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Teaching
During their PhD, students are based in a research group, supported by their primary supervisor and the Institute's Postgraduate Education Committee and Postgraduate Student Committee. There is no taught or examined coursework, but students are encouraged to attend a wide variety of lectures and training courses available to them across the University. This includes the University Core Skills Training Programme, which includes sessions on Time Management, Presentation and Performance and Scientific Writing.
All students studying in the Institute will be required to undertake some essential induction training when they first start. This includes various safety inductions and facility introductory courses on Imaging, Flow Cytometry and Bioinformatics, as well as centrally-run Statistics courses.
| One to one supervision | Students are supervised on a day-to-day basis by their Principal Supervisor plus often a senior postdoc within the group. Discussions are held on a daily basis at the bench and a weekly basis during lab meetings. On average, the supervisor will meet with the students every two weeks to discuss progress. 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 | All first year postgraduate students at the Institute are encouraged to participate in the 'Stem Cell Discussion Course' which occurs weekly during term-time. All students are expected to attend all internal and external seminars held within the Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, including the 'Research Culture and Integrity' seminar series. Institute Staff and Students are also encouraged to attend the various research seminars, talks and workshops held across the Biomedical Research Campus and elsewhere within the University. Students at the Institute 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. |
| Small group teaching | Weekly lab meetings within the research group. |
| Journal clubs | This varies according to the research group that the student has chosen. |
| Posters and Presentations | Throughout their PhD, students will give research talks and poster presentations within the Institute. All PhD students at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute are expected to participate in the annual 'CSCI PhD Symposium', at which students entering their final year give an oral presentation, and all other postgraduate students are invited to present a poster. |
Feedback
Students receive feedback regarding their progress in the form of online termly reports (Postgraduate Feedback and Reporting System (PFRS)) completed by their supervisor.
Additional verbal feedback will be provided frequently by the project supervisor as part of the day-to-day supervision and in regular lab meetings.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The PhD is assessed via submission of a PhD thesis and a subsequent viva. The thesis is not to exceed 60,000 words (80,000 by special permission) excluding bibliography, figures, appendices, etc.
Other
All PhD students are required to undergo formal assessment (by written report and viva) at the end of their first year (the "First Year Assessment"). If successful, the student moves from being "probationary" to being registered for the PhD and can proceed with their thesis project.
Throughout their PhD, students will give research talks at departmental events. In addition, they can take part in events and competitions organised within the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences and by the University.