As a research student you can expect: a supervisor who directs your research and training your supervisor to spend at least 1 hour per week with you a Thesis Advisory Panel of 2 other staff to monitor progress and offer advice a progress meeting with your supervisor every 2 months a Thesis Advisory Panel meeting every 6 months for which you prepare a report a programme of training in research and transferable skills tailored to your needs opportunities to attend seminars by leading scientists from around the world, and to present your own work through posters and talks

A PhD is internationally recognised as a demonstration that you have the skills, intellect and motivation to carry out original research and present it convincingly. It is more or less essential to have a PhD if you plan a career as an independent researcher with responsibility for your own research programme, whether in academia, research institutes, or industry. In this case, the next stage will probably be a postdoctoral position where you will broaden your research experience and perhaps do some teaching and help to supervise other staff and students. A lifetime of research is not for everyone, though, and there are many other careers in which the skills you develop during your PhD will certainly not be wasted. You will have learnt to think rigorously for yourself, to find information and teach yourself what you need to know, to present your case convincingly in writing and to an audience, to meet deadlines, and to plan your work effectively on short and long timescales. Employers of all kinds recognise and value skills like these.