Are there many opportunities to travel?

Yes, plenty! As part of the CDT course you will make several trips, including a visit to a TRIGA reactor in Romania and spending some time in the National Laboratory in the USA. On top of that there are always opportunities and budget for you to travel to relevant conferences and facilities.

Very many. I’ve had to turn down a number of offers. If you want to travel, it is absolutely possible. 

Quite a few national and international travels are included in the NEF CDT program. Most travels are for CDT courses within partner universities. However, nearly once a year we travel abroad all together. This includes for instance going to the Romanian Institute for Nuclear Research in the first year and visiting the Idaho and Oak ridge laboratories in our last year. The winter school, a 3 day ‘conference’ in the UK with other nuclear CDT cohorts is also taking place every year and is very appreciated by everyone of us.

How much time do you spend in the lab/writing/reading journals?

In the beginning, reading journals and making notes was a very important aspect. This filled all the time I had between CDT modules so that I could confidently familiarise myself with the particulars of my research area. This has now moved where simulation work is now predominant with writing and researching journals a smaller part, but still important. 

This depends on your research project but I would also say it may depend on your personal preferences. In the first months of my PhD I have spent (as many PhDs) most of my time reading articles and books. I also decided to begin using software for basic simulations which would later be improved. I could have chosen to do some experimental work instead but found more interest in simulations and in the theory of my research project. After some time, you are likely to get some flexibility and may decide what is best spending your time on.

Do you get much of a social life?

This depends on your current position. If you have a lot of work to get on with, you will gravitate towards doing work. But, from the start, it has always been suggested that you maintain a form of social life to avoid burning yourself out. I agree with this fully. 

Here is an area where you are given some freedom, as a PhD researcher you are in charge of your own time – so if you’d like to plan your workload around your Thursday afternoon samba class you can!

Its important to set boundaries with your supervisor when you start, some will expect a variation of a 9-5, some will be happy with whenever you do the work as long as you get it done. But also, be clear to yourself about when you should start working and when you should stop, setting a working routine can help with this. 

But as a PhD student you can expect to have as active as social life as you would like! You’re able to join any university societies as you would as an undergrad. There is a lot of scientific evidence that happy, social people do better work in a shorter period of time. So if you make sure to take time to enjoy yourself outside of your PhD, you’ll find your PhD more rewarding as well.

What is the time split between CDT and PhD?

I have seen other CDT students where the first year is solely CDT work and they honestly seemed a little lost when it came to discussing their particular research in the first year. However, our CDT is roughly a third of the time on CDT work/attendance and two thirds personal PhD research work which is fantastic. It really does provide respite from one to the other for the first year. PhDs outside the CDT programs last for about 3.5 years. Based on this, there is about half a year worth of CDT courses, events, conferences and travels. I personally focus my time on my research project and spend little time for CDT courses, maybe 5% of my time.

What does a normal working day look like?

If CDT based at an attended module. It would involve waking up in a hotel, nip down to get breakfast (If you can) and then head to the respective university to attend the class. Whilst doing research, it would depend on the current aspect I am working on. It could be running simulations, research a current thread of information that I need to learn about or going to the laboratory if it is needed. 

Coffee, work, coffee, work, coffee, work… 

More seriously, some weeks can involve experimental work, others mostly reading articles or it could be GTA work or simulations. I would say there is not a single typical working day. I usually like having some of my days or weeks split so I do not end up doing the same thing for too long.

Is it possible to supplement your grant?

There exists different alternatives to supplement your PhD grant. For instance it could being Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for some teaching or lab supervision for your university or tutoring outside college.

Being a GTA is also a good way to acquire teaching experience and to also acquire side knowledge for your PhD. Usually your supervisors are responsible for a lab or a lecture and are therefore looking for new GTAs every year. It is thus quite easy to obtain some GTA work, you can also apply in some other department.

There are many ways to supplement your grant - but you don’t have to. I tutor online and I also am part of the Whol Lab (Imperial), which delivers outreach to small groups of students in an onsite lab. Both are equally rewarding - it is much easier to tutor online, it can be done in the evenings / weekends and obviously is more regular. The outreach is really fun because you get to interact with the students and talk to them about university experiences. I generally help out for one day every month, depending on the subjects being delivered and my PhD commitments.

There exists different alternatives to supplement your PhD grant. For instance it could being Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) for some teaching or lab supervision for your university or tutoring outside college.

Being a GTA is also a good way to acquire teaching experience and to also acquire side knowledge for your PhD. Usually your supervisors are responsible for a lab or a lecture and are therefore looking for new GTAs every year. It is thus quite easy to obtain some GTA work, you can also apply in some other department.

Where are the best locations for accommodation?

Bangor: Bangor University have a variety of rooms on offer from budget to luxury. It is definitely a good starting point. 

Imperial: most students live around Imperial - Earls Court, West Kensington, Fulham, Bayswater

Cambridge: It depends on where you will be based - obviously college accommodation is great because you will be near other PhD students and the college amenities, but many students also live near the station (Mill Road) or in/near West Cambridge.

What are the extracurricular activities like?

Imperial: There are so many extracurricular activities (check them out on the union website), and you can get involved with as many or few as you like.

Bangor: With it being so close to the sea, rivers, Snowdonia mountain range, and a varsity sports competition with Aberystwyth University every year, you will find what you are looking for. 

Cambridge: The great thing about colleges is that you can get involved in lots of sports at a more casual level (college sports/ activities - bar rowing - are very chilled). There are also university level activities - sports at a higher level, and a greater range of societies and clubs.

What is the best way to get around?

Bangor: If you just need to get around the city, it’s very small. Everything is a walk away. If you need to get into the mountains, jump on a bus. 

Imperial: It depends on where you are living and how quickly you want to get somewhere. Most of us walk to Imperial if we can from where we are living and I occasionally cycle in. I tend to use my bicycle a lot to get around London, because I don’t like the tube, but if I am going into the centre I will walk (if not too far) or catch the tube. Others use the tubes a lot to get around, so it depends on your personal preference.

Cambridge: Everything (bar West Cambridge) is pretty close. I use a bike to get to West Cambridge and to department if I am running late / have other stuff to do in the evening. I also spend a lot of time walking, because its quite nice to walk. There are also buses, but they are better if you are not going near the centre (to get to / from west Cambridge, Girton, Homerton, into town from the station).

Where are the best places to look for accommodation?

Imperial / Bristol: There are a few options!

lots of PhD students when moving to a new city will use services like spare rooms or their universities house share services. This is most common in the first year where you might not know anyone to share a house with. From my experience, most first year PhD students moving to a new city will use spare rooms or a similar service to find accommodation.

If you do have a group of people that you would be able to live with, you could find a place to live with a letting’s agent. A word of caution here is that as a PhD student you’re not entitled to pay council tax, however if you live with people that aren’t students you will only get a partial discount on your council tax bill – so you can expect to pay more rent.

Shared accommodation would likely be your cheapest option, though if your budget allows you might be able to find solo private accommodation. 

Bangor: The Bangor University Website. 

Cambridge: The colleges all have some student accommodation for postgraduate students - so you can obviously start there. There is also lots of private accommodation, which can be found …

What are the facilities like?

Bangor: They are fantastic. I cannot fault them.

Imperial: It depends on the department you are in, but generally they are all excellent. The equipment is top of the range, and if you don’t have a piece of equipment you need in your department you can ask other departments that have it, which is really useful!