Programme Structure

YEAR 1:

Master in Research, MRes

Responsible for overseeing the first year, the PhD programme OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE is comprised of Professor Francesca M Spagnoli (chair), Professor Steven Sacks, the programme manager, a representative of the KCL doctoral training programme, and one junior and one senior principal investigator drawn from the supervisor pool.

During the first-year students undertake a Master Research (MRes) in Biomedical and Translational Science, which combines taught elements with three 12-week laboratory rotations.

Research

Students will undertake 12-week rotations in three laboratories, which they will select from a wide variety of projects offered by our pool of supervisors, covering topics ranging from basic questions in stem cell biology to designing cell therapies and gene correction strategies. A project choices booklet will be made available each year to candidates selected to interview. After each rotation, students will write a 2,500-word report, in the format of a scientific article, and give a 10-minute oral presentation to their cohort and members of the supervisor pool or PhD oversight committee. Each rotation will be scored based on the written and oral presentations and a report from the rotation supervisor.

Experimental & Transferable Skills

Scheduled throughout the year are experimental skills workshops focusing on essential skills for a life scientist.  The compulsory elements provide: a theoretical and practical foundation for advanced therapies and regenerative medicine [Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (SC&RM) 1 – latest developments and SC&RM2 – adult mouse stem cells practical]; training in experimental design and statistics; an introduction to research ethics and integrity; and workshops on equality, diversity and inclusion.

Together these compulsory courses will support the students’ development as critical thinkers, equip them with high standards for the design and analysis of their work, and promote a healthy research culture. Students choose additional workshops from a wide range of options covering data analysis (e.g. “R programming and Statistics”) and wet lab technologies (e.g. “Light and Electron microscopy”, FACS). Each workshop is assessed by a short report or exam and also contributes towards the MRes degree classification.

Scientific Publishing

Students gain publishing experience by writing a review article together with a senior PI, on a topic that has been solicited or pitched to a journal by the students. This highly successful innovation has led to the publication of five reviews (Belokhvostova et al. 2018; Clarke et al. 2018; Cho et al. 2019; Almeida et al 2021; Brooks et al. 2022). The process of writing and publishing the review develops many skills to aid subsequent thesis writing and preparing primary research articles

Exposure to Career Options

Students will participate in approximately eight weekly MASTER CLASSES to gain perspectives on diverse aspects of a research, policy and careers. Previous speakers include staff from Innovate UK, research charities and a firm of patent lawyers. Each class will comprise a presentation followed by a round-table discussion for first year programme students.

Thesis Proposal

After all three rotations have been completed, the students will select a thesis project and, with input from the supervisor, prepare a research proposal of up to 5,000 words, including a literature review and milestones for the first year. Supervisors from the programme and the members of the PhD Oversight Committee will examine students on their proposals to not only provide assessment, but to also ensure their proposal is well-considered before they commit to three years of investigation.

MRes Qualification

It is anticipated that students will be awarded MRes with pass, merit or distinction based on the marks they receive for their rotation reports, thesis proposal and other first year activities.