Minding the shop

A big thanks to Rich for his warm introduction and for being brave enough to leave me the keys to the shop as it were.

Over the next two weeks I hope to give some background on both the history and structure to the EngD, what makes it different from the standard PhD and the sorts of things that keep me busy as a "Research Engineer" as students on the scheme are known.

The EngD is a relatively new qualification having been established in 1992 after a review of doctoral level training in the UK. The EngD is significantly different from the PhD with the main differences probably being:
— the EngD runs for four years rather than three
— the majority of the students' time (approximately 50-75%) is spent researching with an industrial sponsor rather than at a university
— the stipend given to the student is higher than that of a PhD since the industrial sponsor makes a contribution in the form of a stipend 'top up'

The thought of spending another four years in education may seem a little daunting. Being an EngD student is far more like having a full time job than most other forms of study. I have a desk with Surrey County Council (my industrial sponsor) which is where I work from for the majority of my research time.

Tomorrow I have a morning meeting with the Transport Report Laboratory (TRL) in Wokingham before I head off up to the place that is 'home' for most of my working week - specifically the Network Management and Information Centre in Leatherhaed. More on that another time...