Information for Research Students
All information on research degree proceedures, guidelines, codes of practice, etc. is now on the new Research Office website, available from Studynet. Go to your Studynet homepage and click on the Research tab on the top bar.For day to day advice on your research degree, you should of course consult your supervisory team. In addition, please feel free to contact the PAM research tutor for advice and support.
PAM Research Tutor: Tim Gledhill
The STRI Research Degree Administrator is Lorraine Nichols, supported by Avis Cowley.
Training Opportunities for Researchers
Training is seen as a key element of personal development at all career stages. Teaching staff, Research Fellows and Postdoctoral Assistants have an annual staff development plan as part of their annual appraisal. Research students, in consultation with their supervisors, attend training sessions run by the Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR), Faculty, University and external organizations, and their progress is reviewed annually through the student monitoring programme. Satisfactory performance in our training programme is also a requirement for annual progression. This page gives an overview of the training opportunities available to researchers, both within and outside the University.
Research Student Checklist
- Agree regular (at least weekly) meetings with your supervisors. Keep a note of all meeting dates and write a summary of the meeting. A list of meeting dates will be required at annual monitoring.
- All supervisory teams must meet with the student as a full team at least three times per progression phase. This is a University requirement and checked at annual progression
- Whatever training you have it is extremely important that you keep a record of all training activity. Do make sure you include skills you may have taught yourself (e.g. how to use LINUX, Starlink Packages, Stats packages, WORD etc). Such a record is good practice and you may be required to show this at your annual monitoring.
- The 2009/2010 Generic Training for Researchers (GTR) course booklet describes all Generic Training sessions and timetables. The online version of the GTR booklet is available via the Research tab on your Studynet homepage. This year the Induction for New Research Students will be online via StudyNet.
- In addition, students and their supervisors should agree an appropriate level of attendance at the CAR Graduate Training Course in Astronomy. It is expected that all full time first year students (PhD and MSc) will attend these lectures, which run for 2 hours per week throughout the year. A satisfactory training program is required as part of a student's Registration and will be assessed as part of the Annual Progression process. Second and Third year students ishould attend any session they have missed in the first year. The CAR training schedule s given in the table below.
- Read through the material on training opportunities below. Note that some courses (e.g. STFC's media training courses) occur early in the academic year so check dates!
- In addition to these training programmes, you and your supervisory team should be compiling a list of the specialised knowledge relevant to your research programme. This will normally be available through research papers, especially reviews, texts and web-based resources. Supervisors should ensure that students are given the specific references, and the timescales for gaining the knowledge.
Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR) Training
- CAR offers an extensive program of Astronomy Research Training sessions (below), intended to be directly relevant to those carrying out a program of research in astronomy and physics. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory at least once during your research degree. Students should agree a schedule of attendance at these sessions at the beginning of the academic year and this will be reviewed at the annual monitoring stage and will also form part or the Annual Progression Assessment.
- Students are required to participate in their own Journal Club . This is intended as a regular (weekly) forum for students to present material to each other, gain experience giving talks, discuss recent conference or observing trips, and to review recent important developments in their field (e.g. by appraising a recent paper).The Journal Club will be organized by Volker Heesen and Mark Gallaway this year.
- Students are required to attend the CAR's Seminar Program.The Seminar Organizers this year are Ben Burningham and David Bonfield.
- First and second year PhD students, along with MSc (Res) students, are required to give a short presentation on their project to colleagues. This will take place in June 2010 and details will be circulated.
- Final year PhD students are expected to give a longer talk on their project and are invited to participate in the CAR seminar program (this should be arranged with the Seminar Organizer).
CAR Post-Graduate Astronomy Course 2009/2010
The following table gives the current schedule for the CAR Research Student training talks. The schedule may be updated throughout the year, so please check frequently to see what is happening where/when. Also listed are a selection of relevant GTR courses: for the full course list see the GTR booklet (you should have a copy, plus the online version is avaliable through studynet). In addition there are weekly Journal Clubs and Seminars. Please make yourself aware of the Seminar and Journal Club programme.View presentation slides by clicking course title below (intranet only).
| Date | Time | Room | Lecture | Leader |
| Wed 07 Oct | 13.00 | E350 | PAM Jamboree | Matt Jarvis |
| Mon 12 Oct | 13.00 | G156 | Introduction to CAR Computing Resources - desktop - accounts - disk space - backup - email - IT support |
John Atkinson |
| Tue 13 Oct | 13.00 | F324 | Introduction to Linux and the Desktop - basic commands - files - processes - devices - unix shell |
John Atkinson |
| Wed 14 Oct | 09.45 | GTR : Out of the Starting Blocks: Registering a Research Degree Programme; Getting to the End on Time; Literature Review | ||
| Thu 15 Oct | 13.00 | GTR : Annual Assessment and Progression | ||
| Mon 19 Oct | 13.00 | G156 | Introduction to Astronomical Software -Starlink packages - IRAF - AIPS - IDL - Others |
Tim Gledhill |
| Tue 20 Oct | 13.00 | F324 | Unix Shell Scripting | Tim Gledhill |
| Thu 22 Oct | 09.00 | GTR : Teaching for research students (full day) | ||
| Mon 26 Oct | 13.00 | G156 | Extragalactic Overview- Hubble sequence - the galaxyzoo - multi-wavelength view | Elias Brinks |
| Tue 27 Oct | 13.00 | F324 | Star Formation in the Milky Way - Young stellar populations - SF regions - the IMF - SF history |
Mark Thompson |
| Thu 29 Oct | 13.00 | GTR : If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail: Project management | ||
| Mon 02 Nov | 13.00 | G156 | Research Structure in the UK - research structure, funding, decision making | Jim Hough |
| Tue 03 Nov | 13.00 | F324 | Web page authoring I | John Atkinson |
| Thu 05 Nov | 15.00 | GTR : Proof Reading | ||
| Mon 09 Nov | 13.00 | G156 | The Milky Way | Janet Drew |
| Tue 10 Nov | 13.00 | F324 | Web Page authoring II | John Atkinson |
| Thu 12 Nov | 13.00 | GTR : Priorities, time and self-management | ||
| Mon 16 Nov | 13.00 | G156 | Radiation processes | Jonathan Granot |
| Tue 17 Nov | 13.00 | F324 | Low Mass Star Formation - mechanisms - observation/theory - surveys - current research |
Phil Lucas |
| Wed 18 Nov | 09.00 | GTR : Rapid reading (full day) | ||
| Thu 19 Nov | 09.00 | GTR : Maximise your memory (full day) | ||
| Mon 23 Nov | 13.00 | G156 | Stellar Evolution I - low mass evolution: AGB - mass-loss - nucleosynthesis - post-AGB - PNe - WDs | Tim Gledhill |
| Tue 24 Nov | 13.00 | F324 | High Mass Star Formation | Mark Thompson |
| Thu 26 Nov | 13.00 | GTR : The Viva and examination process | ||
| Thu 26 Nov | 15.00 | GTR : The British PhD and how to bag one | ||
| Mon 30 Nov | 13.00 | G156 | Binary Stellar Evolution - binary formation - interaction and common envelope - Type 1a SNe | Ralf Napiwotzki |
| Tue 01 Dec | 09.30 | GTR : Producing and managing websites using DreamWeaver (all day) | ||
| Wed 02 Dec | 14.00 | GTR : Epistemology: The theory of knowledge | ||
| Mon 07 Dec | 09.00 | GTR : Technical Writing (2 day course) | ||
| Tue 08 Dec | 09.00 | GTR : Technical Writing (2 day course) | ||
| Tue 15 Dec | 11.00 | E115 | Stellar Evolution II high mass: note new time and venue | Tim Gledhill |
| Tue 15 Dec | 13.00 | GTR : Plagiarism and how to avoid it | ||
| Thu 17 Dec | 13.00 | GTR : Thesis, what thesis? | ||
| Christmas Break | ||||
| Mon 11 Jan | 13.00 | G156 | X Ray Astronomy- x-ray sources (and gamma-ray) - facilities | Martin Hardcastle |
| Tue 12 Jan | 13.00 | F324 | The Nearby Universe | Elias Brinks |
| Wed 13 Jan | 09.30 | GTR : Critical Reading (all day) | ||
| Mon 18 Jan | 13.00 | F315 | Galaxy Structure | Elias Brinks |
| Tue 19 Jan | 13.00 | D450 | Galaxy Evolution I | Matt Jarvis |
| Wed 20 Jan | 09.00 | GTR : Knowledge and Enterprise (all day) | ||
| Thu 21 Jan | 13.00 | GTR : Life after PhD: Managing your career | ||
| Mon 25 Jan | 13.00 | F312 | Galaxy Evolution II | Matt Jarvis |
| Tue 26 Jan | 13.00 | F306 | Galaxy Evolution III - dynamical evolution: N-body - SPH - SF & feedback - mergers |
Matt Jarvis |
| Thu 28 Jan | 13.00 | GTR : Research oriented writing skills | ||
| Mon 01 Feb | 13.00 | F312 | Statistics for Astronomers I | Martin Hardcastle |
| Tue 02 Feb | 13.00 | F306 | Statistics for Astronomers II | Martin Hardcastle |
| Thu 04 Feb | 13.00 | GTR : Life after PhD II | ||
| Thu 04 Feb | 15.00 | GTR : Proof reading | ||
| Mon 08 Feb | 13.00 | F312 | Galaxy Clusters and Intercluster Medium- X-ray - mass - density - origin - cooling flows - cD galaxies | Martin Hardcastle |
| Tue 09 Feb | 13.00 | F306 | Statistics for Astronomers III | Martin Hardcastle |
| Mon 15 Feb | 13.00 | F312 | Proposal Writing | Matt Jarvis |
| Tue 16 Feb | 13.00 | F306 | Statistics for Astronomers IV | Martin Hardcastle |
| Wed 17 Feb | 09.00 | GTR : Publicising your research (all day) | ||
| Thu 18 Feb | 13.00 | GTR : Life after PhD III | ||
| Mon 22 Feb | 09.00 | GTR : Rapid Reading (all day) | ||
| Tue 23 Feb | 13.00 | F306 | Introduction to High Energy Astrophysics - observations, physics and objects |
Jonathan Granot |
| Wed 24 Feb | 09.00 | GTR : How to be an effective researcher (2 day workshop) | ||
| Thu 25 Feb | 09.00 | GTR : How to be an effective researcher (2 day workshop) | ||
| Mon 01 Mar | 13.00 | F312 | The substellar IMF - Brown Dwarfs - current research, observations, theory, surveys | David Pinfield |
| Tue 02 Mar | 13.00 | F306 | Properties of Active Galactic Nuclei I | Marc Sarzi |
| Thu 04 Mar | 09.00 | GTR : Registering a research degree programme | ||
| Mon 08 Mar | 13.00 | F312 | Properties of Active Galactic Nuclei II | Marc Sarzi |
| Tue 09 Mar | 13.00 | F306 | Planetary Systems - solar system - planet formation - debris discs | Tim Gledhill |
| Thu 11 Mar | 13.00 | GTR : Thesis, what thesis? | ||
| Thu 11 Mar | 15.00 | GTR : Annual assessment and progression | ||
| Mon 15 Mar | 09.00 | GTR : Technical Writing (2 day course) | ||
| Tue 16 Mar | 09.00 | GTR : Technical Writing (2 day course) | ||
| Mon 22 Mar | 15.00 | E115 | The Magellanic Clouds | Maria-Rosa Cioni |
| Tue 23 Mar | 15.00 | E115 | The Stellar Populations of Local Group Galaxies | Maria-Rosa Cioni |
| Wed 24 Mar | 13.00 | E115 | Introduction to High Energy Astrophysics
- observations, physics and objects |
Jonathan Granot |
| Mon 29 Mar | 15.00 | E115 | Extrasolar Planets 1- background - detection techniques - surveys | Hugh Jones |
| Tue 30 Mar | 13.00 | F306 | Extrasolar Planets II - formation - atmospheres - remote sensing - missions | Hugh Jones |
| Easter | Mon 5th Apr is Easter Monday | |||
| Mon 12 Apr | 13.00 | F312 | Galaxy Dynamics | Jim Collett |
| Tue 13 Apr | 13.00 | F306 | Introduction to Cosmology - review - cosmological parameters - Friedmann - metrics | Matt Jarvis |
| Mon 19 Apr | 13.00 | F312 | Special Relativity in Astrophysics | Jonathan Granot |
| Tue 20 Apr | 13.00 | F306 | The CMB - observations COBE - WMAP - Planck - dark ages - reionization | Jason Stevens |
| Mon 26 Apr | 13.00 | F312 | Shocks and particle acceleration I - Basics | Jonathan Granot |
| Tue 27 Apr | 13.00 | F306 | Shocks and particle acceleration II - SNe and GRBs | Jonathan Granot |
| Tue 04 May | 13.00 | TBA | Structure Formation - high z structures - simulations - clustering - Pop III | Matt Jarvis |
| Mon 10 May | 13.00 | F312 | Stellar Atmospheres - stellar spectra - line formation - broadening - models | Ralf Napiwotzki |
| Tue 11 May | 13.00 | D450 | The publication process | Janet Drew |
| Mon 17 May | 13.00 | F312 | Interferometry - current and planned facilities - techniques | Elias Brinks |
| Tue 18 May | 13.00 | D450 | Infrared to millimetre Astronomy - IR, submm and mm astronomy and facilities | Mark Thompson |
| Mon 24 May | 13.00 | F312 | Magnetic fields in astrophysics | Tim Gledhill |
| Tue 25 May | 13.00 | F306 | Optical/IR instrumentation and Adaptive Optics | Phil Lucas |
| Break before Student Talks | ||||
| 14-16 Jun | 09.30 | LC108 | Student Research Presentations | Tim Gledhill |
STRI and School Training Opportunities
- The School of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics hosts a number of lectures on behalf of the Institute of Physics. These are usually held on Wednesday evenings at 7.00pm. The schedule is normally circulated via email at the beginning of term.
- Any student doing more than an occasional support of teaching, should attend the 3-day course run by the Centre
for the Enhancement of Learning & Teaching rather than the course offered within the GTR programme.
- The STRI (Science and Technology Research Institute) offers the following courses (Dates to be confirmed):
- Endnote
- Latex
- Linux/Unix
- Matlab
- Statistics and Numerical Analysis
- C++/Visual Basic
- WEB authoring
- Entrepreneurial Skills (in conjunction with the Business Partnership Office)
University-wide Training and Information
- Subscribe to the research@herts.ac.uk email list to receive regular updates on training, GTR and general research issues. Email j.angel@herts.ac.uk to subscribe to this list.
- The University offers a Generic Training for Researchers (GTR) Programme for research students and other postgraduate researchers. In the case of research students, a portfolio of sessions should be agreed with your supervisor at the beginning of your project. Attendance at these sessions is mandatory. A list of agreed sessions with be attached to your Registration Form and progress will be reviewed during annual monitoring interview. Sessions that are recommended for CAR students are included in the CAR Training Programme schedule above. Consult the GTR handbook for a complete list of courses offered. The GTR handbook is available via Studytnet.
- The University offers a wide range of courses through its People Development Unit (PDU), and these courses are available to students, PDRAs and Research Fellows. Although the PDU does make a charge the costs will normally be covered.
- Attending a course on supervising research students is mandatory for all postdoctoral researchers who become involved in research student supervision.
STFC, RCUK and Vitae Training Opportunities
For STFC students the Research Council offers a range of training courses. Courses and Events organised by Vitae are often open to non-research council students.
-
The UK GRAD Programme is now known as Vitae and offers courses and information relevant to all students. Attendance at a GRAD school is regarded as mandatory. Second Year Students should arrange to attend a National GRAD Course.
- Transferable Skills is an area of increasing importance. STFC researchers can find more information on STFC's web pages.
- The Pupil Researcher Initiative program is a nationwide initiative funded by STFC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The PRI's main aim is to stimulate the study of science, engineering and technology among GCSE science students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Standard Grade science students in Scotland. This is done mainly by linking schools, teachers and students with the world of research. Of particular interest is Researchers in Residence - a very popular scheme in which Research Council funded Researchers (Students, PDRAs, Fellows) from university departments and labs are paired with a school. Young enthusiastic scientists can be excellent role models for pupils.
- STFC will also support attendance at summer schools (or similar events) where the students receive discipline-specific training relevant to their research programme. Supervisors should contact STFC Education & Training directly.
For detailed information on all sapects of STFC studentships, please refer to the STFC Studentship Handbook