Year 1
Student experiences
In week 1 of the programme (Induction week) you will go away for two days with your cohort and CDT staff for a social ‘ice-breaking’ event. This will enable you to get to know your fellow students as well as key members of staff and supervisors.
The aim of the first-year training programme is to furnish all students with expertise in the underpinning theory and engineering approaches needed in their research. With access to state-of-the art laboratories and a unique cohort-style approach to learning, you will be immersed in an environment that supports a research focus from the very beginning. The programme is flexible for students with a strong background in related topics.
The following is a summary of the core elements that make up Year 1:
- Foundations of quantum information and quantum communications
- Quantum light and matter
- Quantum systems engineering
These core elements will be supplemented by:
- Two three-month long individual research projects selected by you, the student.
- Group laboratory project whereby groups comprising of around four students from mixed disciplines target the demonstration of a seminal quantum experiment.
- The Quantum Grand Challenge: a project for the entire cohort that engages the group’s broad range of skills and collective creative power.
- Optional units in Nanofabrication, Quantum computation, Quantum device engineering, and Applied quantum theory.
- Tutorials, lectures and cohort group-learning experiences covering current and emerging topics in quantum engineering, including: information theory and computational complexity, quantum computing architecture and algorithms, HPC computing architecture and algorithms, quantum technologies, advanced optics and photonics, digital signal processing and machine learning, scientific computing.
- Transferable skills training covering a range of topics including scientific writing, communication, time management and creative problem solving.
- A course on public outreach helping you to tackle issues such as ‘What is public outreach?’, ‘How to create impact’ and ‘Approaches to delivery’.
- An Enterprise exercise on entrepreneurship, exploitation and commercialisation.
- A week long ‘Industry trip’ typically to the USA where you will visit companies and universities working in the quantum field.
More information about Years 2 to 4
The first year of training was an amazing experience. It was a lot of work, but it was equally rewarding.
Despite my initial fears that this program would not be compatible with my engineering background, I find my undergraduate training invaluable when tackling the everyday research challenges. This program nurtures a multidisciplinary approach, requiring from an individual to address a problem from different aspects and therefore is an engineering program in its true sense. From my experience so far, I would encourage engineering students to apply, because this program will challenge them to apply the whole spectrum of skills they were taught (and one rarely gets that chance!), address the burning issues in building the next generation of quantum systems, collaborate with experts from various disciplines and hopefully be able to see the applicable result of their team efforts in the near future