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UCL INTERACTION CENTRE INFORMATION FOR MPhil/PhD STUDENTS 2020-21 1
UCL INTERACTION CENTRE
INFORMATION FOR MPhil/PhD STUDENTS
2020-21
1
Checklist
The following is brief checklist of responsibilities for PhD students. The rest of the
document provides considerably greater detail regarding each point and will hopefully serve
as a useful reference.
With primary supervisor, select a secondary supervisor by the end of the first week.
It is strongly recommended that all students take 2 taught modules in the first 1 – 2
years of registration. Typically these will be from the recommended list:
o Statistics or Qualitative Methods* (both offered by the Division of Psychology
and Language Sciences (PALS) - *note that students funded by ESRC
studentships need to complete both courses),
o A programming course – e.g.:
Programming (PSYC0157 offered by PALS – see page 13),
Introductory programming,
Introduction to Programming module – a good follow-up to Programming for
Psychology and recommended for building tasks or tools
o One Master’s module (in PALS or Computer Science (CS) Dept or another
dept).
The following course has additionally been found by other students to be particularly useful:
o Code Academy teaches all main web programming languages and is free
Furthermore, all PhD students must present at the UCLIC PhD showcase event (normally in
June).
Students should complete relevant courses throughout their period of study and
should also read and critique two theses in their first year.
All PhD students are expected to attend the weekly UCLIC Departmental seminars
(usually Wed, 3pm).
2
In their first year, students should ensure that they have completed all relevant
ethical clearance processes needed for their studies and ensure that they comply
with data protection and approved ethical procedures throughout their studies.
Students are expected to pass their first year viva, usually around their 9th month of
registration and then upgrade from MPhil to PhD about 6 months later, and normally
not later than their 18th month of registration. Part-time students and those with
Divisional studentships have additional time.
Complete 20 points worth of transferable skill training per year and mark these in
the Research Log.
Update the Research Log book with your progress and status at the regular intervals
listed in the Research Log.
Students should attend or present at an external seminar or workshop each year and
should submit a conference paper in their second and third years. They should
publish a journal paper each year after their second year. They should start planning
for their future in their third year.
Aim to submit the PhD thesis within 3 (sometimes 4) years of starting the program
for full-time students, 4 years for Divisional studentships, or 5 years for part-time
students. The viva normally takes place within three months of submitting the thesis.
4-6 months before submitting the thesis, complete and submit a Research Degree
Examination Entry Form and an Examiner Nomination form.
If you require additional time after the end of your funding, then register for
Completing Research Students (CRS) status. This provides full time students with the
fourth year or part-time students with the sixth and seventh years at minimal cost.
More details are available in the UCL Academic Manual.
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ContentsUCL INTERACTION CENTRE........................................................................................................................................1
Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................................7
The Division of Psychology and Language Sciences and Department of Computer Science.........7
Term Dates for 2019-20.............................................................................................................................................. 7
Useful Contacts in UCLIC..................................................................................................................................................8
Useful Contacts in PALS and CS...................................................................................................................................9
CS Postgraduate Administrator.......................................................................................................................9
Being recruited............................................................................................................................................................9
INDUCTION EVENTS......................................................................................................................................................10
Supervision........................................................................................................................................................................10
Principal Supervisor................................................................................................................................................... 10
Subsidiary Supervisor................................................................................................................................................11
Graduate Tutor..............................................................................................................................................................11
Advanced Graduate training...................................................................................................................................13
Doctoral School Courses.......................................................................................................................................16
Other Research Seminars.....................................................................................................................................17
PhD Timetables 2020/2021 – see also PhD Timetables on UCLIC PhD intranet page for more
detailed info........................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Term 1............................................................................................................................................................................... 18
PhD Timetables 2020/2021........................................................................................................................................19
Term 2............................................................................................................................................................................... 19
* check announcements for seminars as venue may change........................................................................19
Monitoring of Progress...............................................................................................................................................20
Research Student Log.................................................................................................................................................20
4
Purpose of the Research Student Log.............................................................................................................20
First Year and Thesis Committees...................................................................................................................22
Second Year: The Upgrade Viva....................................................................................................................25
The Structure of a Thesis...........................................................................................................................................28
Finishing the PhD: Thesis and Viva.....................................................................................................................29
Interruption of study...................................................................................................................................................30
Resources and Useful info – (1) Ethical approvals...................................................................................32
(2) Resources and Research equipment for PhD students........................................................................33
(3) UCL Union................................................................................................................................................................ 34
(4) The Doctoral School.............................................................................................................................................34
(5) Subject Payments..................................................................................................................................................34
(6) Library....................................................................................................................................................................... 37
(7) Post and Telephones...........................................................................................................................................37
(8) Portico....................................................................................................................................................................... 38
(9) Conference and Training Expenses..............................................................................................................39
(10) Emergency............................................................................................................................................................ 40
(11) ID and Keys...........................................................................................................................................................40
(12) Communicating with you...............................................................................................................................40
(14) Health and Safety...............................................................................................................................................41
(16) Student input/feedback to the department...........................................................................................42
(18) Equal Opportunity Liaison Officer..............................................................................................................43
What To Do if You Have a Problem...........................................................................................................................44
Useful Web Links............................................................................................................................................................46
General.............................................................................................................................................................................. 46
Resources.........................................................................................................................................................................46
UCL Rules and Regulations governing Research Degrees..........................................................................47
5
6
Introduction
Welcome to the UCL Interaction Centre. We hope you will have a happy and rewarding time
here. This handbook is for all graduate students registered in UCLIC in 2020/21, and should
be read in conjunction with UCL Doctoral School’s Code of Practice, which is available on
their website. Its aim is to inform you on matters relating to your chosen degree course,
both from an academic and practical point of view. Please read the handbook carefully and
keep it for future use.
The information in this booklet covers the induction events (for new students), aspects of
supervision, links to the academic regulations relating to upgrading from MPhil to PhD
status, and submitting a thesis. In addition, some useful resources are included towards the
end of the document. It is accurate at the time of going to press, and adjustments that are
necessary in the future will be disseminated as widely as possible.
The Division of Psychology and Language Sciences and Department of
Computer Science
UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC) is one of eight research departments within the Division of
Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS) that consists of staff from both PALS and the
Department of Computer Science (CS). UCLIC is based in 66 – 72 Gower Street. Many
members of UCLIC are also members of the Human Centred Systems Research Group in
Computer Science. PhD students in UCLIC may be registered in either Computer Science
(CS) or UCLIC (PALS). Procedures and regulations may be slightly different for the two
departments – contact Louise Gaynor for advice if registered in PALS or CS PG Admin for
advice if registered in CS. We have tried to align processes, but highlight any differences in
this document - if you are unsure, please contact Louise Gaynor.
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Term Dates for 2019-20
See the UCL term dates for 2020 -21 . Although these are the official term dates, PhD
students have access to the building via the ID card throughout the year and are expected to
be in attendance.
Useful Contacts in UCLICGraduate Tutor
Dr Enrico Costanza
Email: [email protected]
Office: room 2.05 66-72 Gower St (66GS)
Tel: 020 3108 7181
As Graduate Tutor, Enrico is responsible for ensuring the overall progression and
successful completion of research students in the department, for duties related to the
well-being of individual students, and for the implementation of departmental policies as
they affect the body of research students as a whole.
Some examples of typical matters dealt with by the Graduate Tutor are: advising on
changes in supervision and on matters associated with registration and examination and
ensuring that assessments are organised on time.
Director/ Head of Department
Professor Yvonne Rogers
Email: [email protected]
Office: room 2.13 66GS
Tel: 020 3108 7073 (x 57073)
Research Student Representative
Tao Bi
Email: [email protected]
Office: room 2.04 66GS
Tel: 020 3108 6546 (x 56546)
PhD Administrator
Dr Louise Gaynor
Research Student Representative
Maryam Bandukda
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Email: [email protected]
Office: room 2.03 66GS
Tel: 020 3108 7050 (x 57050)
Email: [email protected]
Office: room 2.12 66GS
Tel: 020 3108 6543 (x 56543)
Useful Contacts in PALS and CSHead of PALS Division
Professor Peter Fonagy
Email: [email protected]
Office: 301 Bedford Way
Tel: 020 7679 5960 (x 45960)
Head of CS Department
Professor John Shawe-Taylor
Email: [email protected]
Office: 5.14 MPEB
Phone: 020 7679 7680 (x 37680)
PALS Graduate Tutor
Dr John Swettenham
Email: [email protected]
Office: Room 317, Chandler House, 2
Wakefield St.
Tel: 020 7679 4220 (x 24220)
CS Graduate Tutor
Professor Anthony Hunter
Email: [email protected]
Office: 4.14 66GS
Phone: 020 3108 7113 (x 57113)
PALS Divisional Manager
Mr John Draper
Email: [email protected]
Office: 306 Bedford Way
Tel: 020 7679 5338 (x 25338)
CS Postgraduate Administrator
Being [email protected]
Office: 1.04A, 66GS
Tel: 020 3108 7042 (x 57042)
Our intranet pages have considerable information about working in UCLIC in general, with
information for PhD students specifically in the For PhDs section. You can access these and
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the PALS Intranet pages with your UCLIC login details (may be the same as UCL credentials)
– Yoana Ahmetoglu or Louise Gaynor can set this up for you.
Additional contact information can be found on the PALS and CS people pages.
INDUCTION EVENTS
See the Induction week schedule for all details of the events occurring during the main
induction week (Monday 28th September – Sat 3rd October 2020). Some events begin a few
weeks beforehand. It is compulsory that all incoming MPhil/PhD students attend all relevant
events. Please use the Welcome to UCL app to select events – all will be online this year.
Please also note that there will be Inductions on the Doctoral Skills Development
programme and the Research Student Log from the Doctoral School. There will be some
video sessions, so students only need attend one. There will be sessions run later in the year
(TBC) – check their website for information.
Additional online Induction training (usually need your UCL username and password):
Safety at UCL and Fire Safety
Equality and Diversity training
Green Awareness
GDPR training
Unconscious bias training
Information security
Supervision
All MPhil/PhD students have a principal supervisor who is responsible for advising them on
the conduct of their research and also a subsidiary supervisor, chosen to enhance the
effective supervision of the student by contributing a second opinion or additional areas of
expertise. The panel of supervisors constitute the student's Thesis Committee. The UCL
Graduate School Code of Practice for Graduate Research Degrees describes in detail what
you should expect from your supervisors.
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Principal Supervisor
It is expected that students will meet with their principal supervisors on a regular basis.
Initially, this will probably mean every week, but once a pattern of work and co-operation
has been developed, meetings may be less or more frequent. Student and supervisor are
expected to meet at least once a month.
Supervisors should make themselves accessible at appropriate times and students should
keep their supervisor informed about their progress (or lack of it) during longer gaps.
Students and supervisors should discuss ad hoc arrangements for remaining in contact if
either is away for a more prolonged period.
The terms “principal supervisor” and “primary supervisor” are used inter-changeably in this
document.
Subsidiary Supervisor
Every research student also has a second supervisor (often called the “subsidiary
supervisor”) whose responsibility is to complement, rather than duplicate, the help that the
primary supervisor gives and would normally bring different skills and a different
perspective to the role. In very exceptional cases, the second supervisor may be required to
take over the role of primary supervisor. Normally, the second supervisor will see the
student less often, (e.g., 1 hour per month) and will give specialist research guidance
through general discussion, through suggestions for reading, and through comments on
drafts of relevant chapters.
Note that second supervisors should be agreed by the end of Induction Week. This decision
is typically made in discussion with the primary supervisor. Once the secondary supervisor
agrees, please notify Enrico Costanza and Louise Gaynor so this can be entered into the
official records and the Research Log.
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Graduate Tutor
Students should always have someone in the department – either their first or second
supervisor – whom they can call on in an emergency. If neither of these is available, the
relevant Graduate Tutor (Dr. Enrico Costanza) has overall responsibility for all graduate
students within the research department, and the student can turn to him for help or
advice.
Note for Overseas Students (i.e. students from outside the European Economic Area). It is
required by law that at least 12 formal meetings with the supervisor are held throughout
each calendar year. These should normally be face-to-face, but this requirement has been
suspended due to Covid. The meetings should be held approximately once per month,
documented in the Research Student Log, and students should email Louise or CS PG Admin
to confirm how they have engaged each month – they must include their primary or
secondary supervisor in cc. Failure to formally engage and maintain records could result in
the student losing their Student Visa and being expelled from the UK. See more information
for International Students – there is also guidance and advice on the EU Settlement scheme
for EU students.
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Advanced Graduate Training
As part of our PhD program, students are expected not only to gain first hand research
experience but also to develop a range of research skills. These are important for both
conducting one’s own research and also in critically evaluating the design, methodology,
results and interpretation of other’s research. Consequently, ALL students are expected to
participate in both formal and less formal seminars as part of the advanced research
training they receive.
Courses and Seminars
It is strongly recommended, but not obligatory that all students take 2 taught modules in
the first 1 – 2 years of registration. Typically these will be from the recommended list as in
the Checklist on p.1:
o Statistics or Qualitative Methods,
o A Programming module,
o Introductory programming in CS
o Introduction to Programming module
o One Master’s module (in PALS or CS or another dept).
The following courses have additionally been found by other students to be particularly
useful:
o Code Academy teaches all main web programming languages and is free
Furthermore, all PhD students must present at the UCLIC PhD showcase event (normally
term 3).
The PALS Statistics and Programming courses are run in the first term, and Qualitative
Methods in the second Term – these PALS courses are formally assessed. These courses may
13
be less useful to students with Master's degrees if they were previously completed as part
of a Master’s degree at UCL (or an equivalent course at another university).
Regarding MSc modules, postgraduate students are not formally assessed for these modules
like Masters’ attendees, but may sometimes have to complete an essay/report relating the
topic to their PhD research – this is then examined by their supervisor. These include but are
not limited to: MSc modules available in PALS and MSc in Computer Science modules (check
each MSc for module listings, places are limited). Please note that on many modules, space
is usually limited so you may not get your first choice – however, all modules in 2020-21 will
be online, so this shouldn’t be a problem.
You should discuss your choice of modules with your supervisor. To register for your chosen
modules, you’ll need to fill out the form from the PhD Induction site and return it to Louise
Gaynor (Room 2.03 66GS) by the end of the first week (Thursday 1 Oct).
The UCLIC PhD showcase is a one day event enabling students to present their research to
their peers and other researchers within UCLIC - all UCLIC students required to attend –
there are no exceptions. This takes place around June - students have the option to present
their research in any number of ways, ie., as a poster, as a short (10-20 min) presentation or
in various other innovative ways. In all cases, presentations will be evaluated and each
person will have the opportunity to receive detailed feedback from the other students and
researchers.
All PhD students must attend a Dilemma Game workshop before they upgrade. This 2-3 hr
workshop allows for discussion around research related ethical dilemmas and is now a UCL-
wide requirement – Enrico Costanza runs 1 or 2 workshops within UCLIC around May or
June of each year and the Engineering Faculty run more sessions each summer – students
will be notified of these opportunities.
Time-frame
Full-time students are expected to complete this work during their first two years. For part-
time students, the time line is more flexible. Ideally, most of this course work should be
completed before the student can upgrade from MPhil to PhD candidate status. Additional
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useful training courses are sometimes offered by the CS dept specifically for graduate
students. These include guidance on how to prepare for your 1st year, upgrade and thesis
vivas as well as a number of other topics – talk to CS PG Admin about what is available and
when and how to register.
Finally, all first year full-time students are expected to attend the UCLIC Seminars (and part-
time students are highly encouraged to attend). These usually take place on Wednesday
afternoons at 3.00pm and are mostly in Room 4.05 seminar room in 66 – 72 Gower Street
for the current academic year – they will be mostly conducted through Zoom for the first
part of 2020-21. They are initially organised by Temi Olugbade and Aneesha Singh, who
would welcome suggestions for visiting speakers – if you nominate a speaker, the normal
practice is that those who suggest speakers are then responsible for hosting that speaker
and organising a schedule for their visit to UCLIC. The list of scheduled speakers is displayed
on the UCLIC Seminars page.
Although the focus of advanced graduate training is to develop a range of research skills, the
Research Councils, other sponsors, and employers are now expecting research students to
be able to demonstrate that they have also developed generic and transferable skills to a
high level as well. These include skills such as the ability to write clearly and succinctly, to
give oral presentations, etc. and towards this end, students are normally required to
complete 20 “Robert’s points” in transferable skills training each year. The training itself
comes from multiple sources and includes things like writing and submitting papers,
attending conferences, receiving career development advice, etc. Progress is monitored via
the Research Log system and this is checked before the student upgrades to PhD status and
again when their thesis gets submitted. For more information, see the Doctoral School
Essential info page.
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Optional Courses and Seminars
Doctoral School Courses
In addition to courses within the Department, all MPhil/PhD students are strongly
encouraged to attend some of the courses organised through the Doctoral School and
Organisation Development team. Details of these courses (on, e.g., computing facilities at
UCL, use of electronic information sources, presentation skills, personal bibliographic
software) can be obtained from the Doctoral School Courses page. All students are expected
to submit a poster for the Doctoral School poster competition (May of each year) during
their time as a PhD student.
Training in teaching methods
Many postgraduates take on some teaching and/or demonstrating roles during their studies
and this is viewed as an essential part of postgraduate training. Students registered in CS
must undertake some teaching duties in that dept, but exceptions can sometimes be made
– talk to your supervisor if you feel this requirement will hinder your progress or you have
already committed to substantial teaching. Those involved in such teaching are required to
participate in training to support this role – there is a training scheme in UCL specifically for
postgraduate teaching assistants – this is called UCL Arena One. More information about
teaching training available at UCL can be found on the Doctoral School website, with further
guidance on the HR website. There are many other teaching training opportunities available
– see the UCLIC intranet , the Teaching and Learning Portal and the Peer Dialogue scheme.
Note for Overseas Students (i.e. students from outside the European Economic Area).
Students on Tier 4 visas are now required to complete timesheets when doing additional
work such as teaching/demonstrating – guidance on this as well as the timesheets can be
found on the intranet (PhD pages) and also on the HR Immigration pages (see Tier 4 Student
Worker section). You can contact Jo Pearson (MSc in HCI Senior Teaching Administrator) or
Louise Gaynor as well for more information about this. Note this will change after 31 Dec
2020 and will affect EU students also.
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Other Research Seminars
Students and staff are obviously welcome to participate in any seminars which interest them
over and above those that are required in their first year. Information about research
seminars is regularly circulated on e-mail. Most groups have e-mail lists which you can join.
See also the seminar links at the ‘For PhDs page’ on the intranet. It is also advised that you
talk to your supervisor about useful seminars.
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PhD Timetables 2020/2021 – see also PhD Timetables on UCLIC PhD intranet page for more detailed infoTerm 1Monday 28th September – Friday 18th December (Induction week – no teaching); Reading Week 9th – 13th November
Day of week Time:
9-10am
Time:
10-11am
Time:
11-12pm
Time:
12-1pm
Time:
1-2pm
Time:
2-3pm
Time:
3-4pm
Time:
4-5pm
Monday PSYC0146
312 BW Lb1
PSYC0146
CFM B404
PSYC0146
CFM B404
Tuesday
Wednesday PSYC0157
Wilkins GTL
PSYC0157
Wilkins GTL
UCLIC seminar
Room 405 GS*
Thursday PSYC0146
312 BW Lb1
Friday PSYC0157
312 BW Lb1
PSYC0157
312 BW Lb1
BW = 26 Bedford Way; GTL = Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre; GS = 66-72 Gower Street, CFM = Cruciform; * check seminar venues
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PhD Timetables 2020/2021Term 2 Monday 11th January - Friday 26th March; Reading Week 15th – 19th February
Day of week Time:
9-10am
Time:
10-11am
Time:
11-12pm
Time:
12-1pm
Time:
1-2pm
Time:
2-3pm
Time:
3-4pm
Time:
4-5pm
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday PSYC0158
312 BW Lb1
PSYC0158
(to 1.30pm)
312 BW Lb1
UCLIC seminar
Room 405 GS*
Thursday
Friday
* check announcements for seminars as venue may change
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Monitoring of Progress
Research Student Log
To help monitor the progress of students during their PhD, the Graduate School provides
the Research Student Log which is a mandatory component of all UCL research degree
programmes.
Purpose of the Research Student Log
The Log has been prepared to assist you throughout your degree programme at UCL. It
provides a framework for recording details related to your graduate research programme,
scheduled supervisory meetings and activities concerning the development of academic and
keys skills. Your Log will also help you to assess your progress and to plan and chart
evidence of the development of academic and discipline specific skills and key skills.
In education and employment there is an increasing emphasis on skills and their
development. It is important for individuals to demonstrate that their skills have been
actively developed over time. The skills development self-audit plan of this Log will help you
in identifying your skills and also assist you in planning your skills development programme
as part of your academic studies and career.
The Log is intended to be used in a flexible manner, to allow for different research processes
between different disciplines.
How to use the Research Student Log
You are asked to document ‘formal’ supervisory meetings in this Log. It is not intended to
record the (far) more frequent ‘informal’ meetings that often occur several times per week.
It is important that use of the Log should not replace face-to-face meetings. The framework
of supervisory meetings included in the Log is in line with the Graduate School Code of
Practice for Graduate Research Degrees. 20
If during a supervisory session you feel some issues cannot be described in the Log, please
feel free to supplement your Log submission with any additional materials letting the tutor
know whether you would like these additional materials to be treated confidentially or not.
You are asked to reflect upon and assess your initial skills level and the development of your
skills over time. This will provide evidence that you have mastered a variety of situations,
personal as well as professional, in which you may have demonstrated your skills.
Part A & B of the Log are shared with the Graduate Tutor to document your continuing
progress. This information must be complete in order to upgrade from MPhil to PhD
candidacy and to submit your PhD thesis.
Expected yearly progression for studentsEvent Full time (PALS/CS) PALS Divisional
studentshipsPart-time students
TC 1 and TC 2 3 and 9 months 3 and 12 months 6 and 15 months
Transfer/Upgrade from MPhil to PhD
Around 15 months(not less than 9 months and not later than 24 months)
Around 18 months(not less than 9 months and not later than 24 months)
Around 30 months(not less than 15 months and not later than 40 months)
TC 3 and TC 4 18 and 24 months (no report required)
20 and 30 months (no report required)
30 and 39 months(no report required)
TC 5 30 months 36 months 48 monthsDraft thesis and mock viva
Around month 36-42 Around month 36-42 Around month 48-60
Submission Month 42 (absolute deadline month 48) – usually 15 Sept
Absolute deadline month 48 - usually 15 Sept
Absolute deadline month 60 – usually 15 Sept
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First Year. In the first term, students would normally complete one of the Statistics course,
Computer Programming or at least one module of an MSc program if they have selected any
and/or Qualitative Methods courses in the second term. Students should discuss with their
supervisors what modules it would be beneficial to take. All students must take part in the
UCLIC PhD showcase Day in the third term.
Thesis Committees
All MPhil/PhD students starting after 1st September 2019 will be required to have a Thesis
Committee (TC). The role of the TC is for its members to support the student throughout the
PhD programme. In UCLIC, the TC comprises the primary (1y) and secondary (2y) supervisor
and at least one additional member with relevant academic experience (can be external to
UCL). The TC is determined by the 1y supervisor and departmental graduate tutor before
the student arrives, but can be changed if the direction of the PhD changes – the TC will be
chaired by the 1y or 2y supervisor. Members of the TC cannot act as final PhD examiners.
There are five formal meetings with the TC scheduled over the course of the programme
(see below summary table for full-time and part-time students), although the student,
supervisor or TC can request an additional meeting at any time. Students may also approach
TC members informally (individually or as a group) for advice and support should the need
arise. In the event that a student enters Continuing Research Status (CRS) the TC should
remain active and continue to meet every six months.
The TC Chair prepares a short report of the outcomes of a TC meeting and sends this to the
Student and members of the committee. If all agree that this reflects the outcome of the
meetings, the student enters the report onto the UCL Research Student Log. The guidance
and forms are available from the PhD intranet page.
Table summarising the schedule of TC meetings, reporting and presentation requirements
Thesis committee meeting
Written report Presentation TimingFull-time
Timing* Part time
TC1, Research proposal Yes (~1,000 words) Yes 3 months 6 monthsTC2, 9 Months report Yes Yes 9 months 15 monthsTC3, Meeting No Yes 18 months 30 monthsTC4, Meeting No Yes 24 months 39 monthsTC5, Thesis outline Yes (plan of thesis) Yes 30 months 48 months
22
It is the student’s responsibility to organise the TC meetings and it is advisable to set
the dates at least one month in advance to ensure you are able to meet with your TC
before the deadline.
You should be prepared to discuss your results/data so have them to hand should your
TC want to review them again.
Following the meeting, the report form in your UCL Research Student Log of the
meeting outcome and any comments/suggestions made by the TC.
TC1: Thesis Committee meeting 1 (3 months)
NOTE: It is advised that you set the date at least one month in advance of the meeting to
ensure that the meeting takes place before the deadline.
Preliminary Research Proposal Submission
Your Research Proposal should be approved by your Primary Supervisor before sending it to
members of your TC.
Preliminary Research Proposal Content
Your Research Proposal should include the following:
Abstract (200 words max.)
A succinct review of the key literature to contextualise the work
Hypothesis and aims of your project
A clear plan of experimental approaches for the next 6-12 months including a
graphical timeline
Bibliography.
Word limit: 1,000 (excluding bibliography)
Words limits
Word limits should not be exceeded. A word count should be included on the front page of your
reports.
23
The research proposal will form the basis for your discussion with the TC. Prepare a 15-20
minute presentation for the TC. The Primary Supervisor should be present at this TC
meeting.
Outcome
Members of your TC will discuss your proposal and may suggest amendments. Following the
TC meeting, your proposal (revised if appropriate) will be approved by your Primary
Supervisor and TC members.
Personal Development Plan
Together with your Primary Supervisor, you should draft a personal development plan for
your first year that takes into account any mandatory training that you should undertake as
well as bespoke training opportunities.
Student Action: The final TC approved version of your plan and TC report form should be
sent to Louise or CS Postgrad Admin by email as soon as possible after TC1. You should also
upload your proposal and report form to your Research Student Log.
TC2: Thesis Committee Meeting 2 (9 month report)
Report Submission
Your report should be sent along with a First year viva report form to all members of your
TC, and to Louise if registered in PALS or CS PG Admin if registered in CS no less than two
weeks before the meeting.
Report Content
Please prepare a progress report outlining what you have achieved since your PhD project
commenced. The report should complement your Preliminary Research Proposal and should
include progress to date and a plan of future experiments. Where appropriate, students are
allowed to re-use text that was submitted in the 3 months report. The CS dept occasionally
run training events to help students prepare for the 9 month meeting, eg “First Year Viva
Preparation and Literature Review” - ask CS PG Admin for details.24
Thesis Committee Meeting
It is your responsibility to organise your TC meeting and it is advised that you set the date
one month in advance of the meeting to ensure completion of the meeting before the
deadline.
Prepare a 15-20 minutes presentation, which includes the project outline, progress to date
and a plan of future experiments.
The written report and oral presentation will form the basis of the discussion with your TC.
Outcome
If progress is judged to be satisfactory, you will begin to plan for your upgrade from MPhil to
PhD. You will also discuss your personal development plan and ensure that you are on
course to complete any mandatory training before your upgrade.
If there are concerns that satisfactory progress has not been made, your DGT may instigate
the Academic Insufficiency Process as outlined in the guidelines (Academic Insufficiency
Process). You will be set objectives, in consultation with your Supervisor and TC which you
will be required to meet within a defined period of time. This involves monthly meetings
over a period of 3 months, during which time you will be supported by your TC. The process
will be assessed by the Departmental Graduate Tutor and Faculty Graduate Tutor.
Student Action: Following the meeting, you should receive a TC report form and 1st year viva
feedback form from the Chair and you should email these to Louise or CS Postgrad Admin
and upload them to your Research Student Log – the report form should include a short
summary of the meeting outcome, including any comments/suggestions made by the TC.
Second Year: The Upgrade from MPhil to PhD (ideally 12-15 months)
Initially PhD students are registered for an MPhil degree and in order to proceed to a PhD,
their registration must be changed accordingly. The upgrade process takes place between 9
and 18 months (but ideally 12 – 15 months for full-time students) and assesses the student’s
progress and ability to complete the PhD programme in a reasonable time-frame. Please see
the regulations in the Academic Manual, Chapter 5, 2.8, and the guidance on upgrading. 25
This will generally involve preparation of a report and a presentation to your upgrade panel
as part of a viva. Examination of the viva will be by your Subsidiary Supervisor and an
academic external to your thesis committee, or by your TC.
For PALS students, the process is initiated by the postgraduate administrator (Louise
Gaynor) who will email the students scheduled to upgrade and both their supervisors. CS
students will be contacted by CS PG Admin. The email will include a reminder of the process
and provide a time frame for turning in the necessary materials (the student’s written
documentation and the primary supervisor’s report on progress). It is the student’s
responsibility to make sure they meet the criteria for upgrade. If they do not, the upgrade
will be postponed until the next session.
The student submits their documents approximately one month before the upgrade to their
assessor, second supervisor, the Graduate Tutor and Louise if registered in PALS or CS PG
Admin if registered in CS.
The Upgrade Viva
The purpose of the viva is to ascertain, in conjunction with the student’s upgrade report and
the report by the Principal Supervisor, that the above criteria have been met. The viva
should also be an opportunity for the student to discuss and defend his/her ideas. The
student gives a brief (max 15 minutes) verbal summary of (i) the topic chosen for their
research and why they have chosen that topic (ii) the aims, methods, results and
conclusions of their pilot study. They are then interviewed about their work by members of
the panel. The student can also ask questions of the panel and can identify any concerns or
problems they are experiencing. The whole interview takes about 40 minutes.
The CS dept occasionally run training events to help students prepare for the upgrade viva,
eg “Preparing for the Transfer Viva”– ask CS PG Admin for details.
Students should receive feedback within 5 days after the viva.
IMPORTANT - If you pass your transfer viva, the upgrade panel must complete a upgrade
panel report form and pass it to the Postgraduate Tutor or Postgraduate Administrator who
will submit this to the Registry.26
TC3 Thesis Committee Meeting 3 (18 - 20 months)
The third TC meeting will occur after your upgrade from MPhil to PhD has taken place. If this
was successful, you will discuss your upgrade report with the TC and outline your plans for
the next 6 – 12 months with respect to your research project and personal development
plan. If your upgrade was unsuccessful, your second attempt must take place between 15
and 24 months (for full-time students) after the start of your project, and the TC will discuss
and review your plans to address the issues raised by your examiners.
TC4 Thesis Committee Meeting 4 (24 months)
The purpose of TC4 is to discuss any areas of your project that are problematic or falling
behind schedule. No written report is required. You should prepare a short presentation
(15-20 minutes) that will form the basis of your discussion with the TC. You should discuss
your personal development plan and training requirements for your final year.
TC5 Thesis Plan (30 months)
The purpose of TC5 is to review your thesis outline and discuss what, if any, final
experiments you need to complete for your thesis.
Thesis Outline and Final Experiments
Your thesis outline (~ 1000 words) should contain a breakdown of each chapter into sub-
headings, and include figure titles and/or any other relevant notes/comments about the
content of each section. You should indicate which sections need further data to complete.
The word limit for a PhD thesis is 100,000 words, but this is the upper limit and you should
aim to be as clear and concise as possible.
You should also include a timeline of remaining experiments so that you, your Supervisor
and TC all have a clear idea about what you will be doing over the final months. Email these
documents to the TC and to Louise if registered in PALS or CS PG Admin if registered in CS
no less than two weeks before the meeting.
Student Action: Following the meeting, you should upload your plan and report form to
your Research Student Log and email the report form to Louise or CS PG Admin . The report
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form should include a short summary of the meeting outcome and any
comments/suggestions made by the TC.
The Structure of a Thesis
It is advisable for all students to look at some theses in their topic area early on in their
studies to see examples of the goal of those studies.
The actual chapter structure of a thesis is dependent on the topic addressed and the
personal style of the student. However, the following is a fairly generic structural guideline
for a good thesis:
Abstract
This should be a one page summary including the area of study, the questions addressed,
the achievements of the work and the future directions. Its main purpose is to categorize
the work, in particular so that examiners can be chosen.
Introduction
This should be a short chapter 'setting the scene'. It should include a description of the area
of study, the problems found in the area, the particular problems addressed in the thesis
(the 'thesis statement'), why the question is important and how it relates to future work in
the area, what the thesis achieves with respect to the thesis statement and the area. This
section should finish with an annotated guide to the rest of the thesis, indicating how each
part contributes to the questions set in the thesis statement. This part should challenge the
reader to ensure that they understand the central thesis statement and ensure they want to
read the rest of the work.
Body
This sequence of chapters should include the following material:
Background work in the area; a literature survey.
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Closely argued treatment of the problems in the area, highlighting those that will be
addressed. The thesis statement with justification of its importance and connection
to the area.
Detailed plan how the thesis statement will be 'proved'.
Exposition of the work done.
Detailed coverage of the results and achievements.
Evaluation.
Conclusion
Summary of the thesis statement and results. Problems and/or incompleteness with the
work. Future work to be done by others.
Please see the full requirements of a PhD thesis in the Academic Manual, Chapter 5, section
5. Students are advised to invite their supervisor to be an observer at the viva in order to
avoid a situation where examiners may attempt to fail a student in the case of a
controversial issue or simply because they disagree with the results. This situation is very
rare however.
For more information and guidelines, the CS dept have some very useful information and
resources at on their Current PhD Students pages, which students in both departments can
avail of. Forms required for the different progression stages in the CS Dept (also applies to
PALS students) can also be requested from CS PG admin or Louise Gaynor.
Finishing the PhD: Thesis and Viva
The thesis should normally be submitted by the end of the third year (15th September)
except for students funded by Divisional studentships (Demonstratorships) who have an
extra year before submitting, while part-time students have five years in total. If extra time
is needed, students are permitted to apply for an extension for Completing Research
Students (CRS). The maximum extension is one year for full-time students or two years for
part-time students. Only one extension will be granted. See more detailed information
regarding CRS status, including how to apply – in UCLIC, students should submit a Transfer
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to CRS form to Louise (if in PALS) or CS PG admin (if in CS). Please ensure you include Enrico
Costanza on the email.
See the full procedure and forms required to submit your thesis as well as guidance on the
viva and how to prepare. There is more information about assessment of a PhD thesis, with
an overview about formatting and binding your thesis.
For the full Academic regulations for Research Degrees, see Chapter 5 in the Academic
Manual.
Interruption of study
Students who require a temporary break (1 – 24 mths) from their studies but plan to resume
their studies at a future date may apply for an Interruption of Study. Applications must be
made in advance of the proposed interruption, except when for health reasons.
To apply, students must read and understand the regulations about Interruption of Study
before applying. You will need to use the Interruption of Study form, which requires
completion by your supervisor and Enrico Costanza (PALS)/Anthony Hunter (CS) and must
then be submitted to the Registry and Louise Gaynor if registered in PALS or both Louise
Gaynor and CS PG Admin if registered in CS.
Funded research students must be aware of the regulations around interruption – your
funder must be informed and if funded from a UK research council, it is most important that
you inform Louise Gaynor about your interruptions because Louise will need to arrange for
the fees and stipend to be paused, even if you are registered in CS.
There is more complete guidance at the UCL Students website - if you are an overseas
student, make sure you check the guidance regarding your Tier 4 visa on this page and email
the Visa Compliance team. .
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Study Leave
It is possible to take study leave away from UCL for more than 4 weeks and remain enrolled
if your absence is related to your PhD – see the guidance on study leave and complete the
application form .
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Resources and other useful information
(1) Ethical approval for non-invasive research with healthy adult participants
It is imperative that all research within the Division conforms to agreed ethical standards. In
the first instance, please familiarise yourself with the BPS Guide of Ethics and Conduct.
PhD students must submit their research plans for approval by the Ethics Committee. In all
cases, the primary supervisor – not the PhD student – is the applicant so these need to be
completed with the supervisor. Non-invasive behavioural studies conducted with healthy
adult participants can be approved by the UCLIC Ethics Chair, who is currently Prof. Nadia
Berthouze – Dr Aneesha Singh is the Deputy Chair and can answer many questions and also
sign off on forms.
An ethics application can be downloaded from the UCLIC intranet (UCLIC website login
details needed). A signed, hard copy should be submitted to the Ethics Chair. These forms
can be submitted any time.
All other studies (e.g. studies with children, patients, or any vulnerable population) will
require specialist approval. In this case, the student should discuss the procedures with
their supervisor who will recommend a course of action to obtain the appropriate
approvals.
Risk Assessment forms can be downloaded from PALS intranet (access via UCL username and
password) should be signed and kept by the PI and researchers involved in the project. A
copy of the Risk Assessment form for EVERY researcher connected with the study should be
provided to the UCLIC Ethics Chair alongside the application. It is the PI’s job to document
and judge the risk both for the participants and for the researchers.
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Data Protection Registration - Please be aware of the new strengthened General Data
Protection Regulation. Check out the FAQs site, which covers many new issues. Forms
should be used to register all projects and can be downloaded from the Research
Registration guidance site. They should be completed electronically and sent to UCL Data
Protection with copies of any information sheets and consent forms that are being used,
which can also be downloaded from the Research Registration guidance site.
When registering a new project with the Records Office please send a copy of the form(s) to
Louise Gaynor so that we can include your project on the relevant Data Holdings databases.
Please note that the same data set cannot be used in more than one degree, and hence it is
not possible to include related mini-project data collected by Undergraduate or MSc
students in the same form. However, it is permissible to use combined data sets from
several mini-projects to make a different data set.
(2) Resources and Research equipment for PhD students
We now operate a hot-desking policy in UCLIC for ALL PHD STUDENTS - this means you can
use any of the desks labelled HOTDESK in the office to which you are assigned, but you are
asked not to store any personal items at these desks. Please see the Hotdesking policy
(UCLIC web login). UCLIC has three labs - 1 x Interaction Research Lab in the basement of 66-
72 Gower St and 2 x Usability Labs on the 6th floor of MPEB (Malet Place Engineering
Building). Please see the UCLIC Labs page for more information. Standard equipment and
many other items such as video/audio/optical items can be obtained from Yoana Ahmetoglu
(ext 56782) or Louise Gaynor (ext 57070), or in special cases from academic staff.
It's also possible to use cubicles (of which there are 29) and rooms in Bedford Way for
experiments and focus groups. See the UCLIC Labs page for more information and how to
book (UCLIC web login).
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Students are expected to contribute substantially to software for their projects, but in
specialised areas e.g. User Ports, Analogue reading, machine code and fast clocks, help will
be given by technicians in PALS or Computer Science, or you will be referred to other staff
with specialised knowledge.
If students envisage needing any special equipment or resources for their research, they
should speak to Louise Gaynor or Enrico Costanza well in advance.
(3) UCL Union
UCL Students Union exists to provide a wide range of services – all in the interests of UCL
students. It is run by elected student officers, and supports a range of opportunities and
services. The principal function of the Union is to represent the needs of all UCL students at
a college, local and national level. For more information, see their UCL Students Union
website.
(4) The Doctoral School
The Doctoral School aims to provide support for students in many ways, but particularly,
through its Skills Development Programme, Scholarships and Codes of Practice, all of which
are detailed on their website.
(5) Subject Payments
The departmental procedure for subject payment is:
1. Payment of participants must be made upfront by the researcher who then claims their
money back. GDPR compliant Subject payment forms are available from the PALS intranet
(UCL username and password required) or Louise Gaynor and must be fully completed by all
participants. An illegible or indecipherable name means that Finance will not reimburse the
experimenter for that particular subject.
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2. The subject rate for all behavioural experiments is up to £10.00 per hour. This applies to
whoever the experimenter is: PhD students, RA, academic, whoever. It is not acceptable for
anyone to pay beyond this rate because it just leads to unhealthy and negative competition
for subjects and greater inconvenience for all concerned.
3. Any experiment lasting less than an hour should pay its participants at the respective rate,
e.g. £5.00 for half-an-hour, although no less than £2.00 per experiment.
Note that these fees are paid by the experimenter and do not come from the Department or
the Division. If the student and the supervisor do not have funds to pay subjects, then the
payments will not be reimbursed.
This applies to all experiments that takes place under the auspices of the department and
includes research grants, PhD students, and whoever puts notices around the department.
Recommended safety guidelines for experimenters to use when running subjects,
particularly people from outside the department are on the UCLIC website (UCLIC site login)
and are summarised here as follows:
don't book subjects that you do not know/are not members of the Psychology or
Computer Science department outside office hours,
tell a colleague where you are going and how long you expect to be, in front of the
subject,
Wipe down all equipment and items to be used by participants with antibacterial
wipes/cleaner before and after experiments,
if you don't have to be in the room while the subject is doing the experiment then
wait outside. Alternatively, if you can run the experiment with the door open then
35
do so. If you must be inside with the door shut put a sign on the door saying what
you are doing and when the room will be free. Make up some 'whiteboard' signs for
every lab door,
ask subjects to 'sign in' before starting the experiment. This could be filling out their
name and address on a subject receipt form or providing demographic details (inc.
name and address). Ask all subjects to show ID,
use your intuition/intelligence and don't take any risks. If a situation doesn't feel
right or you feel you are not being treated with courtesy and respect at all times,
then politely ask the participant to leave. You might want to summon support from
colleagues before asking them to leave. Please make sure that they do actually leave
in this situation,
Your safety is paramount. It is much more important that you stay safe than that you
guard equipment. If you don't know your participants in a study, make sure that you
don't put yourself in a vulnerable position. If you feel physically or verbally
threatened, leave the room and summon help,
It's better to call Security (222 from any UCL phone) than to try to deal with
something yourself if you are in any doubt about how to handle a situation. Use your
judgment on when to get help from colleagues in UCLIC / CS and when to escalate to
Security,
keep an organized diary of subject appointments including for each subject name,
address/phone/e-mail, time-date of appointment, whether they attended,
give subjects an appointment card stating where/when/who is running the
experiment - which they should expect to produce on demand around the
department,
don't be afraid to terminate an experiment if a subject's behaviour gives cause for
any concern about your safety, and remember that a subject has the right to
terminate at any time without being required to justify it,
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if you have doubts about a subject's intentions in gaining access to the building,
escort them to the exit at the end of the experiment or arrange that someone does
this,
do and say what your ethics application said you would do and say!
the guidelines should alert experimenters to all the following risks that they are
designed to minimize: (a) harassment of experiments by subjects, (b) accusations of
harassment of subjects by experiments, (c) access to the department by individuals
with malign intentions,
get subjects from outside the department to show proof of address as well as ID. As
experimenters you could say you have to do this in order to authorize payment.
(6) Library
The main UCL Library is in the main building in Gower Street; the Science section is housed
separately in the DMS Watson Science Library. You will need a photocopying card for use in
the Library. 200-unit copy cards can be obtained from John Draper to whom you will need to
specify its usage (grant-related research or teaching). Larger copy cards can be obtained via
an IDT which again is obtained from John.
Senate House library houses the BPS collection. All members of UCL can gain membership
simply by turning up with their valid UCL ID card to Senate House.
(7) Post and Telephones
PhD students are allowed to use the College postal system for sending correspondence
related to their research, and stationery can be obtained from the cupboard in the print
room on the 2nd floor. Incoming mail for MPhil/PhD students is placed in the ‘uclic-
researcher’ pigeonhole in the stationery cupboard in Print Room 2.20 on the second floor in
66-72 Gower Street.
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VOIP telephones are in all offices will make and accept both internal and external calls, but
external calls should only be made if they are work-related. You need to log in daily to use
the phone at any hot-desk – see instructions (may need to copy and paste link). You need to
dial 9 first to get an external line.
(8) Portico
UCL has an online Student System which is known as PORTICO – The UCL Student
Information Service.
Access to PORTICO is available to everyone across UCL – both staff and students alike – via
the Portico web portal. You will need to logon using your UCL user id and password, which
are issued to you once you have enrolled. These are the same as the ones used for accessing
UCL restricted web pages, UCL email, the Windows Terminal Service (WTS). If you do not
know them, you should contact the IS Helpdesk as soon as possible. Please remember that
passwords automatically expire after 150 days, unless they have been changed. Warnings
are sent to your UCL email address during a 30 day period, prior to your password being
reset.
You can access your UCL email through the Outlook Desktop application or the web
application using your UCL credentials. This is also how you can access other Microsoft
applications such Teams (for online meetings, shared working) and OneDrive (for sharing
documents, is GDPR compliant).
Passwords can be reset using UCL MyAccount - they cannot be issued over the phone unless
you are registered for the User Authentication Service. We strongly advise that you register
for this service. If you have not registered for the User Authentication Service you will need
to visit the IS Helpdesk in person or ask them to post a new password to your registered
home or term-time address. More information can be found through ISD Support.
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As a student you can take ownership of your own personal data by logging on to PORTICO.
You can edit your own personal data e.g. update your home and term addresses, contact
numbers and other elements of your personal details.
As before, any continuing student requiring official confirmation of their results, or any
graduating student requiring additional copies of their transcript, should refer to the
information for obtaining an official transcript at UCL Students site.
If you have any comments or suggestions for PORTICO then please e-mail Portico Feedback.
(9) Conference and Training Expenses
1. Most full-time PhD students have their own individual funds (as grants) to manage with
their supervisors. The default amount is £1,000 – 1,200 per year which is to manage all
costs relating to your studies such as subject payments, research visits, specialist software,
computers etc. Of this, £1,000 per year, £300 per annum is provisionally allocated for
attendance at UK conferences although this is transferable to other items should the
postgraduate and supervisor deem it appropriate. Students not funded by UK research
council grants should approach Anthony Hunter (if registered in CS) or Louise Gaynor (if
registered in PALS), but only after they have tried to get funding from their funder or other
sources.
Part-time students should make a claim on a case-by-case issue.
2. Both the School of Life and Medical Sciences (SLMS) and Bartlett, Engineering,
Mathematical and Physical Sciences (BEAMS) manage a fund available for attendance at
conferences and/or training courses. Their procedures clearly encourage the department to
provide equal funding if the student is to be successful. The SLMS website outlines the
procedures and has forms for this purpose (for PALS registered students). The procedures
and form are similar for CS students, but the form is sent to CS Postgrad Admin or Dawn
Bailey (room 5.17, MPEB). Therefore all students wanting to claim from SLMS/BEAMS and
departmental funds should complete the relevant form and submit it to their supervisor for
39
their endorsement AND then to Louise Gaynor (if in PALS) or CS PG Admin (if in CS) at least
two months before their conference (sooner if possible) – this will then be passed on to Jo
Rickett (SLMS) or the BEAMS Faculty office (via CS) and students will be notified of the
outcome within about a month.
3. Some conferences have student bursaries which are to enable students to attend if they
are presenting a poster or talk. Even if these are not specifically advertised, it may be worth
contacting the organisers to ask for reduced rates.
(10) Emergency
The College's emergency number is 222. It should be dialled for security, accident, fire, or
any other emergencies. If in doubt, ring anyway. If you suspect an intruder, fire etc., dial
222. Please state your location, telephone number and the nature of the emergency.
(11) ID and Keys
All members of the department need a valid ID card. This is necessary to join the library, join
Senate House library, obtaining entry card and generally ensuring you won’t be thrown out
of the building. Students should contact Louise or Mark Jackson (1st floor, room 1.10B, 66-72
GS) about enabling access to the building and UCLIC offices on their ID card. Research
students have access to the department every day of the week from 7am to 11pm. After
this point facilities available to students are normally closed. We believe that these hours
provide students with adequate time in which to work. Should you need to access the
department’s facilities outside of these times you should speak to the Department Facilities
Manager, Mark Jackson , and we will endeavour to come to a temporary arrangement.
(12) Communicating with you
It is important that we have your term-time address and permanent address, and your
phone number(s) in case we need to contact you. Louise will give you a Contacts form to fill
in during the UCLIC Induction – this information will enable us to contact you or your family
40
in case of an emergency. You should also make sure that this information is always up-to-
date and correct on Portico – please also Louise know of any changes. Lecturers and
administrative staff routinely communicate with students via electronic mail. Another
important means which members of staff and registry have of communicating with
individual students is via the staff/student In-trays. These are located in the stationery
cupboard in room 2.20, 66-72 GS (uclic-researchers or Basement lab In-tray). You should
check your email and your pigeon holes regularly. General notices, including
announcements of visiting speakers, extra lectures and talks, etc, are communicated to you
via email.
(13) First Aid (minor injury)
Louise Gaynor and Jo Pearson are the First Aiders and Fire Marshals for UCLIC. You should
report any accidents or incidents of concern to one of them. There is a first aid kit hanging
up in Louise and Jo’s office (room 2.03) – spare key in room 2.21 in keybox – the code is
2001. If you are feeling unwell you can also contact the College Occupational Health Centre
on ext 32802.
(14) Health and Safety
Any student who is involved in collecting data or other research-related activities offsite
must ensure that a Risk Assessment, as above, is completed for the project, together with
the project supervisor. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they familiarise
themselves with this and with the relevant Departmental health and safety policies. It is
crucial that the student ensures that he/she understands the policies and follows the
guidelines in practice. Please check the UCLIC intranet (may need to copy and paste link)
and the Computer Science (CS) Departmental Safety site for relevant information. The CS
departmental safety officer is Dave Twisleton.
Experimenter Safety Guidelines can be found at:
UCLIC Labs page (log in with UCLIC website login).
Please also refer to UCL’s policy on Health and Safety.
41
UCL operates a no smoking policy throughout the College.
(15) Postgraduate Peer Group (PPG)
This is a student-run organisation that is currently based in PALS. The PPG runs student-led
seminars, where students present their work to each other and give feedback. All Divisional
PhD students (including UCLIC students registered through CS) are also offered the
opportunity annually to organise and/or participate in a two-day conference, held externally
at Cumberland Lodge, where they present and discuss their work, giving opportunities for
supportive feedback and peer-assisted learning. The PPG Committee members judge and
award the Divisionally-funded Cecily de Monchaux/Oliver Braddick prize money for the best
presentations and posters.
(16) Student input/feedback to the department
There are several methods for PhD students to provide feedback and suggestions to the
department. The most obvious is via your supervisor(s). In addition, an important
mechanism for representation of student views is via the Graduate Tutor (Enrico Costanza)
and students are encouraged to access the Graduate Tutor on an individual basis as
necessary. The Graduate Tutor will bring the suggestions (as appropriate) to the
Department and/or Divisional PhD Committee. Louise Gaynor also sends out feedback
surveys to postgraduate students twice a year.
PhD students can also raise issues and give feedback to the two UCLIC PhD representatives
(Tao Bi and Maryam Bandukda), who are part of the UCLIC PhD Staff-Student Consultative
Committee (PhD SSCC). This committee meets once a term and is chaired by the
Departmental Administrator. As well as local issues relating to training, space etc, students
can also raise matters relating to general Divisional amenities. Any PhD issues arising from
this meeting are addressed locally, or reported to the Divisional PhD Committee for further
discussion and resolution. The Divisional PhD committee meeting is attended by Divisional
PhD representatives, who raise issues relating to students across the Division.
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(17) Intellectual property rights (IPR)
As a general principle, UCL recognises the student as owner of any IPR he/she produces
while a registered student of UCL, although this may be subject to variation in the case of
collaborative or externally sponsored work, or other exceptional circumstances. UCL’s
guidelines for IPR are available at the UCL Innovation and Enterprise website.
(18) Equal Opportunity Liaison Officer
The equal opportunity policy of UCL is that in the recruitment, selection, education and
assessment of students and in the recruitment, selection, development and training,
appraisal and promotion of staff, the only consideration must be that the individual meets,
or is likely to meet, the requirements of the programme, course or post.
The requirements being met, no student or employee will be discriminated against on the
basis of their gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality (within current legislation),
disability, sexual orientation, marital status, caring or parental responsibilities, age or beliefs
on any matters such as religion and politics.
UCL is committed to provide a learning, working and social environment in which the rights
and dignity of all its members are respected, and which is free from discrimination,
prejudice, intimidation and all forms of harassment including bullying.
UCL was founded on the basis of equal opportunity, being the first English university to
admit students irrespective of their faith and cultural background, and the first university to
admit women. The following behaviours are fundamental to our ethos:
· Acting responsibly,
· Being honest, considerate, and courteous,
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· Behaving in a respectful manner towards others so that they do not feel that they are
being harassed or bullied
· Abiding by the law
UCL expects its members, both staff and student, to recognise the diversity of the UCL
community and not discriminate against others. We value the insights and creativity that
the different backgrounds and interests of the members of our community generate and
encourage you to do the same.
UCL is committed to a programme of action to ensure that its policy is implemented and
monitored at an organisational and individual level. All staff and students are expected to
abide by it. The Divisional Equal Opportunity Liaison Officer (DEOLO) for Graduate Students
in PALS is Sarah Alleemudder, Finance/Research Team Manager, Room 311, Chandler
House, tel: 020 7976 4230. If an issue arises within the CS Dept, the DEOLO is Dr Graham
Roberts in room 1.03 on the 1st floor of 66-72GS (ext: 57047). DEOLOS can provide advice
about equal opportunities issues such as discrimination, bullying and harassment, or
disability access. Regarding disability issues, you can also talk to your tutor/programme
director/supervisor, or UCL Student Disability Services.
What To Do if You Have a Problem
Most individual and routine problems can usually best be handled by discussing them with
your principal supervisor or with your second supervisor. Less routine matters should be
taken up with the Graduate Tutor. There is an open-door policy for PhD students who want
to discuss graduate matters including problems regarding your supervision.
In the case of a breakdown of relations between the PhD student and the supervisor and in
other circumstances where a change of supervisors is desirable, the Graduate Tutor will
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assist in resolving any difficulties, and where necessary will help arrange the appointment of
a replacement supervisor.
Outside the Department, students may wish to make representation to: (a) the UCL
Students' Union; (b) the Student Mediator; or (d) the Dean of the Faculty of Brain
Sciences/Engineering in the case of the most grave complaints. It would be very unusual for
a student to make representations to the Dean of the Faculty without first consulting with
the Postgraduate Tutor or the Head of Department.
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Useful Web Links
General
UCL Interaction Centre (UCLIC)
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences (PALS)
Department of Computer Science (CS)
UCL Doctoral School ; UCL Discovery (Publications)
UCL Open Access for the REF
Resources
UCLIC PhD Intranet (use UCLIC web login)
Research Log book
CS PhD pages
PALS web pages for Current Students (PhD section being updated)
UCL Information Services Division and CS Technical Support pages – may need to be
on CS network or VPN for CS TSG
PORTICO – Student Information Service
UCL Student Support (welfare, disability, counselling etc)
UCL Students General Info
The Doctoral School’s Skills Development Programmme
Main library ; Sciences Library
GDPR compliant Subject Payment forms
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UCL Rules and Regulations governing Research Degrees
Information and forms for Upgrading
Information regarding changes to student status – eg.,interruptions, completing
research status (CRS), extensions to (CRS
Information related to the PhD Thesis and Viva
The full set of Academic Regulations
PhD programme checklist
Year 1
TC 1, TC 2 Read and critique 2 theses
Ethics / data protection / risk
analysis
UCLIC seminars, PhD showcase
Relevant courses External seminar / workshop
Year 2
Upgrade viva, TC 3, TC 4 UCLIC seminars, PhD showcase
Relevant courses Conference paper, workshop
Year 3
UCLIC seminars, PhD showcase External seminar / workshop
TC 5, Conference paper Journal paper
Planning for future CRS status
Year 4
Thesis submission & viva Journal paper
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