering).

2. Satisfactory engagement is >80% attendance to CDT training events.

3. Engagement is defined as;

• Attendance - at in-person and online CDT workshops.

• Participation - professional behaviour during workshops & providing feedback afterwards

• Competency - evidencing the skills via the CEng Portfolio or other acceptable coursework

Expectations

1. The PGR Charter is signed by all students during induction, in which Clause 5 sets out the expectation that everyone will engage with the CDT training (“You will attend all training programme events in the CDT that are timetabled.”)

2. Students will meet the satisfactory engagement threshold in Years 2, 3 and 4.

3. All students must register for CDT Training workshops via the CDT Training Registration Microsoft Form before the advertised registration close date.

4. Students will make every possible effort to attend, but where this is not possible, they will request absence from a CDT workshop via the CDT Training Registration Microsoft Form.

5. Supervisors approval is needed to request an authorised absence - you should ask your supervisor to confirm their approval for your absence by email to Sharon.

6. Requests for absence will be reviewed by the CDT Management Group and approval/refusal will be confirmed via email to the student.

7. Where a student is absent without CDT approval, this will be recorded as unauthorised absence.

Monitoring

1. Engagement (all 3 components) will be recorded for all training.

2. Student engagement will be reviewed annually, at the end of each academic year, by the CDT management group.

3. Where a student has met the engagement requirement, this will be confirmed by email.

4. Impact of not meeting attendance expectation

5. Where a student has failed to meet the engagement requirement, this will be informed by email to the student and supervisors, with a meeting arranged for all parties.

6. Failure to engage satisfactorily with CDT training in any year may lead to withdrawal of the CDT RTSG funding (Conferences & Summer Schools and Placement budgets) for the remainder of the students programme.

Impact

The CDT reports on impact and outputs to UKAEA as part of it’s annual reporting. Please record your outputs each time something noteworthy is created or arranged in our Impact Log. Activities that should be recorded include;

• publications (you can record those submitted as well as published)

• conference presentations

• placements/internships

• awards/prizes

• external to the CDT media/engagement

• policy / industry influence or investment

• patents, IP and spin-outs

Inclusion

The CDT community (staff, students and supervisors) should uphold our committment to Inclusion in Fusion. The CDT is committed to;

1. widening participation in fusion and enabling first degree students from under-represented groups to translate through into fusion leadership roles.

2. providing an inclusive environment where all members are treated fairly with respect and dignity, and feel like they belong and can thrive.

3. providing equality of opportunity where individual difference is appreciated and respected, ensuring equitable and fair treatment for all regardless of a person’s characteristics.

4. supporting students through a Student Voice forum to provide a platform for individuals to raise concerns.

5. addressing underrepresentation in fusion through targeted action in recruitment, to encourage balance in attraction and selection of supervisors and students.

Supervision

The person who is directly responsible for your academic progress and general well-being is your Academic Supervisor at your home university. Your supervisor or supervisory team is responsible for helping you to manage your research, pastoral care and signposting you to within your University. Your academic supervisors are your first point of contact for any issues that arise throughout your doctoral programme, but if they are unavailable or it is affecting your studies, please get in touch with Fran or Sharon, and we will do our best to help you.

Each student should have 2 academic supervisors and, in most cases, 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 a lower frequency, perhaps every 3 months. More informal interaction with the supervisors research group is expected on a day-to-day basisy.

Students should maintain brief notes from each supervisory meeting in their research diary - there will be an online progression or supervision system at your university.

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.

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 feedback questionnaires and take part in activities 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!)