Thesis Defence

2nd year, 6 ECTS

At the end of their first year, as part of the course Research Proposal & Poster Presentation, each student will select a mentor for their research project. This will normally be one of the two professors who supervised them for their Laboratory Apprenticeship courses. The student and mentor may also optionally agree on a co-mentor, particularly if the proposed research project is of an interdisciplinary nature.

For the majority of the second year, each student will conduct an independent research project, under the supervision of their mentor. This will fit within the mentor’s general area of research interest and project(s), and should represent novel research. It is anticipated that at early stages of the project, the student will require a considerable amount of direct mentorship, but that over time they will become increasingly independent in their work as their skills develop. They will, nevertheless, meet with their mentor (and if appropriate, co-mentor) regularly in order to discuss their progress, data and future directions.

Students will also be expected to present and discuss their work in formal or informal environments. At the mentor’s discretion, this could include lab meetings and/or presentation at (normally local) scientific congresses. Students may also be asked to help write up their work for publication in a scientific journal (either during or after the thesis).

Through this project, students will hone their experimental skills learned in their Laboratory Apprenticeship, and likely learn new ones. They will also implement their various soft skills learned in previous taught modules, including experimental design, experimental analysis (potentially statistical), scientific writing, scientific presentation, mathematical and IT skills and teamwork. All of these will be performed in a real research environment, providing context for the student, and giving them a genuine experience of life in a research profession.

Towards the end of their project, students will present their findings as part of the Research Symposium course. Taking into account any feedback received at this event, students will then prepare and submit a graduate thesis based on their research project, which will subsequently be defended in front of a thesis defence committee.