Information for Academic Supervisors

Is there any funding available?

We have modest funding to support travel and equipment for practical projects. Your students will be expected to discuss anything they think they need to buy with you, and if you think this is a reasonable request, please contact Keith Long (if it's for laboratory equipment) or Hannah Glanville (travel or anything else) to make the arrangements. You are welcome to visit the company with the students if you are interested and/or available.

What is the time scale of the project?

What is the difference between my role and that of the Industrial Mentor?

You will be a local contact independent of the sponsoring company, but will be expected to work alongside the industrial mentor to scope the project in the weeks before it starts. You will be expected to help the students if they have any problems interacting with the industrial collaborator, or if they need local support such as sourcing equipment. Experimental projects are usually based in the Physics Teaching Laboratories with technical support coordinated by Keith Long. You are responsible for the health and safety of students carrying out practical work in the Physics Department.

You are also expected to help the students with their group presentation, and after the group presentation to work with them to select distinct aspects for them to focus on in their individual write-ups. An important part of your role is to read and comment on one draft of each student's report at the end of Hilary Term. You are also required to fill in a report for the examiners on each student's individual contribution to the project.

Contact time with the students

Your role will involve insuring the students communicate effectively a) with each other and b) with the Industrial Mentor. We suggest this takes the form of face-to-face meetings at least every 2 weeks where you check that the students have met independently and that they have been in touch with their Industrial Mentor. The students are told they should be both meeting each other, and contacting their Industrial Mentor weekly, and it is part of your role to make sure this happens! You should keep a note of any unexplained absences. This is the minimum level of contact we'd expect, but you may find with lab-based projects you need to meet with them more frequently.

What about health and safety?

You must prepare a risk assessment for any experimental work in the Physics Department, with the support of the technical staff. Practical work at the external company cannot start until a risk assessment has been prepared by the Industrial Mentor and agreed by the Physics Safety Office. Practical work cannot start until risk assessments have been approved by the Safety Office.

Any other questions?

In the first instance, please send all questions/comments/feedback to Hannah Glanville (hannah.glanville@physics.ox.ac.uk).