Handbook for Students 2017-18
1 2 Year 1 Interactive Training Programme
MIBTP recognises the need for skills training, cohort development and professional internships. Therefore, cohort training will be based in purpose-devised learning and social space and students will all start their degree with a period of hands-on training from experts in both dry and wet experimentation. The training year is split into four 3-month periods as shown below. Period 1 is fixed but the order of mini-projects and PIPS in periods 2 to 4 is flexible – the “default setting” is shown.
Period Activity Location 1. October - December Taught modules Warwick Masterclasses All 3 Universities 2. January - March Mini-project 1 Away University 3. April - June PIPS Your choice 4. July - September Mini-project 2 Home University
This is interspersed with compulsory cohort training events, which are detailed further into the handbook.
1. Induction
MIBTP students are expected to attend induction the week before Warwick term starts (note that term dates are not the same for each university). This will include pre-sessional mathematics and other training so that everyone can make the most of the modules in term 1. It will also include some team building exercises, skills training and presentation of posters by students finishing year 1 to allow contact between cohorts and a window on research opportunities. For 2017 this is w/c 25th September and will take place solely at Warwick. Final details will be sent to you before you join us. This information will also be uploaded to the induction page on the MIBTP intranet welcome pages
1.1 MacBooks
All MIBTP students will be issued with a 13” MacBook. This is expected to support you for the duration of your PhD. The MacBook is suited to the datasets you will use in training and the large datasets which many of you will encounter during your PhD. MacBooks will be issued during induction week at Warwick (and you will be advised how you will get this accepted by your local IT servers if you are to be based at Birmingham or Leicester). They will be registered and supported at Warwick for the duration of your training. Local support will also be available from your local University.
Please note that the MacBook remains the property of the University of Warwick and must be returned on completion of the programme for software licensing requirements.
1.2 Registration
All MIBTP students will be registered at all three universities to make it simpler to access facilities during training / cohort events.
1.3 Pre-Arrival at Warwick (for students who will be registered at University of Birmingham or University of Leicester)
3 As you will be completing your term 1 training at the University of Warwick and visiting Warwick periodically during your studies for cohort meetings, mini-projects etc. you must register at Warwick as visiting students. Registering at Warwick will enable you to gain access to University buildings, library and IT facilities etc.
How to register
Please complete a Warwick Postgraduate Application form Select Course code: P-C1PBA: Life Sciences PhD (Leicester and Birmingham students only) References: Please leave the reference section blank (or enter not applicable) as we do not require references to be submitted. If you enter referee email addresses an email will automatically be sent to the referee requesting a reference. Please note that you will not be required to submit any documents. This exercise is purely to add you into the Warwick system.
1.4 Pre-Arrival at Warwick (for students who will be registered at University of Warwick)
It is important for you to have received (and accepted) an unconditional offer of a place at Warwick before your start date. If you haven't yet received an unconditional offer, please ensure that any conditions set out in your offer email are satisfied as soon as possible.
1.5 Everyone: Before you arrive at Warwick
Once you have an unconditional offer, there are a number of things you will need to do to complete your registration:
Upload a photo for your University ID Card - Online photo submission is now open. Registration - Between 4 and 6 weeks before your course starts, you will be sent an email inviting you to begin the course registration process. Please do not try to complete the course registration process before you are asked you to. As a part of the course registration process you are agreeing to the University of Warwick's regulations. Please read these regulations. When you receive the email, please complete your online course registration. If you haven’t studied at Warwick before, a temporary password will be created for you so that you can access Student Records Online and begin the course registration process. To create a temporary password, you will need the following:
1. Your Warwick University ID (seven-digit number on your Offer Email) 2. Date of Birth 3. Family Name
Access the email address you have previously registered with us (we’ll send your temporary password here)
If you already used Student Records, you can log in with your Warwick University ID and your existing password
4 IT Services Account - Once you have enrolled you can apply for your IT services account; you will need access to this on day 1 of induction.
The Welcome to Warwick pages may provide useful information for you.
1.6 Registering at Birmingham (for non-Birmingham students)
In order to register at Birmingham, you will need to complete the Birmingham registration form (see the welcome page for form) and return to Matt Phillips via email.
1.7 Registering at Leicester (for non-Leicester students)
In order to register at Leicester, please complete the Leicester registration form (see the welcome page for form) and return to Dr Jonathan McDearmid via email.
1.8 Accommodation
You will see from the information in this handbook that you will need to attend a university away from the one you are to be registered at for significant periods of year 1. In particular, in Term 1 you will need to be able to attend Warwick for all three elements of the quantitative skills training. You will not be able to restrict your choice of masterclass to one university and you must take at least one of your mini-projects away from your place of registration. Transport for some collective activities may be provided, but you will need to organise daily or weekly travel to suit the choices you make.
A one-off stipend uplift payment of £850 will be paid at the start of term 1 to reflect this and assist with extra travel costs. This will be paid into your account at the same time as your first stipend payment at the beginning of October.
Each University will also offer some assistance in finding suitable short-term accommodation.
1.9 Change of University Policy
The MIBTP programme receives half its funding from BBSRC and half as matched funding from the individual Universities. BBSRC now requires all students associated with a DTP to be formally registered on JeS (the Research Council database). This requires students to receive at least 50% BBSRC funding, and therefore all students in MIBTP are receiving funds from the BBSRC and matched funds from their University. This funding arrangement means that it is not possible for MIBTP students to transfer their primary registration between partner Universities, for example if you have a studentship at Warwick, you cannot move to Leicester or Birmingham for your PhD project. However, we want to encourage collaborations between the Universities and are very keen to see projects that depend on facilities and expertise at more than one University.
2. Taught modules
The first term will begin with the following compulsory taught module:
2.1 Quantitative skills module
5 The Quantitative skills modules will take place in term 1. This module provides training in the quantitative skills that you will use in your PhD projects. There are three elements to the module:
1. Statistics, which provides grounding in applying statistical methods to data, 2. Computer programming to make you less dependent on existing software tools 3. Data analysis methodology, which will enable students to undertake complex data analysis tasks.
Students will be given free time each week for independent taught module study.
3. Masterclasses
A series of bespoke Masterclasses will be on offer each week during the Autumn Term from week 6 onwards. Masterclasses are a set of hands-on workshops in selected, advanced research skills and technologies. You will choose classes to suit your personal development needs. You must choose classes that deliver a minimum of 12 days’ engagement, but may choose as many as you wish subject to availability (and your timetable).
There are Masterclasses at all three Universities with instruction from world experts. These workshops will be as ‘hands-on’ as possible - you will participate wherever this is possible. You will be advised in advance of items (e.g. lab coats) you need to take with you. Some are short, one-day events, others are up to 3 days You will be asked to choose from a list of masterclasses within the first two weeks of joining us. We will check numbers (many activities are necessarily restricted) then finalise your selections around mid-October. Masterclasses will incorporate a compulsory exercise with a tangible output that allows the person running the Masterclass to assess whether you have achieved the learning objectives of the class. You are expected to achieve a pass in the core Masterclasses you undertake that add up to the minimum 12 days required. Masterclases are listed on the relevant pages of the MIBTP intranet.
Masterclass feedback
We would appreciate feedback on the masterclasses that you attend, however brief, in order to help us make improvements in subsequent years.
Feedback forms can be found on the masterclass page of the MIBTP website and should be returned to the MIBTP Administrator.
4. Mini-projects 1 and 2 (Spring and Summer Terms)
You will be provided with a list of potential supervisors from all three universities who are happy to offer mini-projects within their research groups (you are not limited to these supervisors or projects and can approach any supervisor of your choice so long as their research meets the BBSRC criteria). You will need to find out more about research areas of interest and approach supervisors you would like to work with to discuss projects in more detail. You will be asked to submit the details of your
6 first chosen project via an online submission form (details will be provided by the MIBTP Administrator) by the given deadline. You can submit details of both mini- projects at the same time if you know them; however, you can choose your second mini-project at a later date. The Administrator will prompt you when such information is required.
Mini-projects are for 3 months. You will take two mini-projects. You have freedom to choose any new lab environment or technique you wish. You should discuss this with the MIBTP Directors who can advise you bearing in mind your interest and likely area of PhD research. The more active you are in devising the content of your project with your chosen supervisor the more it should meet your personal development goals. We encourage you to choose one mini-project which is ‘wet’ science (laboratory-based) and one ‘dry’ (computer, informatics, modelling etc.). To include a mix of each skillset in each project is also acceptable. The suggested schedule is for mini-project 1 to start in January and the second in July. The second will usually lead directly into your PhD (starting October 2017), but this is not a requirement. Alternative ordering is possible. NOTE: MIBTP requires that one of your mini-projects is done at a venue that is not the university at which you are registered. As noted above, we suggest you discuss this with the MIBTP Directors and select this “away” mini-project to give you technical skills and/or an experimental approach that could be useful to your PhD, but is not generally available at your “home” institution. Each student will have access to a consumables budget of £750 per mini- project. Students are required to write up mini-project 1 as a mini-thesis or as a research paper. The thesis should be a maximum of 6,000 words (not including abstract, references or figure legends). The due dates for submission of the thesis or research paper will be by 5PM on the last day of the project (i.e. usually 31st March).
Your mini-project paper or thesis should be submitted to the MIBTP website (max 6,000 words) as a pdf (max file size 3 MB) with the filename Lastname_Firstname.pdf (i.e. Smith_John.pdf). The first page of your paper or mini-thesis must contain at a minimum: 1) title, 2) your name, 3) your supervisors name and 4) the University at which the project took place.
More detailed guidelines for writing your mini-thesis or research paper can be found in Appendix 1 at the end of this document.
The thesis or paper will be marked by the project supervisor and by a second marker. Your final mark will be made up as follows: 65% project write up (average of the two markers) and 35% research performance mark from your supervisor. A postgraduate marking scheme can be found on the following pages. Assessment for the second mini-project is in the form of a poster. Posters should be A1 in size and of portrait orientation. The due dates for submission of the poster will be by 5PM on the last day of the project where you have completed your second mini-project April to June (i.e. 30th June) and mid- September (date to be advised) where you have completed your second mini- project July to September (this is to allow for printing of the posters to take place before the poster presentation which takes place the week before the
7 start of the new University year). Your poster must be uploaded to the MIBTP website as a pdf (max file size 3 MB) with the filename Lastname_Firstname_poster.pdf (i.e. Smith_John_poster.pdf). The printing of posters will be arranged by the MIBTP Administrator. Posters will be presented as part of the induction week activities for new MIBTP students (usually the last week of September). You will be graded on the visual impression of the poster (25%), scientific content (50%) and engagement during presentation / knowledge of topic (25%). Mini-project information can be found in the training section of the MIBTP intranet.
5. Professional Internship for PhD students - PIPS (Summer term)
BBSRC requires each student to complete a Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) in a professional employment environment. The PIPS must not relate directly to your PhD project or be scientific research, but you may go to a relevant company as long as you take on a role that is not research-led. A biochemist may go to a pharma company and take a role in marketing or HR, for example. Your PIPS placement can be undertaken within any working environment (scientific or not) but MUST be focused on managerial, administrative or organizational aspects and must NOT be a scientific lab based research activity.
The PIPS should be 3 months and we suggest it is taken between April and June in year 1, however this is flexible as long as you complete your PIPS within year 1. If you choose to start your PIPS placement in January, you will be given the opportunity to submit the details via an online submission form (this will be emailed to you from the MIBTP Administrator) around mid-November. If you choose to start your PIPS in April or June, you will be contacted beforehand and asked to submit the information.
All 3 universities have assembled a growing list of prospective host organisations, ranging from educators, business development offices, communicators, policy makers etc. However, if you have your own contacts, or your own ideas, it is a great way to explore a career option without obligation whilst being paid your stipend. We will try hard to support you to secure a PIPS relevant to your interests and development needs. PIPS opportunities are likely to be available in many areas of professional endeavor such as communications, policy, teaching, governance etc., not just industrial companies. PIPS are intended to help early career researchers understand the broader context and impact of their research and to enable them to explore the range of career opportunities in which they can apply their PhD skills and training after they graduate. Students will gain new transferable skills during their PIPS and develop connections with potential employers. Students must inform the MIBTP Administrator of their proposed PIPS choice at least a month before the start date (via an online submission form which can be found on the PIPS pages of the MIBTP intranet) so that the Directors can assess for relevance. The Administrator will contact you with regards to submission deadline dates. It is a requirement of the BBRSC that all students submit a report within 3 months of completing their PIPS. The aim of the PIPS placement report is to capture information on your PIPS placement; including the major outputs,
8 outcomes and impacts from your placement. The report also aims to capture the extent to which your PIPS placement gave you the opportunity to further develop skills or develop new skills. The information you provide in this report will be collated and made non-attributable. Your supervisors will not be able to view your response; however aggregated analyses may be shared with DTP Management Boards. The PIPS placement report is accessed via a link that is unique to each student. You will be provided with a unique link to submit the BBSRC DTP PIPS Placement Report. To access the PIP report, please contact [email protected] All of this information can be found in the training section on the MIBTP intranet
Leicester MIBTP students – PIPS and away mini-project
It is a Leicester University requirement that all students must seek permission from the University before taking part in off campus study, i.e. PIPS or away mini-project. Further information, and the form that you must complete and submit, can be found on the Leicester University website.
6. Course Work information
6.1 Marking guidelines
For your information, the University guidelines on marking for postgraduate courses is given below.
Mark Range Level Descriptors
80% and over (High Distinction) Work which, over and above possessing the qualities of the 70-79% descriptor, demonstrates excellence – the nature of which will vary according to the assignment but may include: comprehensive answers, complete and correct proofs or calculations, project work that extends the original brief, deep and critical analysis, originality, and advance in scholarship, a highly professional approach.
70%-79% (Distinction) The work demonstrates mastery of the subject matter, methodologies, and, where appropriate, laboratory techniques. It also provides evidence of near complete conceptual understanding, high level technical competence, and depth of analysis or mathematical understanding. Where applicable, the statement and proof of theorems is handled with confidence, and their application to unseen material is sound. Accuracy and precision will be strong throughout and, if applicable, presentation will be excellent. Minor mistakes may nevertheless appear occasionally. Where appropriate, the work shows evidence of originality.
60%-69% The work demonstrates a sound and thorough grasp of subject matter and methodologies. Conceptual or mathematical understanding and technical competence are solid, but applications, arguments, or data analysis may contain minor flaws. Examined work will be well organised and structured, while
9 good presentation and a logical approach to the material will be evident in projects or dissertations. Overall, the work reveals a high level of effort and commitment, but lacks breadth, depth, and fluency in parts.
50%-59% The work reveals an underlying grasp of the subject matter, but with areas of confusion or some gaps in conceptual/mathematical understanding or methodology. Answers are fairly well structured but may tend towards the factual or derivative. In project or dissertation work, general conclusions or outcomes are reasonable, but there is room for substantial improvement in the individual’s ability to apply theorems, analyse problems or execute technical skills.
40-49% Though it reveals some familiarity with the subject matter, and a basic grasp of factual and conceptual material, there are frequent and important gaps and/or misconceptions. Some effort has been made to reflect on and analyse questions or problems, or to apply theorems, but with little evidence of organisation or insight. Technical competence is poorly developed and general conclusions are unreliable or unsubstantiated.
20%-39% The work is insufficient to demonstrate a basic grasp either of factual or conceptual subject matter. Technical competence is at a very low level and, if appropriate, laboratory work has required constant supervision. Data used in project work may be both inaccurate and irrelevant. Overall, answers and arguments reveal little effort towards analysis or conceptualisation. Important issues may have been ignored or seriously misconstrued. There is little evidence of an individual contribution to the material.
Less than Inadequate work: poorly argued, written and presented; 20% conceptual confusion throughout; demonstrates little or no knowledge of the field. Failure to address the issues raised by the question. Project work contains little or no data. Sparse or no evidence for technical competence or individual contributions.
6.2 Coursework deadlines, penalties and extensions
Module leaders or MIBTP Administration will clearly state deadlines for handing in assessed work to students. Unless a specific time is stipulated, this will be assumed to be 5pm on the specified date.
The penalty for late submission of work where no formal extension has been granted has been set by Senate at three (3) marks per day for postgraduate students (minute 126/03-04). As is explained on the Teaching Quality website, ‘marks’ mean marks on a percentage scale. A late piece of work that would have scored 65% if it had been handed in on time would be awarded 62% if it were one day late, 59% if two days late, etc.
Coursework extensions can only be obtained under special circumstances (i.e. illness or other personal circumstances) from one of the MIBTP Directors.
10 Coursework will be returned to students (with feedback).
6.3 First year score
A pass mark of 60% is required for the first year. This is taken from the average of all assignment scores over the year (taught module exam marks, mini-project thesis and poster score). You must achieve at least 50% in each of the taught modules (statistics, programming, and data analysis) with an average of 60% across the three.
Your progress in the first 6 months will be monitored closely and you will receive regular feedback. If you are not achieving the right standard you will be given advice on how to remedy this. If your average has not risen to an acceptable level by the fourth quarter of the first year you will be requested to leave the course at the end of year 1.
6.4 Information made available to potential supervisors
Please note that scores and feedback from all assignments in the training year will be made available to potential supervisors at their request.
6.5 Plagiarism
Please make yourself aware of the University’s policy on Plagiarism.
If you are in any doubt as to whether or not the work you have produced would compromise these rules, then please talk to a MIBTP Director or the module leader before submitting your work.
7. PhD Project
Students can enter the MIBTP programme having either chosen a particular PhD project or having chosen a theme of research with the intention of choosing and/or developing a PhD project during the first training year.
If you have chosen a theme (i.e. Food Security, Industrial Biotechnology or Molecules, Cells and Systems) then you are free to choose any project at your university within these themes fitting the requirements of the MIBTP programme (see below) with the caveat that generally we do not want to place more than one MIBTP student from a cohort with a particular supervisor. We suggest you look at the projects advertised last year as well as actively seeking out and talking to academics working in areas that interest you. You will meet academics and learn what the various research groups at your University are doing through the taught modules and masterclasses, as well as by attending seminars and talking to other MIBTP students. You can also use the University websites to find groups doing research that interests you and then approach them to talk further. We suggest you start exploring your options early as this will inform your choice of mini-projects starting in January.
If you have already selected a particular PhD project, then we suggest you meet with the supervisor early on to discuss this and potential mini-projects. During the course of the first year, you may find that your interests change as you learn more about the research going on at your University and actually get to know different academics. It is possible to change your selection of PhD project during the first year, but we ask that you do this in consultation with your original supervisor so they are fully aware.
11 The ability to develop your ideas for a PhD project during the first year is an important aspect of the MIBTP programme and supervisors are aware of this.
You will be contacted in July 2017 and asked to make a decision as to your choice of PhD project by mid-August via submission of a PhD Project form.
7.1 PhD projects
In MIBTP2 (entry after 2015) PhD projects must be interdisciplinary with two supervisors either from different disciplines, or who at least use very different approaches in their research. The projects must “exploit new ways of working” with the BBSRC’s goal for researchers to routinely apply computational and mathematical techniques to high-quality quantitative biological data. Exploiting information-rich approaches and data-driven science, as well as new cutting-edge multidisciplinary techniques would also fall within the new ways of working. Such projects will build on the quantitative training you receive in the first year.
7.2 PhD thesis submission
PLEASE NOTE that submission of your final PhD thesis should be no later than 5 pm on 30th September 2021. This is an absolute deadline for the award of the PhD.
Note: submission dates may be slightly earlier depending on university and department; if this is the case, the correct date will be communicated to you.
8. Personal Development
In order to help you review and appreciate what you need to do to achieve your goals, you are expected to complete a Professional Researcher Development plan (or equivalent at your registered University) during term 1 and update it at regular intervals. This should be sent to your local Director who may then request to meet with you to discuss this in further detail if required.
The MIBTP Administrator will prompt you at the point when you are required to complete the personal development plan (usually around the end of December of your training year). Further information can be found on the MIBTP intranet.
9. Cohort meetings and events
During the training year, there will be a number of meetings and events for which the cohort as a whole must attend. Please put these dates in your diary now.
MIBTP induction week – Monday 25th to Friday 29th September 2017 (inclusive) Speed PhD – 26th to 28th September 2017 (during induction week). . Speed PhD takes students through the different stages of a PhD: literature review, defining the research question, carrying out research, writing it up for publication and submission of a Thesis. It is supported by material presented in the other sessions of the workshop. The supporting workshop sessions are targeted at providing students with information, strategies and tools to help them deal with the demands of a research degree. MIBTP Student Symposium – 19th April 2018
12 MIBTP AGM – 20th April 2018 (student representatives only) PIPS debrief – 24th September 2018 The MIBTP welcome and mini-project 2 poster meeting, 25th September 2017 and 24th September 2018
Please note that these dates are subject to change.
During subsequent years, there will be additional cohort events. These are detailed later in this handbook.
10. Finances
10.1 Core payments
Your funder will pay all fees and your stipend. You will receive a single additional payment of £850 in year 1 to recognise additional travel commitments during training. Each studentship also attracts £5000 pa as a flexible research training grant. In year 1 this is split according to an agreed formula to recognise the costs of your training activities. For example, you each receive a MacBook Pro, £750 is allocated to each of your mini-project supervisors, Masterclass costs (including demonstrators for some) are covered, taught module costs and cohort activity costs. Once you start your PhD project your supervisor is allocated £4500 pa. The residue is used to cover cohort support and activities. Conference travel/field work: Each BBSRC studentship has a budget of £920 towards travel. This will normally be used for attendance at an international conference at which the student is presenting their research results, hence normally in year 2 or further of your PhD. However, it is for the student (in discussion with their supervisors) to decide how the budget is spent. For example, it may be used to attend a series of local meetings, for visiting another laboratory etc. This is a single amount for the period of your PhD not per year.
10.2 Additional support
Travel in year 1: If any student chooses training options which incur costs in excess of £850, they may apply to the MIBTP directors for additional support. A full case must be provided. Costs which would otherwise be accumulated for travel from accommodation to your ‘home’ university will be taken into account. Travel and accommodation associated with your PIPS. As above, reasonable costs directly incurred in order to undertake your PIPS may be claimed from MIBTP. Please submit a costed case (form available from the MIBTP Administrator) and pass to your local director or to the MIBTP Administrator, Warwick. NOTE: MIBTP has supported PIPS as far afield as WHO in Geneva, CABI in Africa, science companies in Europe and organisations in New Zealand. Your career development and your ambitions will be supported as far as possible by MIBTP provided you make a clear case for your choices. Students are encouraged to join learned Societies. Many offer students generous travel awards and very low membership fees. Ask MIBTP Directors or your supervisors for advice about appropriate Societies.
13 11. Years 2– 4
There will be cohort events throughout your 4-year training, for which attendance is compulsory. Here is a list of the events that you should expect to attend during years 2 to 4.
Year 2: Ethics and Plagiarism training – Birmingham – December 2018 MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2019 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2019 Residential team building event – Coniston - Monday to Friday usually during June or July 2019 In vivo research workshop – Leicester August 2019 Poster session – Warwick - late September 2019 Entrepreneurship training – Warwick – late September 2019
Year 3: PGR Careers Fair – Leicester – early January 2020 MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2020 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2020 Poster session – late September 2020
Year 4: MIBTP Cohort workshop (job applications and interview techniques) – Leicester – January 2021 (2 days) MIBTP Student Symposium – Leicester – April 2021 MIBP AGM (student Reps only) – Leicester – April 2021 Poster session – late September 2021 (optional)
Emails will be sent to you in September of each year, detailing the cohort events for the coming year. Please ensure that you diarise these immediately as attendance at cohort events is compulsory. Permission to miss a cohort event can only be given by an MIBTP Director where mitigating circumstances apply.
We encourage students during their PhD years to gain additional skills and participate in additional activities, such as science outreach, to enhance your training programme and personal development. We always welcome hearing about what MIBTP students are up to and encourage you to send news items to the MIBTP Administrator and to contribute blog posts. Even blog posts on your experience of the first term would be welcome!
12. Important Information
12.1 Attendance monitoring
The DTP is required by the University to monitor your attendance and engagement with your course of study. In order to satisfy these monitoring requirements during your training year, you will be monitored in the following ways:
14 Year 1 Term 1 • Attendance at Speed PhD (Oct) Oct - Dec • Attendance at Statistics module exam (Nov) • Attendance at Programming exam (Dec)
Year 1 Term 2 • Submission of report on data analysis (Jan) Jan - March • Submission of written plans for next quarter (Feb)
• Submission of mini-project report or PIPS contact email (Mar)
Year 1 Term 3 • Attendance at MIBTP symposium (Apr) Apr - June • Submission of written plans for next quarter (May) • Submission of mini project write up or PIPS contact email (Jun)
Year 1 Term 4 • Mini-project or PIPS contact email (Jul) July – Sept • Submission of PhD proposal (Aug) • Attendance at MIBTP poster day (Sept)
Failure to meet any of these points will result in a missed monitoring point; reoccurring missed monitoring points could result in remedial action.
12. 2 Personal details and e-mail accounts
It is the student’s responsibility to update my.warwick (your official Warwick web page) with any changes in contact details (namely address, phone number, emergency contacts). Without these we will be unable to contact you or forward any relevant material to you.
We will use e-mail as a means of contacting all students. Thus, you are expected to check your University e-mail account at least twice daily, unless this is impossible due to problems. Students are responsible for liaising with IT services about their University e-mail account and user code if this is necessary. IT services can be contacted on ext. 73737 or their dedicated intranet page All students will be contacted via their Warwick email addresses regardless of their registered University. If your Warwick account is not your preferred account, please ensure that a forward is set up to the account you use most to ensure that you do not miss any communication with regards to the programme. If you need help to set up email forwarding, please contact the MIBTP Administrator who will be able to advise.
12. 3 Car parking at Warwick
As PhD students, you are eligible to apply for a parking permit to use the staff carparks at the University of Warwick. The current cost of this for PhD students is £15.75 per month. Once you are fully enrolled, you can apply for a parking permit, as follows:
. You can purchase your certificate online (this page is also used by staff, so details about Workplace Parking scheme won't be applicable to you); . Click on permits, then University parking permits;
15 . Please click on the blue arrow ‘Your Permit – Apply/Update/Cancel’ button. The next page gives more information and you should ensure that you have read the relevant sections; . Click on the blue arrow ‘Register a Permit’. You will need to follow the instructions and complete your details. Once you have inserted your information you will be able to select your preferred permit start date. . The last step is to click on the green ‘Register’ button to make your online payment by credit/debit card and print your car park certificate. . This will you access to Car Park 1, 1a at Gibbet Hill and Car Park 2 (the closes car parks to the School of Life Sciences). . Birmingham and Leicester students may not want to apply for a monthly parking pass, in which case you can park in the visitor’s spaces at a cost of £3.50 per day. Daily permits can be purchased at the School of Life Sciences reception and must be displayed in your car windscreen. Visitor parking is located along the left-hand side of car park 1 (also indicated on the UoW map); please note that these spaces fill very quickly and early arrival (before 9am) is advisable. Alternative visitor parking can be found on main campus, a 10-minute walk away.
12.4 Laboratory safety and Lab coats
Safety inductions will be provided each time that you start in a new working environment. Whilst at Warwick for mini-projects, lab coats are provided by SLS stores free of charge. Lab coats can be collected when required; you will be issued with a clean one on return of your used one. If asked for a cost code, please quote MIAB1.
12.5 Printing
When at Warwick, all MIBTP students can print / copy using the printers within the School of Life Sciences, logging in via the scanning pad attached to the printers with their Warwick university ID card. Please note that you can only use the staff printers, which are dotted around the corridors of the department. You will be unable to use the printers in the student work areas; these printers require printer credits. To install a printer on your machine, please follow the instructions on the IT services website.
12.6 SSLC Staff-Student Liaison Committees (SSLCs) are student-led committees at Warwick that form the basis for the representation of students' views within the department and at high-level University committees. They are an integral feature of the Universities’ quality assurance framework. SSLCs provide a forum for staff and students to discuss issues relating to a course, department or centre. MIBTP have three SSLC representatives for each cohort (one from each of the partnership Universities). Please let the MIBTP Administrator know if you would like to participate in the SSLC. Representatives must be available to
16 attend the MIBTP Annual General Meeting in April each year. Details of the role of SSLCs within the University and how they are run can be found on the SSLC website 12.7 PG Hub
The Postgraduate Hub is a work and study facility for all postgraduate taught and research students located on the ground floor of Senate House).
The space comprises a large, open-plan atrium area with comfortable seating, in bright, warm, colours; an IT work area with fixed PCs; a number of small rooms equipped as offices and meeting rooms which may be used for small group presentations, vivas, one-to-one consultations, and a larger teaching space suitable for seminar-style teaching and workshops. The space is fully IT-enabled with electronic whiteboards and other audio-visual equipment available for student use, and there is Wi-Fi throughout.
12.8 Student Support Services
There is a comprehensive network of support and welfare services available to students to support you in times of difficulty. There is often more than one service, which may be able to help, and services work together to ensure that any problems are dealt with swiftly and effectively.
More details of the services available to students can be found below:
Warwick Birmingham Leicester
12.9 Annual Leave and sickness
Please note that as PhD students, you will NOT follow University term dates. Students are allocated a maximum 8 weeks of annual leave (to include customary and statutory holidays such as Christmas and bank holidays – see below). You can take these at your discretion so long as you do not miss any compulsory cohort events and you advise your supervisor in advance. In the training year, you can take annual leave during your mini-projects or PIPS so long as you agree the dates with the relevant supervisor. You can also take leave in between placements and agree start / end dates around it (placements are only approx. 3 months long; they do not need to be exact). Once you begin your PhD you can take annual leave in agreement with your PhD supervisor. You do not need to inform the MIBTP team when you take leave other than if it affects an MIBTP cohort event. However, as you have these dates well in advance, we would expect this only to happen in exceptional circumstances. If a period of leave unavoidably clashes with a pre-arranged cohort event, you will need to contact the MIBTP Director for approval. The University is closed on Public Holidays and over Christmas and Easter.
Statutory and customary holidays for 2017/18 can be found here –
17 o Warwick dates
o Birmingham dates
o Leicester dates
If a student is unwell and unable to attend whichever part of the training year you are on, you must inform the relevant person affected AND the MIBTP Administrator as soon as you are able. 12.10 Insurance
All MIBTP students will be covered by the following University insurance policies when out on placement:
Public Liability Insurance will protect the University in the event that (for example) damage to property or persons occurs, and it is deemed the responsibility of the University. This cover is extended to protect the University and the individual, working on the instruction of the University whilst at a location other than the University. Evidence of the University’s Public Liability cover can be found in the confirmation letter, which is available on the insurance website. Business Travel will cover student whilst overseas* Prior to all travel, a Travel Insurance Pack should be requested from the Insurance Office or downloaded from the Insurance Office section of the insurance website.
*Please note: Medical expenses are covered in respect of medical emergencies ONLY i.e. that require immediate treatment. It is NOT a health insurance policy. By travelling, you confirm that, to your knowledge, you are fit to travel and have not been advised against travel by a qualified medical practitioner.
Process to activate cover Employees and students travelling on University business are covered (subject to a self-declaration of Fitness to Travel) and do not need to notify the Insurance Office on a trip-by-trip basis.
All categories of insured persons MUST notify the relevant Departmental member of staff, of their travel arrangements ahead of the period of travel. This will not only ensure the accuracy of renewal data but will also, importantly, ensure that those persons travelling will be more easily identified in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Please send your travel dates to the MIBTP administrator in advance of your travel.
Referrals
The insurance website provides a list which specifies those areas that are not automatically covered under the University's insurance programme and therefore may need to be referred to the insurers for prior approval. Please check this list before you travel to ensure that the country you are visiting is not listed.
18 Birmingham and Leicester students are also covered by their own university insurance. Further information can be found on the university websites:
Birmingham insurance Leicester insurance
Please note: At both Birmingham and Leicester, insurance should be requested before the period of travel, it is not automatic.
12.11 MIBTP Website
On the MIBTP intranet pages, you will find information on all aspects of the programme, including masterclasses, mini-project and PIPS options and information on current MIBTP students. The calendar will also be regularly updated with regards to the course timetable. Please check this regularly (particularly the timetable during the taught part of the course) and update your own personal web page as you progress – MIBTP Intranet.
You will also find the MIBTP News section and Blog on the intranet. Here you can keep up to date with recent achievements and experiences of MIBTP students. We always welcome hearing about what MIBTP students are up to and encourage you to send news items to the MIBTP Administrator and to contribute blog posts.
12.12 Photographs Please note that photographs taken during MIBTP events may be used in advertising and on the MIBTP website. If you do not consent to your photograph being used in this way, please advise the MIBTP Administrator.
12.13 Researchfish
The BBSRC use Researchfish to record outcomes of funded studentship holders. All MIBTP students will be required to complete annual review submissions for each year of their PhD (there is no requirement to complete a submission during the training year). An email will be sent to all students directly from Researchfish explaining how the data collection will work and the submission period dates. It is the responsibility of the student to submit the relevant information to Researchfish before the deadline.
Research councils will monitor overall response rates, and institutional and programme response rates may be a factor in considering training grant support in the future; RCUK is also pushing for sanctions to be introduced in the future for students who do not engage with Researchfish. We therefore insist that all students engage with this platform and complete the data collection as necessary. The MIBTP administrator will monitor this activity and reminders will be sent out where necessary.
12.14 Data Protection
Please see Appendix 2 for information on what data BBSRC will hold and what data will be in the public domain. It is important not to include sensitive or confidential information in your PhD project summaries submitted at the end of year 1.
19 12.15 Confidentiality
For most placements, there is unlikely to be any issue around confidentiality, however, you need to be fully aware that when on placement (both PIPS and mini- project) you are bound to confidentiality and hence you shouldn’t engage in activities which would breach this obligation.
You should always seek agreement from your host before you publicize details of your placement. This includes any social media such as blogging, tweeting, posting on Facebook and other sites, taking selfies on premises of the host, talking about specific details of the host/business and the project itself (dependent on nature of the placement work you do), any videos etc.
12.16 Disability Services
We encourage you to declare any disability or learning difference and contact Disability Services at Warwick in advance of starting the programme to discuss support requirements to enable us to make reasonable adjustments for the duration of your studies. For non-Warwick students, please also register your disability at your registered university.
12.17 Contact details:
Below are the contact details for your local MIBTP Director and other people you will hear from / may need to contact. General enquiries can be directed to the MIBTP Administrator.
MIBTP Director (Warwick) Professor Brian Thomas
MIBTP Co-Director (Warwick) Dr Vardis Ntoukakis
MIBTP Director (Birmingham) Prof Chris Thomas
MIBTP Director (Leicester) Dr Jonathan McDearmid
MIBTP Administration (based at Warwick) Kerry Davies
20 Appendix 1
Mini-project 1 Write up Guidelines
Students can choose to either write up their mini-project as a research paper or a mini-thesis.
1. Research Paper
If you want to complete this assignment by writing the report in the style of a paper, select a journal relevant to your project and find its author guidelines online. Follow these guidelines. For example, for PNAS: http://www.pnas.org/site/authors/format.xhtml
2. Mini-thesis
If you wish to write a mini-thesis follow the guidelines below:
Times New Roman 12 point or similar
1.5-line spacing except figure legends, references, summary
Pages numbered (bottom of page)
21 No more than 6000 words in length (excluding title page, summary, table of contents, list of abbreviations, acknowledgements, references and appendices). Writing concisely and precisely is an important skill.
Thesis must contain (in this order):
Title page
Title - describe content of thesis accurately and concisely
.Full name of author (and registration number)
.Department in which the research was conducted
.Name(s) of supervisor(s)
.Word count (not including references, figures, appendices)
. A maximum of 300-word summary
. Table of Contents
. List of Abbreviations
. Introduction — give background, motivation for project, summary of what has been done before and what you have accomplished. Give the aims of the thesis. Ensure you cite references properly and
22 use primary literature (rather than reviews) where possible and certainly for concepts that are important to your project.
. Materials and Methods – Provide brief, concise and accurate methods (no need for full protocols). Refer to published methods where possible and include statistical methods. Indicate the manufacturer of kits etc. and again you can cite manufacturer’s instructions if that is exactly how you used them.
. Results – present the results of your research, remembering that figure legends should contain enough detail for the figure to be understood without referring to the text. The text of this section should briefly indicate why the experiment was done and the conclusions from the experiment. It is not necessary to describe every bit of data in detail. (e.g. say “these results indicate that Protein X, and not Protein Y, is induced by treatment” rather than “The level of protein X is 100 before treatment and 300 after treatment, the level of protein y is 200 before and after treatment.” The latter can be seen in a figure, what you want to tell the reader is the conclusion.) Also, remember to include relevant statistical analysis. It is often helpful to divide the results section in to subsections.
. Discussion – discuss the implications of your results, their context in terms of other knowledge, any limitations of your approach, future directions etc. Do not be tempted to discuss every little aspect, it is better to focus on a few key points. This section is not for repetition of results.
. Acknowledgements (if required)
. Reference List
. Appendices (optional)
Additional information for figures:
Photographs or scanned images must be of good quality Place the figures close to where they are mentioned in the text. Embed in text or use separate page. Legends immediately beneath pictures or diagrams on the same page. Should fully explain diagram.
23 Separate legend from the surrounding text. Make sure the figure is linked into the narrative of the text (and cited).
Referencing:
Bibliography: single spaced with a blank line between each reference Do not number references Alphabetical by first author 2 authors: Smith and Jones (1997) or (Smith and Jones, 1997) 3 authors: Smith et al. (1997) or (Smith et al., 1997). Use 1997a, 1997b etc. to distinguish papers in the same year where necessary.
Examples:
Kurath, G., Higman, K. H. and Björklund, H. V. (1997). Distribution and variation of NV genes in fish rhabdoviruses. J. Gen. Virol. 78, 113-117. Schoub, B. D. and Blackburn, N. K. (1995). Flaviviruses. In Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology, 3rd edn, pp. 485-515. Edited by A. J. Zuckerman, J. E. Banatvala and J. R. Pattison. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
Information and advice on making a poster for your second mini-project can be found on the mini-projects intranet page.
Appendix 2
Use and publication of Information provided to RCUK on RCUK funded Studentships
Update 2015 PhD project information displayed on the Gateway to Research?
The Gateway to Research (GtR) is a web-based portal http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/ where information about funded research is published. The aim is to assist businesses and other interested parties to identify potential partners in research organisations to develop and commercialise knowledge, and thereby increase the impact of publicly funded research. It provides better access for the research community, business and the public to information on research funded by the seven Research Councils and the Innovate UK.
The PhD project information which the Research Councils will publish on the GtR website is given below. Note that the project summary (abstract) is a key piece of content for display in GtR and it must be suitable for publication and not contain sensitive or confidential information.
Item of data Notes Student Name for students starting from 2015 onwards
24 Training Grants The grant(s) from which the student is funded. A student may be funded by more than one grant. These are already published on Organisation The organisation that holds the training grant. Project Title This should be as informative as possible, even if final title not yet Summary Sensitive or confidential information should NOT be included in this Supervisor The academic supervisor(s) Organisation This will be the Organisation where the student is registered. Department The Department of the Organisation at which the student is Project Partner Thisregistered. will be displayed to highlight collaborative working Registration Date The date on which the student started their studies Expected Submission The date by which the thesis is due to be submitted.
Other use of information provided to RCUK
Use of submitted data may include: Registration and processing of proposals; Operation of grants processing and management information systems; Preparation of material for use by reviewers and peer review panels; Administration, investigation and review of grant proposals; Sharing proposal information on a strictly confidential basis with other funding organisations To seek contributions to the funding of proposals Statistical analysis in relation to the evaluation of postgraduate training trends Policy and strategy studies. Meeting the Research Councils’ obligations for public accountability and the dissemination of information. Making it available on the Research Council’s web site and other publicly available databases, and in reports, documents and mailing lists.
The following information about training grants and funded students will routinely be made publicly available: Student name (for students starting from 2015 onwards) Aggregated information regarding student numbers, stipend levels, qualifications, age at start, migration levels (from first degree university to another) etc. Name(s) of project partner organisations and supervisors Project titles and topics Project summaries Numbers of students in particular regions, universities or departments in context of the Training Grant funding announced. Registration and expected submission dates and rates
Information may be retained, after completion of the Masters or PhD, for policy studies involving analyses of trends in postgraduate training and reporting on these to government bodies such as DBIS. Students should always have been informed that the university is releasing personal details to AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC or STFC for the above purposes.
3. Je-S Student Details Functionality
The Research Organisation provides standard information on the details of students and the student research projects funded by the Research Councils’ through the web-based data collection functionality Je-S Student details which Research
25 Organisations use to return details of the students and student research projects funded from the Training Grant.
The Information that is required is available in the Je-S system help text: Go to the following web address, click Show, select Studentship Details and then select Data Protection https://jes.rcuk.ac.uk/handbook/pages/StudentResearcherDetails/StudentResearcher Details.htm
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