Year 1

You will begin your first year with six months of intensive taught training, followed by developing transferable skills and the start of your PhD project.

Months 1 – 6: Taught programme

The taught element of the CDT programme has a strong emphasis on experimental skills and techniques underpinning 2D materials research and the development of 2D materials applications.

This bespoke programme will be taught across 6 months at The University of Manchester, jointly by academics from The University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge.

It will consist of the following teaching methods:

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  Lecture series

  This will provide you with an overview of the fundamentals of 2D materials physics and chemistry.

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  Hands-on skills training

  You will receive extensive training to develop your experimental and computational skills. The training will be delivered in small groups, focusing on specialist techniques such as scanning probe methods, 2D material assembly and characterisation, liquid phase exfoliation, and optical spectroscopies (photoluminescence, Raman, infrared). It will also cover molecular dynamics and density functional theory simulations. Most sessions will take place at the National Graphene Institute, using state-of-the-art facilities.

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  Enquiry-based learning (EBL)

  You will work on enquiry-based learning projects (EBL) which will ensure you become familiar with up-to-date literature and develop skills in summarising and presenting research results.

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Choosing your PhD project

After you’ve been in the CDT for 3 months, you will start exploring options for your PhD project through open days with research mission coordinators and visits to UoM and UCAM research groups. All projects will form part of the CDT's research missions.

You will have a couple of months to discuss options with supervisors and research mission coordinators before making a final decision on your specific PhD research project. If you choose a research project at the University of Cambridge (UCAM), you will apply to your chosen college and, if accepted, transfer your registration to UCAM in month 7.

Months 7 – 12: Start your research project

The remainder of Year 1 will see you begin your research journey and you’ll develop transferable skills such as responsible research and innovation, project planning, and scientific communication.