The EPSRC Atoms to Products (A2P) CDT in Sustainable Chemistry is a four-year programme that will provide advanced training and education to students, to prepare for rewarding careers in academia, industry and related sectors. A major component of the training framework is the Integrated Industrial Challenge, which takes during Year 1 of the programme. Here, students will work as teams in one of four contemporary research themes (which are likely to change each year), supervised by several academic staff and industry scientists. The Integrated Industrial Challenge is designed to foster team working and collaboration on a cutting-edge, industry-relevant scientific problem within a multidisciplinary environment.
Take a step into the Carbon Neutral Lab 360 virtual environment, you can hear from researchers currently in the CDT as well as our CDT Director.
Year 1 activities will include:
- Taught courses in core and specialist subjects
- Interactions with industry scientists (possibly during short visits to companies)
- Significant laboratory-based or computational research on a group project
- Transferrable skills training
- Assessments
- Research and planning to support the development of individual PhD projects for Years 2-4
In Years 2-4, students will work on individual PhD projects, the topics of which may (but necessarily) arise naturally from the Year 1 activities. The expectation is that PhD projects will be multidisciplinary, with students continuing to benefit from supervision from two (or more) academics and an industrial scientist. Transferrable and specialist skills will continue in Years 2 and 4.
By the end of our CDT programme, students will not only be experts in a particular chemistry-related field, but will also have a deep understanding of a sustainability concepts. This training will be invaluable in a future scientific career.
The first year assessment involves the following stages:
- Literature Review
- Project Proposal
- Proposal Presentation
- Mini Research Project
- Project Report
- Project Viva
