AtMol Graduate Training
Training in specific research skills and in broader transferable skills is widely recognised
as an essential element of any Ph.D. course. Although, many of these skills are developed during
the course of the research project, some skills either require explicit teaching or developing in
parallel to the research project. Below there is a brief summary of the required training
commitments specific to students pursuing a Ph.D. in atomic and molecular physics.
First year - requirements:
To progress to Ph.D. status requires the successful completion of several elements within nine months from the date of commencing:
Postgraduate Courses
All students are required to successfully complete a minimum of 4 courses from the range of Postgraduate Lectures taught within the department during Michaelmas and Epiphany terms of their first year.
The exact choice of courses must be agreed with the PhD supervisor and in most cases must include a recognised core set of courses specific to a PhD
in atomic and molecular physics. Further details of the available courses and the current timetable can be viewed
here.
Note: It is expected that students in atomic and molecular physics devote
no more than Monday to Wednesday on covering material relating to the course homeworks.
Thursday and Friday are
strictly reserved for work on individual research projects.
First year report and presentation
In May/June students are required to give a 40-45 minute presentation to the Atomic and Molecular Physics group which gives
an overview of their Ph.D. project together with specific details of the research they have performed in the first year.
Following the completion of the presentations, students are required to prepare and submit a research report again describing aspects of their research to date
and its context within their wider Ph.D. project. The deadline for submission of the report is usually mid-June for students starting on 1 October.
First year viva
Shortly after the submission of the research report each student will sit a one-hour oral examination with two members of
staff. During this examination they may be questioned on all aspects of their project and, if appropriate, material relating
to the Advanced Course in Atomic and Molecular Physics.
Each of these elements, together with Ph.D. supervisor's assessment of performance, contribute with equal weighting towards
the assessment as to whether the student has achieved the required standard to transfer on to the second year of the Ph.D. course.
Additional requirements:
All students in all years are required to attend the Seminars and Journal Club Talks held on Wednesdays at 4:15pm during
term time. The seminar series is regarded as an important part of the graduate education, delivering a wider appreciation
and understanding of research in other related areas of atomic physics.
Journal Club Talks
Each student is required to give a Journal Club Talk as part of the regular seminar series in both the second and third
years of their Ph.D. The topic to be agreed with the Ph.D. supervisor should be based around a recent high impact journal
article, but should not be closely related to the students own research project.
All experimentalists (and some theorists) are required to attend the weekly group meeting held on Mondays at 10am.
In this informal forum students and staff regularly present details of their recent research both to inform the wider atomic physics
group of their progress and to obtain feedback/advise on specific topics. First year students are NOT required to give presentations in the first term,
though their attendance is still compulsory and they will be included in the schedule after the Christmas break.
