Further development opportunities

We provide a broad range of training courses and opportunities to develop to support your learning and help you build up a portfolio of transferable skills.

The CDT organised careers advisor 1-2-1 meeting was more helpful and practical…it gave the opportunity to discuss specific sectors and to look through LinkedIn and other associations which I was advised to target in looking at future career prospects.
Steffan Llewellyn / CDT graduate based in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

You will require these skills when undertaking your research, and they will help you become more confident when presenting.

They will also be useful when you get involved in public engagement and work with industry.

There are also many other opportunities to informally develop skills you will find invaluable both during and after the programme.

Read more about the types of training development opportunities available to you below.

Training to support your studies

The following training courses are mandatory to your programme.

Careers

You will be offered several opportunities to work with the University's Careers Service, including CV and interview guidance, LinkedIn and social medial support, industry talks and personalised one-to-one sessions with a careers consultant who will offer tailored advice to support your future aspirations.

Equality and diversity

The University has taken steps to ensure all its employees and students receive appropriate training that will equip them the necessary skills and abilities required to work in a diverse environment. It is important that all staff and students are aware of their personal responsibilities as a member of the university committee. Mandatory online modules have been designed for you to become familiar with equality legislation and understand the broader issues of equality and diversity.

Export control

As a student at The University of Manchester you have a legal obligation to be aware of and comply with Export Control legislation. In order to help ensure that all staff and research students are aware of their responsibilities the university has developed compulsory ‘Understanding Export Controls’ training that you will be required to complete.

Health and safety

You will be provided with a combination of face-to-face and online health and safety training, to keep you and your colleagues safe when working in the labs, working in various University buildings, handling equipment and general safety concerns.

Introduction to research

In your first year you will be offered the opportunity to learn about how to approach and structure a research project. This includes:

prioritisation,
time management,
where to find support,
how to get the best from your supervisor,
academic writing,
as well as other subjects.

This is just one example of a range of support available from Researcher Development team with the Faculty of Science and Engineering that will guide you through your PhD.

Referencing, plagiarism and academic malpractice

You will be provided with links to various university documents, guidance and online training modules in good academic practice including an introduction in how to reference correctly, an understanding of, and how to avoid, plagiarism and an explanation of university academic malpractice procedures.

Development opportunities

Opportunities marked with an * are mandatory to all students.

Annual away day *

Every year all staff and students are invited to attend the CDT away day.

This has been held at various locations (the Lake District for example) and each year we invite Carnegie Great Outdoors to lead us on a number of indoor and outdoor exercises designed to be fun, physically and mentally active for all abilities and specifically designed to boost teamwork and communication.

Find out more about Carnegie Great Outdoors
CDT representation

Members of our CDT are frequently asked to speak to honoured guests as they visit and tour the University.

Students representatives of the CDT speak about their research and the importance of the overall work being undertaken on the programme.

In recent years guests have included members of the UK parliament.
Graphene hackathon

Design. Prototype. Pitch. The first ever graphene hackathon was developed by a group of CDT students who have turned it into an annual event, bringing together enthusiastic teams from around the world working to develop ground-breaking solutions to everyday problems with graphene. Teams have 24 hours to develop an idea, build a prototype and pitch it to a panel of academic and industry experts for cash prizes! To find out more visit the Graphene hackathon website and sign up to participate in the next hack. Who knows you may just develop the next graphene related wonder product!
Lancaster University visit

The CDT runs in partnership with Lancaster University who run several lab projects during the six-month training period and also offer high quality research projects.

The visit is aimed at introducing students to the outstanding research being undertaken and the project opportunities available to CDT students.

There are tours of the facilities, presentations by researchers and current CDT students based at Lancaster and the day is completed with an introduction to the city of Lancaster and a private tour of its famous castle.
Industry visits *

Every year the CDT arranges a minimum of two visits to industry.

These visits offer an opportunity for students to learn more about an industry and how their own research is having an impact.

There are opportunities to network, showcase student research and learn more about research outside of academia. Previous excursion destinations have included Alderley Science Park, BAE Systems and Astra-Zeneca.
Open days

The Graphene NOWNANO CDT has an information stand at The University of Manchester's postgraduate research open day on campus. Students are on hand to talk about their research, their CDT experience, and how graphene is already having a huge impact on the world.

We also hold our own open day every December. This includes talks by CDT staff, research supervisors and current students, as well as a tour of the facilities.

If you are interested in finding out more information about attending an open day please contact us.