Academics in the north-east have introduced a contemporary PhD to help doctorate students with their future careers.
Aberdeen University has teamed up with colleagues in Northern Ireland to create a new course, the Queen’s University Belfast & University of Aberdeen Doctoral Research and Training (QUADRAT).
The programme, which launches today, will bring together environmental research and teaching centres of excellence to deliver a unique PHD which will centre around Biological Sciences and Geosciences.
The course will initially be offered to 100 students, offering them assistance in developing disciplinary excellence around a specific research project and gain additional knowledge and skills to help them be competitive research leaders.
Natural Environment Research Council awarded the scheme £5 million to develop opportunities for young students eager to improve their expertise.
Professor Graeme Paton, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at Aberdeen University, said: “It is no longer the case that the majority of PhD candidates go on to pursue a career in academia, and QUADRAT has been developed to address this – we will ensure that our PhD candidates are equipped for a broad range of career paths.
“By bringing together our world class expertise, this partnership will offer candidates the opportunity to carry out studies which fit into several themes – Environmental Management, Biodiversity and Earth Systems.”
Professor Mark Emmerson, Professor from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast added: “Managing sustainability is one of the most challenging and rapidly growing areas in both the public and private sectors.
“This initiative with Aberdeen and NERC will improve both interdisciplinary academic training and research to enable the next generation of scientists to work with industry and policy makers to drive towards positive environmental change.”