Kings Bioscience Institute. Information for PhD Students and Supervisors

Transcription

1 Kings Bioscience Institute Information for PhD Students and Supervisors (These notes are for those students registered in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and Dental Institute, a separate document is available for students registered in the IoPPN) Kings Bioscience Institute Director Professor Michael Malim michael.malim@kcl.ac.uk Kings Bioscience Institute Theme Leads Dr Baljinder Mankoo baljinder.mankoo@kcl.ac.uk Professor Rebecca Oakey rebecca.oakey@kcl.ac.uk Dr Diane Hanger diane.hanger@kcl.ac.uk Professor Juan Martin-Serrano juan.martin_serrano@kcl.ac.uk Programme Manager Valerie Wicksey valerie.wicksey@kcl.ac.uk Kings Bioscience Institute Administrative Assistant Elena Allen elena.allen@kcl.ac.uk Please note that reference should also be made to the Graduate School and KBI websites First Edition: October

2 Academic Centre Contact: The primary contact in the Academic Centre is the person who has been assigned to your Division, and is based on the 1st Floor, Henrietta Raphael House, and Guy s Campus. Additionally Elena Allen is the KBI administrative contact. Several forms required by PhD students in FoLSM and DI are available from the Academic Centre webpages on the Virtual Campus: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FOLLOWING MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE STUDENT COMMENCES STUDY Research Approval Form (via KBI Administrator): The Primary Supervisor must complete a Research Approval Form, giving full details of the project, and the funding provided (Funding details completed & supplied by KBI administrator). Please ensure that you do not enclose a copy of the grant application but include an abstract of the project as requested in the form. The Co- Supervisor also needs to complete their details. Finally the form needs to be signed off by the student, both supervisors and the Head of the applicable Department before the Divisional/Departmental PG Co-ordinator signs the form. A photocopy should be forwarded to Elena Allen and retained in KBI. The original form is sent to Academic Centre. It is likely that in the near future this form will be signed and approved online. After the Academic Centre has processed all the necessary paperwork, a formal offer will be issued to the student, including enrolment information and details of induction events. Student-Supervisor Agreement Primary supervisors should aim to have a one-to-one meeting with each PhD student, ideally once a week (certainly at least once a month). The co-supervisor should be present for at least half the meetings or organize separate meetings with a student, if more convenient. The meetings need to be recorded. It is essential for each student to maintain a personal logbook and to record all training, monitoring, dates of submission of reports and all other relevant study information. 2

3 Induction All new research students are required to attend a Graduate School and local induction course that starts soon after arrival. This is an essential step in settling into the College, and is an obligatory part of your training programme. You will hear about the many services available to support you At King s, and you will have the chance to meet other students and the staff. You will be introduced to the structure and requirements of your research degree programme, including the training opportunities. Similar training is provided in years 2 and 3. The training in year 3 is focussed on completing the PhD, writing the thesis, entry into the PhD examination, and preparation for the PhD viva. MONITORING AND SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS The following table from the handbook for PhD students in the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and Dental Institute summarises all the key milestones of a KBI PhD. The complete handbook can be found at: 3

4 Thesis Committees All KBI students are carefully monitored and supported throughout their PhD study. Soon after commencing their studies students will receive information about the Thesis Progress Committee, schedule of reports and meetings. This Committee comprises the student s Primary Supervisor, their Co-Supervisor and a Chairman (nominated by the applicable Postgraduate Co-ordinator), together with two independent experts, who may be internal or external to King s College London. A representative of the KBI programme will also be member of the Committee, either as a Chair, expert or additional member. The purpose of the committee is to monitor the student s progress and to offer support, advice and guidance until they have completed their PhD studies at King s. Please note that depending on whether the student is enrolled in the FoLSM, DI that requirements for meetings and reports are similar to those required by the KBI programme, but not identical, and BOTH must be complied with. IMPORTANTLY all full-time students are initially enrolled as MPhil. And are considered for MPhil/PhD upgrade at 9 months (see below). Each thesis committee will meet at 6-month intervals after the first meeting. These meetings are accompanied by the completion of online Progress Reports. Meetings: Online Progress reports: 3, 9 (upgrade), 15, 21, 27 and 33 months 3, 9, 15, 21, 27, 33 and every 3 months during last year of registration (write-up) All students are expected to keep a logbook of their progress and personal development Progress Meetings and Report Form It is the responsibility of the student to organise progress meetings, and to contact their Chairman, both supervisors and experts to arrange a mutually convenient time for the meeting. These meetings should be scheduled to take place before the deadline set by the automated system (see below). The student and primary supervisor are also required to complete their sections of the online progress report before the progress meeting, and to have distributed copies of this report to the committee. All progress reports are completed online. An automated is sent one month in advance notifying the student of the deadline for completion of the next progress report. Please log in to your online tasks at 4

5 The completion of regular reports by the notified deadline is mandatory. If for any reason you are unable to complete your section within the allotted timeframe, please contact the applicable Post- Graduate Coordinator and the Academic Centre as soon as possible. Online progress reports require sign-off by supervisors and the Chair of the thesis committee. To help with progress monitoring, sign-off will only occur once it has been confirmed that the student has provided their committee with a copy. These meetings are also an important opportunity to discuss obstacles to progress and to consider contingencies. At each progress meeting there will be a short time allocated to the student in the absence of the supervisors. If any issues require recording there is a report form (obtained from Elena) that should be filled in during the meeting and should be signed by the Chairman and the student and this will be kept in a confidential file. Any problems arising, if easily dealt with, should be discussed and the solution approved when the full committee is reassembled. Progress Report 1 (after three months) For this meeting the student the student will need to prepare a short presentation (in consultation with their supervisors) describing background to the project, objectives and any preliminary data. The student and supervisors before the meeting should complete an online progress report. The primary purpose of this meeting is to establish the student has settled into the research group and has the resources required for their project. This meeting is also useful to discuss training requirements. Progress Report 2 (MPhil / PhD Transfer) (after nine months) As at the three-month review the student is expected to submit an online progress report completed by the student and supervisors prior to the meeting. It is essential that both supervisors and two experts are present at this meeting. If a problem comes to light at the meeting, this allows time to resolve it and arrange a repeat Upgrade Meeting before the twelve-month deadline. The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine and the Dental Institute have agreed a set of common guidelines that can be located on the Virtual Campus. Typically this will involve the production of a written first year report ~5,000 words (with a total limit of not more than 7,000 words excluding references). The thesis committee, who will orally examine the student, will discuss this report and this will also involve a short presentation. 5

6 This upgrade report should provide evidence the student is familiar with their research topic and the relevant references and published work in the field. The format of this first year report should include: * Abstract ~500 words * Introduction, highlighting questions raised by the Project ~1000 words * Experimental procedures ~700 words * Results ~1000 words * Discussion ~1000 words * Outline of future plans ~700 words Figures and legends should be included. An electronic copy of this report must be submitted to all members of the Committee at least two weeks prior to the meeting. If requested printed copies should be provided. Before the student joins the meeting, the committee need to have a brief (5 10 minute) meeting to discuss what is expected of them, and to ensure that relevant questions are put to the student after their presentation. At the meeting, students are required to give a 20-minute presentation, reviewing their work and outlining future studies within a timetable. The committee may ask questions both during and after the presentation. The student is then required to leave the short time for the committee to make a decision on the outcome, who will also take into consideration record of attendance at meetings, training courses, lectures etc. and the committee will make a judgment as to whether progress is satisfactory. The committee will offer constructive advice, set milestones and agree work plans. At the end of the meeting there will be a short time when the supervisors are asked to leave the room and the student will be asked confidentially if there are any problems. If there are none, this will be recorded. Otherwise, a short confidential report will be filed on behalf of the student. Hopefully, the committee at the meeting can solve the problem, and then the solution should be discussed with the supervisors, reported and signed. If the problem is too great then it should be dealt with as a separate issue and referred to the applicable Coordinators. At the end of the meeting, the committee will complete and sign the MPhil to PhD Upgrade Report Form (available from Elena or Coordinators), indicating the outcome and recommendations, a copy is provided for the student: 6

7 The Upgrade Meeting will have one of the following outcomes: 1. Successful transfer from MPhil to PhD registration status (may be conditional on revisions to the student s report or provision of additional information) 2. Repeat of the upgrade meeting (any further attempts to be successful within 12 months postregistration) 3. Continued MPhil registration and submission for MPhil thesis 4. Complete withdrawal from MPhil/PhD program Progress Report 3 (after 15 months) A meeting is arranged with the thesis committee to discuss progress to date, and complete an online progress report. As with other meetings a short presentation of work in progress is required. Progress Report 4 (after 21 months) A meeting is arranged with the thesis committee to discuss progress to date, and complete an online progress report. As with other meetings a short presentation of work in progress is required. Progress Report 5 (after 27 months) A meeting is arranged with the thesis committee to discuss progress to date, and complete an online progress report. As with other meetings a short presentation of work in progress is required. The report form for this meeting should include a preliminary abstract of your thesis, a thesis plan (identifying completed, on-going and future work) and details of publications arising or likely to arise from the research. Potential thesis examiners can also be discussed (see notes below on nomination of examiners). Progress Report 6 (after 33 months) A meeting is arranged with the Thesis Committee to provide an update on the development of the thesis. As with other meetings a short presentation of work in progress is required. This report is usually the last one before full time writing up commences. Writing Up and Thesis Submission For KBI students it is expected that completion and submission of the thesis should be targeted for 36 months post-registration as at this point the scholarship ends and extensions are not available. If the thesis has not been submitted by this date transfer to writing-up status should be done. This is valid for 1 year only, but the student is liable to a nominal writing up fee only and not the full tuition fee during this period. 7

8 It is imperative the thesis is completed and submitted by 48 months post-registration for the PhD for all full time students. Failure to meet this deadline may result in re-registration. The Higher Degrees Examination Office administers entry to the PhD examination. A RD1 form which nominates two thesis examiners must be made at least 4 months before the expected date of thesis submission, as this is the time it takes to approve and ratify the nominations. Once examiners have been approved they are valid for 18 months, so students are advised to submit the RD1 form when they enter the last 6 months of the PhD. Delays in submission of the RD1 form will result in delays in the date of the examination. Further information on PhD examinations and guidelines can be found on the Research Degrees Examination webpages: KBI Retreat In June-July of each year, there is a KBI Postgraduate Students Research Retreat. This is organised by a committee of KBI students. All KBI students are required to attend as it is one of the few times that students discover what others are doing and can lead to collaborative research. It also has an important role in strengthening the community of KBI supported PhD students and groups in the Health Schools. All students submit abstracts, which are reviewed, by the organising committee and a number are selected to provide a fifteen-minute oral presentation, and others are requested to provide a poster presentation. All presentations, either oral or poster, are moderated on the day, and feedback is provided. The organising committee are also responsible for inviting an external speaker to present a keynote talk at the retreat. Please note that this event counts as one day towards the ten days of personal skills training, as required by the Graduate School. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT The Graduate School provides a large number of training courses, one to one support, career advice, etc. Full details about the Researcher Development Programme are available on the above websites