You are not expected to have identified a senior supervisor prior to applying for the GW4-CAT programme, but having an idea of the available supervisors in your areas of interest at the application and interview stage is strongly recommended. Candidates are particularly encouraged to have an idea/ideas for projects that the supervisors within our pool would be able to offer expert guidance on by the interview stage of the selection process.
The final selection of supervisors and approval of PhD projects will take place before your PhD start-date.
Each cohort will attend a compulsory introductory week to be arranged a few weeks following appointment and will use this time to discuss their project ideas with potential lead supervisors.
After this, the GW4-CAT HP Board of Directors will work closely with successful applicants to develop their project proposals and find the most appropriate supervisory combination to meet their career and research ambitions.
Fellows will also choose a team of co-supervisors and appropriate collaborators from across the GW4-CAT institutions in order to embrace the interdisciplinary and inter-institutional ethos of the Programme. It is expected that all GW4-CAT HP fellows will have a supervisory team that spans at least two of our four institutions.