Teaching
This is a research-based programme but students will be expected to fully engage with a training and events programme provided throughout the four-years of the PhD. A range of courses relevant to Engineering Biology in plant cells and systems will be offered each year, with details provided in the student handbook. All students will attend an annual three-day residential training retreat and an annual symposium. In addition, students will have the option to take additional short (0.5 to 1 day) courses on topics and techniques in Engineering Biology thoughout the year.
In addition, all students on this programme will be members of the University’s Postgraduate School of Life Sciences (PSLS) which offers a wide variety of core skills and professional development training. Visit the Researcher Development page on the PSLS website for more information (https://www.postgradschl.lifesci.cam.ac.uk/GSLSRD)
| One to one supervision |
All students will be appointed a Supervisor for their PhD project who will give advice, encouragement and constructive criticism to research students. Students will meet with their supervisor regularly throughout their PhD; on average students can expect to receive at least one hour of supervision per week. This will, of course, vary by project, and over the duration of the course, with more supervision typically being given in the early stages of the research, and prior to submission. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University's expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Seminars & classes |
Students will be expected to fully engage with a training and events programme provided throughout the four-years of the PhD. A range of courses relevant to Engineering Biology in plant cells and systems will be offered each year. Postgraduate students are also asked to attend their Departmental Seminar series. Other sessions can be attended as needed, decided by a discussion with supervisors. |
| Lectures |
Lectures can be attended as needed, decided by a discussion with supervisors. |
| Small group teaching |
As needed, decided by a discussion with supervisors |
| Journal clubs |
As needed, decided by a discussion with supervisors |
| Literature Reviews |
One of the first activities students must undertake is the preparation of a project proposal. The purpose of this project proposal is to accustom students to academic writing and to provide an important opportunity to clarify their research project and the techniques to be used. |
| Posters and Presentations |
All full-time Phd students are asked to give seminars in their second and third years. The second-year seminar is a good opportunity for students to present their research project to date and receive feedback. The third-year seminar is an important opportunity for students to maturely defend their work to experts. All full-time third-year students are also asked to give a poster presentation. This is one of the standard ways of communicating scientific information in a public forum. The poster presentations provide students with the opportunity to inform the whole department about their work. Practising these different formats of communicating research will familiarise students with standard professional presentation skills. |
| Taught/Research Balance |
Entirely Research
|
Placements
All students must undertake a placement which lasts a minimum of three months. This placement does not need to occur in one single continuous period. Students have the option of undertaking:
A Professional Internships for PhD students (PIPS) type placement, where they work outside of academia and conduct work outside of their research project for a minimum of three months.
An internship with a project partner, where they work on their research project outside of their academic host setting for between three and 18 months, for example, CASE studentships
A combination approach, where the student spends part of their placement time on their research project but outside of their academic host setting, for example, CASE studentships, and the other part of their placement time also undertaking a PIPS-type placement
If the student chooses a combination approach, the PIPS element of their placement should be a maximum of three months, whereas the time spent on their research project outside of their academic host setting, for example, with a CASE partner, can be up to 18 months.
Feedback
After the end of each term, the primary supervisors will provide a brief report on each student via an online feedback and reporting system. The reports will be made available to students. Students are invited to make a self-assessment report anually in Michaelmas Term. This will allow students to review their own progress and highlight any difficulties they feel they are facing. Students will also receive written feedback on their project proposal, second year seminar and third year poster.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The formal assessment for a doctoral research degree is solely by examination of a thesis and an oral examination. Within forty-eight months after the start of a student's full-time PhD programme, they will be expected to have completed and submitted a thesis of no more than 60,000 words (80,000 by special permission) exclusive of tables, footnotes, bibliography, and appendices. Further information can be found here: Postgraduate study | Cambridge students
Once a student's thesis is submitted, two examiners will read it and write a separate report. They will then arrange to give students a viva voce exam in which they will closely question them about any and all aspects of their work. They will write a joint report on the viva. The viva is an opportunity for the examiners to make sure students fully understand their work and for them to explain, if necessary, any of the more abstruse aspects of their experimental findings.
Other
One of the first research activities that students must undertake is the preparation of their project proposal. The purpose of this project proposal is to accustom students to academic writing and to provide an opportunity to clarify their research aims and the techniques and approaches that they will use.
Nine months into the PhD, full-time students are asked to submit a first-year report (or part-time equivalent). This is a formal means of assessing students' progress and deciding whether they should continue to a PhD degree. Students will submit an extended piece of writing and participate in viva voce examination in which their project and research plans will be discussed, and they will defend the work completed to date and their research plans. Entry to the PhD programme is subject to satisfactory progress and passing a first-year viva voce examination based on this written report.