MSc Physics Projects: 2014 entry

Summer projects (12-month MSc)

Extended projects (2-year MSc)

Projects

What are these for ? What can your project be on ? How do you acquire a project ? How are they assessed ? Some key dates for your diary

What are the projects for ?

Expose you to a high-level research environment and provide a taster of life as a PhD student.

Provide experience and training working within an active research group.

Develop your expertise beyond that possible through lecture courses alone.

Provide exposure to cutting edge experimental and computational facilities.

Summer: Workload ~ 3 months, full time.

Extended: Workload ~ 9 months full time

What can your project be on ? Any area of physics that interests you – provided –

you can find a supervisor and an assessor.

suitable space and resources can be found.

the project is sufficiently demanding and physics based.

projects can take place off site, e.g. at NPL or RAL, but an Imperial supervisor must be identified in advance

If you are doing MSc with SHOCK or NANOPHOTONICS you must do a project approved by Bill Proud or Stefan Maier.

Projects with the Theoretical Physics group (e.g. string theory, quantum field theory, etc.) will probably not be possible as the Theoretical Physics group provides projects for the ~40 students on the QFFF MSc. However, most of the other research groups do both theoretical and experimental research.

How do you acquire a project ?

Approach supervisors of active

MSc, MSc-Photonics, MSci projects

make sure to let them know you are looking for a summer or extended MSc project.

Approach a research group working in an area of interest

to you to see if they have any opportunities.

Think up your own title, see Julia Sedgbeer for suggested supervisors - no guarantees however.

Complete and return a project sign up sheet.

 Staff offer projects which are either:

a) MSci projects taken by 4th year MSci students during the academic year some of these are also offered as MSc summer projects

a) MSc-only projects – taken by MSc students during the summer

Note that Staff who have offered an MSci project may be willing to supervise it as an MSc summer project – contact the supervisor.

The lists may also give you ideas for projects.

See the list of MSci projects at: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physicsuglabs/msciprojects/projectproposals

MSci Summer Projects

Extended ProjectsMSc in Physics with Extended Research (2-year)

The project is of ~9 months duration and takes place in the second year (normally October – June, though you may be able to start earlier if your supervisor agrees).

If you want to change to take an extended research project you should tell Julia Sedgbeer and Andrew Williamson

To find a project contact:

• any of the staff offering MSc or MSci projects to see if they are willing to offer a 9-month project

• Research groups

• Julia Sedgbeer for suggestions of whom to contact

External Projects

Projects can be undertaken in other departments at Imperial College or at external institutes.In all such cases we must approve:• the project (physics content)• the supervisory and pastoral arrangements and safety

Please note that an Imperial academic must agree to co-supervise before a project can be undertaken at an external institute.

Research groups in the Department have contacts with external labs and universities such as NPL, RAL, Culham, Orsay …… So it may be possible to undertake a project at such a lab if both an external and internal supervisor can be found.

Note that some Imperial staff work at external labs (e.g. RAL, CERN), so it may be possible to spend some or all of your time at a lab even on an internal project.

Projects may be experimental, computational, theoretical or a mix,

e.g. some previous projects:

Projects Group - locationThe Herschel SPIRE FTS ASTRConstraints on Dark Energy using Bayesian statistics for supernovae data

ASTR

Constraining the growth of structure using 21cm intensity mapping

ASTR

Hofstadter butterfly for graphene CMTH – ETH ZurichThe Chan-Hillard Equation CMTHOrganic Solar cells EXSSStudy of spin ice structures EXSSFourier transforms as possible tools in the CMS Trigger HEPComparison of model dependent and independent analyses in neutrino cross section calculations

HEP

Analysis of neutrino interaction data HEPMeasurement of the production asymmetry of neutral D0 mesons at the LHC

HEP – INFN Bologna

 

3-D Laser Scanning and Material Processing PHOT

Investigation of scale-free brain dynamics under different behaviour conditions

PHOT – Bioengineering dept. Imperial

Active stabilisation for attosecond pump probe spectroscopy

QOLS

Generalized maximum entropy principles in thermodynamics

QOLS

Spectrometer Design and Characterization of Distributed Bragg Reflector for Micro-cavity Single Photon Source

CCM

Cavity QED CCM

Mid-latitude storms and climate change SPAT

Analysis of overlapping cortical sub-networks THEO, Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, UCL

Complex networks: new tool for studying the brain THEO

Ion sources in Titan’s upper atmosphere (extended project) SPAT

How are projects assessed ?Summer projects

Short literature review, project outline and plan specific to your work – in the style of a research paper – due June 2015.

Continuous assessment by the project supervisor.

Open poster session towards the end of the project

Viva - oral presentation ~15 minute PowerPoint aided, plus questions, ~mid-September.

Long thesis-style dissertation due mid-September.

How are projects assessed ?Extended projects

Short literature review, project outline and plan specific to your work – in the style of a research paper – due June 2015.

Continuous assessment by the project supervisor.

Progress review January 2016: oral presentation plus questions plus plan to completion.

Viva: oral presentation to the supervisor and assessor, plus questions, ~May 2016. Long thesis-style dissertation due ~May 2016.

Key DatesSummer and Extended projects

Start talking to potential supervisors now.

Inform Andrew Williamson of your project choice –

ideally by the end of this term (Friday 27th March).

Projects start – Monday 1st June 2015

(after the last level 4 exam).

Fill in safety documentation jointly with project supervisor and return to Andrew Williamson, Friday 5th June 2015.

Literature review & project outline, Friday 19th June 2015.

Summer Projects

Poster & oral sessions: September (date TBC)

Dissertation hand in deadline, Monday 14th September 2015

Further Information

MSc and MSci Projects – see webpages

Blackboard

Research group webpages

NPL, RAL, Culham …. webpages

See Julia Sedgbeer if you have ideas of your own and need guidance on feasibility and whom to approach as a potential supervisor

What to do next ? Decide if you are an experimentalist, theoretician

or numerical / computational physicist.

Identify subject areas you might want to work in.

Look through the MSc and MSci project lists and start contacting potential supervisors.

Find out as much detail as possible about a potential project and the research group it is hosted in. Who will you work with (e.g. RAs and PhD students), how well is the work resourced, what equipment / funding is available etc. etc.

Make it clear that you are a Masters student looking for a summer or extended project.

Other things ...

Transferring to / from MSc Physics

MSc Physics with Shock Physics / Nanophotonics- check that you have taken the necessary lecture courses- you will have to take a project in the ISP / Nanophotonics- transfer to these courses must be agreed with Dr Bill Proud or Prof Stefan Maier

MSc Physics with Extended Research- there will be extra fees to be paid (50%)- there may be visa issues to extend your course – check

If you want to change your course registration see Dr Julia Sedgbeer

Deadline: end of this term, 27th March 2015.

Registering for exams You must inform Andrew Williamson by the end of this term, 27th March 2015, which exams you will be taking

Exams & assessmentsSpecial examination arrangements - see Handbook and Andrew Williamson - arrangements must be in place before the exams

Mitigation and Extenuating Circumstances - circumstances that may have affected performance in exams or

other areas - must submit form at the time - see Handbook and Andrew Williamson

REMINDERResearch Skills Training

Mini project assessment Friday 27th March 2015

Level-3 computer annexLive demonstration of your projectMatlab, Mathematica or LabView