Your research will sit in one of the ATI’s four research groups (Nanoelectronics, Photonics, Ion Beams, and Theory and Computation) which are united by cross-cutting themes such as science and technology on the nanoscale, technological applications of quantum science and engineering, and conversion of energy. Your proposal for a new PhD topic will be examined with a holistic view on the field and its technical content, the excellence in the proposed research, its potential to provide new and fundamental insight to technical problems, and the ability of the Institute to be able to provide the best environment to facilitate the research. You will be registered for a maximum four-year period of full-time study. After 12 months, you will write a Confirmation Report, which will be assessed by independent examiners. A detailed evaluation of progress and future research plans will be made every six months to ensure that progress towards completion of the PhD remains satisfactory. A PhD normally lasts for three and a half years, during which time you will be supported by two academics who you will meet with on a regular basis. Postdoctoral researchers in the group also help with project steering, especially when the PhD work is part of a multinational or industry-focused programme. The location of your research will depend on the needs of your project. You will be allocated office space in the ATI building, typically alongside researchers with related research interests. Depending on the specifics of your project, your time will be spent differently around the facility. Modelling projects are predominantly computer-based, while experimental ones involve work in the clean room and an assortment of labs. Like many PhD projects, yours may be collaborative and require travel for meetings with collaborators and to access specialised facilities. You will submit a written PhD thesis after a minimum three years of full-time study, which will be examined in a viva by a combination of external and internal examiners, selected for their knowledge of the research field. The criteria for award of a PhD are the description of research whose content, rigour, originality and relevance are sufficient for publication in peer-reviewed journals.