DTP 2018-2019 Aston University

Most of Aston's research in EPS subject areas is undertaken in the School of Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) with areas of excellence in the other Schools (notably Aston Business School and the School of Life and Health Sciences).

EAS has recently moved its research to an Institute structure, building on the world-leading success of EBRI (the European Bioenergy Research Institute) and AIPT (Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies). SARI (the Systems Analytics Research Institute - incorporating the Non-linearity and Complexity Group) was formally launched at the start of 2015, while two further Institutes, the Aston Institute for Materials Research (AIMR) and the Aston Logistics and Systems Institute (ALSI) were founded in 2016, complemented by the Aston STEM Education Centre (ASEC). These Institutes embody our research priority areas where DTP-funded studentships will be made available, alongside Servitisation Research in the Aston Business School (ABS) and the Physical Science/Life Science nexus in The School of Life and Health Sciences (LHS).

Every student will be a member of a Research Institute to support both their generic and technical training needs and to allow the students to function effectively as a cohort. The Institutes ensure there are critical masses of researchers leading to a vibrant research culture. Students will be encouraged to join the Institute that is the most appropriate for them. Those students who are on projects allocated to ABS and LHS will be expected to make use of the equivalent provision within those Schools and to join the most appropriate Institute within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Over the first year of their studies, the entire cohort of PGR students will study in an Integrated Graduate Research Environment. Training needs analysis will be carried out by supervisors. Compulsory modules will include generic research skills and time management, collaborative research, academic writing/presentation skills, entrepreneurship, and outreach. Optional modules will develop the students' technical skills relevant to their research project.

We normally expect PhD students to have weekly meetings with their supervisors and monitor progress through the documentation of these meetings. Three times per year there are formal progress review meetings that must be documented.

At the end of their first year, students prepare a qualifying report on their research and their research plan, and are examined in a formal viva. At the end of the second year, students should either prepare a progress report or give a presentation: in addition, there is an expectation that students will have at least one publication submitted to a peer-reviewed conference or journal. At the start of their third year of study, students are expected to provide a thesis outline and write-up plan.

For the coming DTP period our strategy is to strengthen the research student community through investment in around 14 studentships per year on top of those provided by the DTP. The focus will be on using the majority of the studentships to help develop the careers of a cohort of new academics who have recently joined Aston.

More information on the postgraduate experience at Aston can be found on our Graduate School's web page: http://www.aston.ac.uk/current-students/graduateschool/

Specific opportunities for PhD research can be found on the relevant School research web pages:

http://www.aston.ac.uk/eas/research/prospective-research-students/ http://www.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/programmes/research/ http://www.aston.ac.uk/lhs/research/postgraduate-research/