Nina recently joined Nature Physics as a Senior Editor, having worked at Nature Communications for the last three years. Her research background is in plasmonics and metamaterials, particularly their interaction with optical emitters. Read more
The traditional undergraduate degree curriculum delivers a wide range of skills by putting what students learnt through tests and exams. Flicking through my PhD lab books and small notepads of the last year has made me realize that the style of assessment and learning does not simulate all the skills and experiences, which we are thrusted into during postgraduate or industrial research. Counting at least 40 graphene nanodevices with a big red ‘X’ at the end marking the device’s breakdown, preparing for potential questions from a particular academic at an international conference and bracing myself for upcoming harsh referee comments are but a few of the encounters which require a different mentality or skill set than those taught at the undergraduate level. Although undergraduate degrees provide include projects or internships, students are still operating within safe boundaries, following mark schemes and being well guided by project supervisors. Read more
