The IDTC PhD program is tailored to each student based on the student's background qualifications and chosen Research Project, and will combine traditional independent research with:
• Collaborative real-life problem solving for your industry sponsor
• A supervision and resource pool across the five universities of the ATN
• Coursework to broaden your technical and professional skills
• Camaraderie and networking on a national level with other ATN IDTC students, program supervisors and industry.
As an IDTC student you will:
• Receive very competitive studentship funding
• Develop the skills required to undertake research in many industrial and scientific applications
• Undertake research which makes a substantial impact on major industrial and scientific applications
• Collaborate directly with leading industry Australian industry and businesses
• Be part of a learning group, co-operating and interacting with like-minded peers
• Develop vital transferable skills including team work, leadership and management skills
• Work with world-class researchers across ATN Universities
• Exit the program with real potential for rapid career progression at the industrial interface
A number of scholarships are available for IDTC (Mathematics & Statistics) research projects for study in 2012. For further information about available scholarships please click here.
Students of the IDTC will receive training in both traditional and advanced technical areas, as well training in the communication and business needed for executive career progression. Delivery is through a mixture of coursework, conference attendance and national inter-student camaraderie designed to create industry-ready graduates.
The basic elements of this coursework are:
The induction course for the 2012 cohort took place in Melbourne from Monday 30 January 2012 to Friday 3 February 2012. Students remained in Melbourne to participate in the annual Mathematics and Statistics in Industry Study Group Meeting hosted by RMIT (Sunday 5 February to Friday 10 February, 2012). Dates for the 2013 induction will be posted towards the end of 2012.
Transport to and from Melbourne, inner-city accommodation and daily breakfast will be provided to each IDTC student for the entire period.
The induction course will have two components both aimed at facilitating the development of the cohort:
Research methodology course where the new students will present their research topics and discuss their proposed research plan with the cohort, selected supervisors and the IDTC Program Coordinators. An external applied mathematician will act as moderator, coordinate the sessions and give examples from their own experience. This component will serve as an introduction to the MISG problem solving exercise which takes place the week following Induction, and
Research ethics course where scientific misconduct (adequate data cacheing, fabrication of data, human and animal experimentation), publication ethics (plagiarism, reviewing, authorship), workplace ethics (intellectual property ownership, whistle-blowing) will be discussed.
Students will undertake 4 web-based modules from the ATN’s Learning Employment Aptitudes Program (LEAP) aimed at developing the skills which would serve the graduate in the workplace. Each module is self-paced and successful completion is officially recognized by the award of a certificate.
Each student is required to undertake:
• Leadership and communication
• Project management
• Research commercialisation
together with one of the following:
• Global sustainability
• Public policy, or
• Entrepreneurship
All these courses are offered over the web in 5 week blocs in each semester. The 4 modules are to be completed over the 4 years of the program.
Students will take 6 technical skills courses; no more than 3 of these in their areas of research specialisation. The remaining courses will be chosen to ensure the technical breadth of the IDTC PhD graduate.
For students who do not have a conventional Honours degree in mathematical sciences or statics, the program will afford a degree of versatility; Those with a conventional Honours degree in a complimentary area of science or technology or company employees with science or engineering first degrees with research/industry experience but no Honours level training in mathematics and statistics may still proceed to a PhD in the IDTC program. In those circumstances the courses to be taken will be determined by the local IDTC Program Coordinator and supervisor.
Your progress will be monitored by a supervisory team which will include a supervisor from your Industry sponsor as well as the Academic Supervisor(s) matched to your needs and that of the Research Project.
Students enrolled in the IDTC will be required to submit, at the end of their candidature, a research thesis which must satisfy the fundamental requirements for the award of a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the ATN University at which they are enrolled.
Each ATN University will have their own monitoring processes and progress requirements in respect of the research component of the program. The monitoring processes will usually include documented planning and review sessions each year.
IDTC students must also make satisfactory progress and/or meet course specific progress requirements during any coursework component.
Unsatisfactory progress in either the research or coursework components may result in termination of the Research Project and/or scholarship funding.
Assessment of the coursework component will take a variety of forms depending on the course being studied, but in most cases will involve problem based assessment.
Students who complete the full four-year IDTC program will exit with the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. A record of your research program and coursework undertaken will be provided on graduation by the IDTC directorate.
It is appreciated that situations may arise during the course of the four years that may necessitate an earlier exit from the IDTC program. In such situations a number of other exit qualifications may be available depending on how far the student has progressed in the research and/or the coursework components of his/her tailored IDTC program of study.
To enter into the IDTC program prospective students must first meet existing requirements for acceptance into the PhD program in the ATN University where they wish to study.
Apart from being selected to the IDTC program on the basis of merit, students will be considered based on their willingness to undertake research training on an available industry project, and will be invited to interview to assess their non-academic merit for suitability before final acceptance.
Acceptance into the IDTC program is conditional on the availability of a suitable PhD level project from an Industry Partner and on the student assigning any intellectual property generated in the research to the ATN University of enrolment who will subsequently assign the IP to the Industry Partner.
Prospective students wishing to undertake a PhD through an ATN IDTC will need to need to contact and apply to the ATN University where they wish to receive their doctoral training.
Each ATN University will have their own application process and specific entry requirements and rules.
General application enquiries can be directed to the IDTC Directorate.
If you are not sure which ATN University you want to apply to, or if you would like to be considered and contacted by an ATN University interested in you, please send an email to ProjectOfficerIDTC@atn.edu.au with:
• a cover letter (including your up-to-date email and contact details)
• a copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV); and
• a summary of the subjects you have studied at the tertiary level and/or a copy of your academic transcript(s).
We will then contact you to discuss opportunities and next steps.