Training
Formalised research training is becoming an ever more important part of a PhD, and Supergen FlexNet has made a significant contribution to this. Our consortium's scale offered opportunities for consortium-wide training activities that would not be worthwhile for a single university to provide. Our funded PhD students have created critical mass for three research training modules, which were also open to other students from within our institutions, from other Supergen consortia, and from elsewhere in the UK and abroad. The aim is to produce researchers comfortable with working across disciplines, and therefore to introduce students to disciplines that are not familiar to them. Each residential module lasted for a week, and covered:
- The electricity system (Durham). An overview from a largely engineering viewpoint, considering networks, generation technologies, and future trends
- Economics of electricity (Birmingham). Economic models of the industry, including both regulated and market-based sectors.
- Psychology of electricity (Exeter). An overview of social-psychological aspects of generation, supply and consumption
We also ran an annual networking workshop, with presentations mainly by consortium PhD students, which is also attended by academics (in a supportive role) and open to other PhD students. When the FlexNet programme is completed, it is anticipated that HubNet will organise equivalent events.
The vast majority of students have also taken part in a research visit to broaden their experience. During their training, we identified a host institution (a department in the consortium or one of our stakeholder partners) for the student to visit for an appropriate period (generally a month), working on a specific project under the guidance of researchers based at the host. We have also placed some students at organisations outside the consortium — the placements flyer gives information and some examples of what our students have done.
Our students naturally also play a full part in the regular consortium and workstream meetings (nearly half of the presentations at our last consortium meeting were by PhD students). These additional, targeted, activities ensure that our students are comfortable with inter-disciplinary research, that they have their own network of peers, and that they have experience of working at more than one institution.
Contact Workstream leader: Richard Green
To give some idea, below are links to profiles of past PhD students that have worked under the Supergen research programs:
Dr. Charlotte Ramsay
Dr. Nagaraju Pogaku
Dr. Yun Tiam Tan