On 23rd January, School of Physics strategic partner Oxford Instruments led a commercial skills masterclass with the CDTs based in the School of Physics: the Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, Condensed Matter Physics, and Quantum Engineering. The day was opened by a joint address from Dr Michael Cuthbert, Oxford Instruments’ Director of Business Development, and Prof Nigel Wilding, Head of the School of Physics, followed by HR and recruitment professionals alongside recently-employed engineering staff to share their insights into the differences in attitude and environment between academia and the commercial sector. Our graduates will lead the industries of tomorrow: a big part of our training programme is dedicated to preparing them for the transition that many of them will experience.
Oxford Instruments are a multinational company developing specialist scientific equipment including the magnets and coolant systems at the Large Hadron Collider, which provides strong strategic alignment between the company and the Centres for Doctoral Training within the School of Physics. We share a long history of collaborative research and training, and the University of Bristol provides a major pipeline for the skills and talents that Oxford Instruments needs to thrive and grow. Such long-term partnerships are more valuable than ever: the contribution that Oxford Instruments makes towards PhD students’ training and professional development has been a major element in our and our graduates’ successes.