DTP 2020-2021 University of Southampton

The University of Southampton consistently ranks within the top 8 UK Universities for EPSRC funding, in receipt of £200m, 3.6% of the total EPSRC budget & is one of EPSRC's Strategic Framework Partners. In REF2014, 97% of our research was judged as world leading or internationally excellent. 90% of our research impact was rated world leading. We are training 2700 doctoral research students, half of them in EPSRC remit. Covering the vast majority of the EPSRC themes, our research spans fundamental science to industrially/commercially relevant research. The training & supporting of PGRs to develop future leaders is vital to our mission. They form an integral part of our research community making important joint contributions & adding intellectual vitality. We use the DTP strategically to support the research mission of the University aligned with EPSRC priorities. The heart of our research mission is the support of excellence. The DTP sustains our internationally leading research groups, supports & develops emerging researchers capable of achieving global recognition & trains PGRs for future leadership. The DTP will enable us to offer c70 doctoral studentships annually, amounting to around 1/3 of our total annual intake in EPSRC remit. PGRs have access to state-of-the-art research facilities in which the University has made exceptional investments funded, in part, from a 10 year, £600m plan for enhancement of its research & education infrastructure. We anticipate that for DTP 2020/21 we will be offering at least the following number of studentships (subject to variations based on steers and emerging research activities): Chemistry (26), Electronics & Computer Science (26), Optoelectronics (20), Engineering (45), (EPSRC-remit) Physics (8), Mathematical Sciences (15) with others across interdisciplinary boundaries. These figures may increase with use of DTP flexibilities, augmented by other funding streams. We convert at least 10% of our studentships to CASE awards & use the IDS system to attract the very best international candidates to the UK. To attract the very best students regardless of background, we run a transparent admissions process with a common application form, selection against a person specification, by trained staff. Studentships are advertised at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk/vacancies.aspx?cat=882. Staff with high quality projects within EPSRC remit may apply for DTP funding through their DHoS (research). PGRs are trained & supervised in research groups. Each student is allocated to a trained supervisory team of at least two, supporting them through their study & guiding their journey from proposal to submitted thesis. The progression of PGRs is monitored regularly using online tools & face to face meetings, including independent advisors. Students have access to a research training support grant of around £1000 per year to enable them to attend conferences, purchase specialist equipment or access external training. Formal developmental training is provided by departments, faculties, professional services & the University Doctoral College. They deliver over 80 courses designed for PGRs to develop as independent researchers, to connect & collaborate with researchers from other disciplines & exploit the potential impact of their research, communicating this to peers & the public. Courses are offered in enterprise and there is support for student start-ups through its FutureWorlds incubator. A network of pastoral support is available from Faculty Graduate School teams, Senior Tutors, Enabling Services, wellbeing workshops, mediation services and students' union advice centres and societies. The DTP grant will offer 16 vacation internships allowing undergraduates to undertake summer research projects in world-class research groups. We will support the very best recent doctoral graduates, through approximately 12 doctoral prize awards to foster their growth as early career researcher leaders.