The chemistry PhD experience

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), with 'new' money to the tune of £250m, each Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) is expected to take on 10 students per year for the next five years to study for a four-year Phd. While some of the centres will be looking predominantly for chemistry graduates, others will require a mix of scientists and engineers. The centres, however, represent not only a new approach to funding chemical research in universities by EPSRC but, by extending the length of time allocated to doctoral studies to four years, will give chemistry departments the opportunity to provide PhD students with more training and a different experience to the traditional three-year PhD. The centres have been welcomed by the Royal Society of Chemistry.