Category Archives: GRADnet

01Jun/16

Register by Friday 3rd June: GRADnet Summer School: Where might my physics take me? 4-7 July 2016

conference, Employer Engagement, GRADnet

This year’s GRADnet Summer School will focus on where your physics might take you.

Date:  4-7 July 2016,  09:30-17:00

Venue and Accommodation: Herstmonceux Castle, Herstmonceux, Wartling Road Entrance, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1RN.  For directions see here.

Register here.  (logon to the VRE first) Registration deadline Friday, 3 June.  All accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses are covered by SEPnet.

The summer school will provide you with an exciting opportunity to interact with employers from leading companies through interactive workshops, presentations and poster sessions.   By the end of this summer school you will have expanded your skills and have the ability to apply them more broadly.  You will also develop your analytical, problem-solving skills, and your ability to present persuasively to a diverse audience.  These are skills that will help you succeed in your doctoral research and your viva, as well as in interviews and future employment.

Participating companies include:

  • Airbus Defence and Space
  • Amec Foster Wheeler
  • Centre for Applied Science and Technology, Home Office
  • InSync Technology
  • Knowledge Transfer Network
  • Met Office
  • MR Solutions
  • NPL
  • Observatory Science Centre
  • WP Thompson.

The GRADnet Summer School is open to all Physics postgraduate research students across the nine partner institutions of SEPnet.  Approximately 5 places per institution are available but priority will be given to final year students in the event it is over subscribed.

This workshop contributes 8 hours towards physics skills training and 4 hours towards professional skills training.

Photo 03-02-2015 16 11 04

One of the employer led workshops at the 2015 Winter School

01Apr/16

GRADnet Summer School: Where might my physics take me? 4-7 July 2016

conference, GRADnet, Research

This year’s GRADnet Summer School will focus on where your physics might take you.

Date:  4-7 July 2016,  09:30-17:00

Venue and Accommodation: Herstmonceux Castle, Herstmonceux, Wartling Road Entrance, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1RN.  For directions see here.

Register here.  (logon to the VRE first) Registration deadline Friday, 3 June.  All accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses are covered by SEPnet.

The summer school will provide you with an exciting opportunity to interact with employers from leading companies through interactive workshops, presentations and poster sessions.   By the end of this summer school you will have expanded your skills and have the ability to apply them more broadly.  You will also develop your analytical, problem-solving skills, and your ability to present persuasively to a diverse audience.  These are skills that will help you succeed in your doctoral research and your viva, as well as in interviews and future employment.

Participating companies include:

  • Airbus Defence and Space
  • Amec Foster Wheeler
  • Centre for Applied Science and Technology, Home Office
  • InSync Technology
  • Knowledge Transfer Network
  • Met Office
  • MR Solutions
  • NPL
  • Observatory Science Centre
  • WP Thompson.

The GRADnet Summer School is open to all Physics postgraduate research students across the nine partner institutions of SEPnet.  Approximately 5 places per institution are available but priority will be given to final year students in the event it is over subscribed.

This workshop contributes 8 hours towards physics skills training and 4 hours towards professional skills training.

Photo 03-02-2015 16 11 04

One of the employer led workshops at the 2015 Winter School

02Mar/16

GRADnet Strong Correlations Workshop 17-19 April 2016

conference, GRADnet, postgraduate, Research

Date:  17-19 April 2016 (arrival at 12:00 on Sunday afternoon)

Venue and Accommodation:  Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Longmoor Rd, Griggs Green, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7PE. For directions see here. All accommodation and meals are prepaid and covered by SEPnet.  Reasonable travel expenses will be covered by SEPnet and can be claimed through your GRADnet Administrator at your institution.

To register: here , deadline Friday, 26 March 2016 (Logon to the VRE first)

No two researchers would ever completely agree on the definition of a strongly correlated system; however they may very roughly be described as materials where the correlations between electrons induced by interactions make the behaviour of the material `interesting’.

This interactive two-and-a-half day residential workshop is designed for PhD students who would benefit from learning more about this subject. The course will consist of three short lecture courses of three lectures each, covering both the theoretical concepts necessary to understand strongly correlated systems, as well as how one would probe them experimentally. The course will be self-contained, assuming only a knowledge of quantum mechanics and undergraduate level solid state physics. It should therefore be beneficial to students working on both theoretical and/or experimental projects.

In addition to the lectures, the workshop will have tutorials with question sheets relating to the lectures, which is also an opportunity to ask many questions and continue further discussions with all of the lecturers. There will also be a poster session, some evening seminars, and a skills session focussing on scientific communication.

For any more information, please contact Sam Carr (s.t.carr@kent.ac.uk).

Lecture Courses:

1. The unstable Fermi Gas — Jorge Quintanilla (Kent)
This course will introduce the concepts and formalism central to many body physics, covering topics such as second quantisation, the Fermi liquid, mean field theories, and correlations.

2. Non-Fermi liquids — Anna Posazhennikova (RHUL)
This course will continue on from the first, and demonstrate some of the fascinating states that may occur when Fermi-liquid theory breaks down but without forming an ordered state; examples include the Kondo-effect, quantum criticality, and heavy Fermion materials.

3. Probes of Condensed Matter — Silvia Ramos (Kent)
This course will cover a few of the common techniques used to experimentally probe condensed matter systems; and show how these techniques reveal the correlations and other theoretical aspects discussed in the other two courses.

This workshop contributes 10 hours towards physics skills training.

The full agenda is here: 2016 GRADnet Strongly Correlated Workshop Timetable

24Feb/16

Supersymmetry – theory and phenomenology Lectures at the University of Sussex, on April 12, 2016 – Register Now!

conference, GRADnet, postgraduate, Research

Sent on behalf of Iacopo Vivarelli, University of Sussex

We are thankful to SEPnet for sponsoring an afternoon of lectures about Supersymmetry (theory and experiment), at the University of Sussex, on April 12, 2016. This training event takes place the day before the three-day ATLAS SUSY workshop. While the ATLAS workshop is restricted to members of the ATLAS Collaborations only, the lectures are open also to non-ATLAS participants. Attendance by SEPnet students is encouraged particularly.

We foresee two lectures, one by Sebastian Jäger (University of Sussex), and one by Tommaso Lari (INFN and University Milano). Sebastian is a well-known theorist with a strong track record in heavy-flavour and BSM physics, while Tommaso is an experimentalist and one of the ATLAS SUSY Working Group conveners.

The event will start at 13:30 and is expected to last about four hours, including breaks. The level of the lectures will suit early PhD or advanced Master’s students. There is no registration fee for this event. Travel expenses will be covered for students with a SEPnet affiliation.

The indico entry for the event is https://indico.cern.ch/event/496750/

 

 

13Feb/16

GRADnet Winter School held 8th to 10th February

conference, GRADnet, postgraduate

The GRADnet Winter School took place on the 8-10 February 2016 at the Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent for 24 SEPnet postgraduate researchers to build their leadership potential

Alan Beesley, Director of Sensors Engineering, Selex Electronic Systems opened the first day with a talk on leadership and management from a personal perspective. In the afternoon Dr Julie Reeves, University of Southampton, presented the Belbin Inventory where delegates looked into their preferred team roles and how they were perceived by others.

Laura Herbert and Ben Norton, HR, Thales Group, began the second day with an insight into leadership and team working in industry followed by an assessment centre style challenge which delegates found very useful. One delegate described this task as “awesome”!

Trevor Long, University of Reading gave a presentation on the nature of leadership and looked at the key attributes of effective leaders. This was followed by an activity looking at the real life multi-media case simulation, exploring a wide range of leadership and team issues during the Columbia Space Shuttle mission. Delegates were immersed in the actual events that unfolded in NASA during the ill-fated mission and experienced the complex interplay of individual, team and cultural dynamics.

DSC00190There was time to relax at the Penny Theatre in Canterbury with supper and a physics quiz on Monday evening!

 

 

 

The Marshmallow Challenge proved to be entertaining. This was a simple team-building exercise where delegates had to build the tallest free-standing structure with 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow in 18 minutes. The Marshmallow Challenge is a fun and instructive design exercise that encourages teams to experience simple but profound lessons in collaboration, innovation and creativity.

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02Feb/16

Forthcoming GRADnet events in 2016

GRADnet, postgraduate

The forthcoming GRADnet events are scheduled in April to July 2016:

  • Strong Correlations Workshop: 17-19 April 2016 (Arrival Sunday 12:30) at Old Thorns Manor Hotel, Longmoor Rd, Griggs Green, Liphook, Hampshire GU30 7PE. Register here , deadline Friday, 26 March 2016

No two researchers would ever completely agree on the definition of a strongly correlated system; however they may very roughly be described as materials where the correlations between ectrons induced by interactions make the behaviour of the material `interesting’. This interactive two-and-a-half day residential workshop is designed for PhD students who would benefit from learning more about this subject. The course will consist of three short lecture courses of three lectures each, covering both the theoretical concepts necessary to understand strongly correlated systems, as well as how one would probe them experimentally. The course will be self-contained, assuming only a knowledge of quantum mechanics and undergraduate level solid state physics. It should therefore be beneficial to students working on both theoretical and/or experimental projects.

  • Opportunities, CV, Interview 27 May 2016: Friday, 27 May 2016, 0930-1700 at the Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BQ.

Register here. Registration deadline: 20 May 2016

There are a huge number of opportunities out there for those graduating with a Physics PhD; however, finding these opportunities and then applying for them can be daunting. This day is designed for final year doctorates in order to support you in finding and landing a fantastic job after you graduate.  In this workshop, we will explore different career choices available and discuss how you know what is ‘right’ for you.  We will help you learn to tailor your CV to specific jobs, increasing your chances of getting an interview.  In the afternoon, we will hold a CV clinic during which you will receive individual feedback and suggestions on your CV from people who are involved in evaluating CVs professionally. There will also be a panel discussion on interviews, providing you with insight into the interviewer’s point of view and giving you a chance to ask all of your burning questions.  This will be an interactive day in which you explore what you want out of your career and how to get there!

  • Connecting Industry and Researchers in Physics, Thursday, 9 June 2016, University of Surrey, Guildford 

Free regional networking event for PGRs and academics to meet regional small and medium-sized employers (SMEs). This is an opportunity to share your research and find out about future joint working; Develop employer contacts and business ideas;
Find out about work experience and mentoring opportunities; Develop your networking and communication skills.
Panel Members include: David Banks, Director, InSync Technology; Oly Dewhurst, physics graduate at QinetiQ; Iain Duncan, Founder, Mousetrap Innovation Ltd; Kathryn Graham, Missions and Systems Team Leader, SSTL and Peter Lancaster, Knowledge Exchange Manager, University of Surrey

You can register here: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connecting-industry-and-researchers-in-physics-thursday-9-june-2016-registration-21771632539

  • This year’s GRADnet Summer School will focus on where your physics might take you. Date:  4-7 July 2016,  09:30-17:00

Venue and Accommodation: Herstmonceux Castle, Herstmonceux, Wartling Road Entrance, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 1RN.  For directions see here.

Register here.  (logon to the VRE first) Registration deadline Friday, 3 June.  All accommodation, meals and reasonable travel expenses are covered by SEPnet.

The summer school will provide you with an exciting opportunity to interact with employers from leading companies through interactive workshops, presentations and poster sessions.   By the end of this summer school you will have expanded your skills and have the ability to apply them more broadly.  You will also develop your analytical, problem-solving skills, and your ability to present persuasively to a diverse audience.  These are skills that will help you succeed in your doctoral research and your viva, as well as in interviews and future employment.

The GRADnet Summer School is open to all Physics postgraduate research students across the nine partner institutions of SEPnet.  Approximately 5 places per institution are available but priority will be given to final year students in the event it is over subscribed.

To register for the above events please log onto the VRE. If you do not have a VRE login then you will need to request one at www.sepnet.ac.uk/vre. These events can be found under the Training tab and the Events Catalogue and Registrations page.

28Jan/16

Connecting Industry and Researchers in Physics

Employer Engagement, GRADnet

Connecting Industry and Researchers in Physics – employers and physics PhDs meet at Kent to share ideas on joint working

SEPnet’s Graduate Network (GRADnet) recently held its 4th networking evening to facilitate greater collaboration between industry and physics postgraduate researchers.

Panellists including Simon Campbell of Selex ES, Phil Edwards of Weald Technology, Julie Barry of RIFT Research & Development and Jim Telfer of Hilger Crystals shared their views and advice on what physics graduates can offer businesses, what skills industry needs and what opportunities are available to physics PhDs.   Students then networked with employers to explore potential jobs, research work or industry mentoring support.

SEPnet helps students develop their employability skills in a number of ways and, during the evening, Greg Smith, physics PhD student at Kent, showed his video describing an investigation he would like to send into space. Greg’s video won him a week at the Yuri Gagarin Training Centre in Russia, sponsored jointly by Kent and SEPnet.  The training week will offer Greg the chance to enhance his leadership, team building and communication skills.  You can view Greg’s video here:   Greg Smith, University of Kent – A solution to showering in space.

Our 5th networking event takes place at Surrey on 9 June.  To book a free place, email gradnetadmin@sepnet.ac.uk

 


21Jan/16

Connecting Industry and Researchers in Physics – Wednesday 27 January, University of Kent

Employer Engagement, GRADnet

Connecting Industry and Researchers in Physics

A South East Physics Network (SEPnet) Event

SEPnet’s Graduate Network (GRADnet) is organising its 4th networking evening to facilitate greater collaboration and links between industry and physics postgraduate research students (PGRs) and researchers. We anticipate approximately 60 employers, physics PhD students and academics attending this event.

 Who should attend

  • SEPnet PGR students who want to meet small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and employers from physics-related industries to find out about career opportunities, make contacts and explore research and business ideas
  • SEPnet partner researchers who want to build links with industry to explore how their research can create impact
  • SMEs, businesses and employers in physics-related industries.

During the evening:

  • Hear from panellists including: Julie Barry, Head of R&D, RIFT Research & Development, Simon Campbell, Head of Systems Engineering, Selex ES; Iain Duncan, Founder, Mousetrap Innovation; Phil Edwards, Managing Director, Weald Technology; Jim Telfer, Managing Director, Hilger Crystals and others talk about the benefits of knowledge exchange and what physics postgraduates and postdocs can offer industry
  • Participate in a speed networking session;
  • Build ongoing relationships between industry and researchers through placements, mentoring or research collaboration;
  • Refreshments will be provided.

How to register:

This event is free to attend.  Places are limited so please book early by clicking here (PGR students are requested to attend a networking workshop at 16.00).

Travel expenses for research students and staff:

Reasonable travel expenses to attend this event can be reclaimed through SEPnet GRADnet departmental administrators.

Professional training for PGRs:

This event contributes 1 hour towards PGR professional skills training.

For enquiries, contact gradnetadmin@sepnet.ac.uk

 THIS EVENT IS SUPPORTED BY THE INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS

08Jan/16

GRADnet events in January 2016

GRADnet, postgraduate

Please note that due to low uptake the following courses have unfortunately been cancelled:

  • Working with Workshops: 11 January
  • Algebraic Computing:  15 January 2016
  • Writing Retreat: 23 January 2016

 

Registration is still open for the following:

Videoconference Courses in 2016:

Stats I: 18 January 2016, 10:00-12:00:  Physical Room at the Open University the Library,  Virtual Room: SEPnet 9 Meeting No:  55999925

Stats II: 25 January 2016, 11:00-12:00:  Physical Room at the Open University the Library,  Virtual Room: SEPnet 9 Meeting No:  55999925

 

 

22Dec/15
GRADnet Summer School

GRADnet Entrepreneurship in Action Challenge – Register teams Now!

GRADnet, postgraduate

Entrepreneurship: Investing In Your Research, Your Skills and Your Future

Deadline for registering teams extended to Friday 22nd January 2016

Which SEPnet partner institution has the greatest entrepreneurial spirit?

Our dynamic modern world presents interesting and exciting opportunities for those who want to get involved and add value to the economy and society. GRADnet’s Entrepreneurship programme tailored for Physics PGRs is your opportunity to get involved.

Researchers are perfectly placed to take advantage of these opportunities; whether in academia, running a business or working in a corporate environment.  Why?  Important findings are used to inform policy, improve society and create exciting new products.  Plus high-skills and an enquiring mind are key to building a knowledge-based economy.

In this programme, SEPnet institutions will be invited to form teams of PGR researchers (3-6 per team) who will compete to be the most entrepreneurial physics department in SEPnet.  There is a maximum of nine team spaces available, ideally one per institution;  however, if an institution, doesn’t put a team forward that space can be used by a another partner for a second team.

The Programme:

  • 15th January: Confirm intention of forming a team by e-mailing gradnetadmin@sepnet.ac.uk
  • 16th & 17th March: designated member(s) of the team will attend two days of training which will contribute to professional development and build skills to help with the challenge.  Areas covered include varied insights into entrepreneurship; what it really means and why it is important, team work and idea generation together with business, enterprise and communication skills.

At the event participants will be given details about the challenge.

Support provided: Teams will then be introduced to local entrepreneurial experts to support the team’s idea development while working in their home institutions.  Ongoing entrepreneurship materials giving hints and tips will also be provided.

  • End of April: Teams will be required to produce and submit an initial short video outlining their idea by the end of April.

Support provided: From this, teams will receive feedback from a variety of experts about their idea and tips on how to move it forward.

Teams will continue to develop their idea, building on feedback and supported by local experts.  Ongoing entrepreneurship materials giving hints and tips will also be provided.

  • End of June: Proposals with market research and business case submitted
  • 13th July: Presentations to a panel of entrepreneurs and business people

****Prize for winning team: £100 for each member!!!!!****

By the end of the programme you will…

  • Build a fresh perspective on the world of work, business and research
  • Develop and apply entrepreneurship skills to real challenges
  • Understand the importance of entrepreneurship and its contribution to impact and value creation
  • Enhance communication, idea generation and team-working experience
  • Gain insight into the careers of others