Duration: 270 hours
The Doctoral School of the University of Valladolid is conceived as a space for exchange and interrelation between students, professors, researchers and professionals of recognised prestige. Consequently, it is the appropriate environment to promote training activities that allow doctoral students to acquire knowledge and skills that will have a positive impact on their research training, and that would otherwise be very difficult or costly to provide for the research groups involved in a particular doctoral programme. Some of these activities may be general in scope, and can be extended to all doctoral students. Others, on the other hand, may be more positively developed on a sectoral basis, i.e. by broad areas of knowledge. The planning and decision on the scope of application of each of the activities will be carried out by the Directorate of the Doctoral School in collaboration with the Academic Committees of the different doctoral programmes.
Duration: 2 hours
Justification: The PhD programme will be presented to the students in a general way, with special reference to the objectives, organisation and planning of the training activities to be carried out. Likewise, a presentation will be made of the research groups, lecturers and resources available to the programme. Students will receive information about the services of the Centre and the University of Valladolid (library, computer rooms, instrumental techniques laboratory, research grants and aid programmes, other training activities, cultural activities, etc.).
Timetable: It will take place every year during the first month of the beginning of the academic year.
Learning outcomes: Knowledge of the new students, the organisation of the doctoral programme, the lecturers, the Centre and the University of Valladolid, as well as the resources available for their training.
Duration: 10 hours
Justification: It is a common practice of the research groups that make up this doctoral programme for researchers and collaborating lecturers, or those who are on research stays at our University, to give research seminars and/or conferences. The attendance of PhD students at these seminars or conferences allows them to develop specific skills to assume the different roles within the seminars or conferences, to develop the capacity for critical analysis, observation to identify problems, as well as to stimulate the ability to formulate questions, contrast results and issue opinions verbally and in writing.
Contents: Seminars or conferences given by researchers from within or outside the programme and organised by the PhD student's research group or by other research groups. For each seminar or conference, analysis and synthesis exercises will be programmed and students will write up a report to reinforce their critical and written expression skills.
Duration: 30 hours
Justification: Compulsory activity for all students that aims to promote improvement in the knowledge and application of tools, methods and techniques useful in research and experimentation, handling of apparatus and specific instrumentation and, in general, procedures specific to the lines of research of the doctoral programme.
Contents: Sampling techniques. Laboratory techniques. Instrumentation specific to the programme's lines of research.
Duration: 30 hours
Justification: Statistics is a key tool in research that allows hypotheses to be formulated, results to be analysed, decisions to be made and conclusions to be drawn from the work carried out.
Contents: Design of experiments. Main statistical methods in the field of agricultural, food and biosystems research. Computer tools.
Duration: 20 hours
Justification: This training activity aims to help doctoral students in scientific approaches and methods, in the writing and presentation of scientific research results and transfer to the productive sector and society, as well as to guide them with regard to applying for research projects, writing articles and patents, and in relation to the main systems for evaluating research activity.
Contents: The scientific method. Types of scientific documents. Work planning. Writing the different sections of a research paper. Handling and use of bibliographic sources. The process involved in producing a scientific publication (contact with editors, evaluators and proofreading). Oral presentations. Planning and preparation of a research project. Patent applications. Evaluation of research activity
Duration: 4 hours
Justification: Access to scientific documentation available through electronic resources is essential before starting any research activity. For this purpose, there are numerous databases to which the University of Valladolid subscribes and it is therefore essential to make them known to doctoral students. On the other hand, the amount of information that needs to be handled and organised during the development of the doctoral thesis makes it necessary to use bibliographic reference managers that facilitate the search and archiving of the selected sources.
Contents: Catalogues. Databases. Electronic journals. Access and management of resources. Creation of alerts. Bibliographic managers. Libraries.
Duration: 15 hours
Justification: The organisation of doctoral students' conferences allows the student to acquire communication skills to prepare, present and defend the results of the research activity, to learn about the work being carried out within the doctoral programme, as well as to communicate with members of other research groups. Meetings to monitor projects, work or research results help students to take on different roles within their work group.
Contents: Presentation and defence of research work developed by the student at doctoral student conferences organised within the framework of the doctoral programme. Participation in meetings to monitor projects, work or research results within the framework of their research group.
Duration: 15 hours
Justification: This activity is highly recommended for all PhD students. It allows students to acquire communication skills, participate in scientific discussions that take place at a national or international level and disseminate the results of their research activity.
Contents: Attendance and participation in at least one congress or scientific meeting over the three or five years, depending on the student's dedication (full or part time) to the PhD programme. At each congress the student must present a scientific contribution in the form of an oral communication or poster on the work carried out in the development of their doctoral thesis. The conference should preferably be of high international prestige in the student's field of research.
Duration: 150 hours
Justification: Stays in research centres of recognised international prestige are a fundamental part for PhD students. These stays allow students to join foreign research groups and learn research techniques and methodologies useful for their doctoral thesis. They also allow doctoral students to learn about other educational and research systems, access seminars and courses held at other universities, exchange knowledge and research results and improve their knowledge of a second language.
Contents: Mobility stay in a national or international centre of recognised prestige, belonging to a university or research organisation.