The University of Manchester hosted the first Residential Training Week of 2026/27, providing a fantastic opportunity to bring the Materials 4.0 CDT community together. This was Cohort 3’s first RWT, giving them the opportunity to meet and connect with Cohort 2. Both cohorts spent most of the week based at the University of Manchester, taking part in a varied programme of sessions covering an introduction to materials science, public engagement, EDI, MOOC, PYTHON, storytelling, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, Cohort 1 spent much of the week in the Peak District on a productive retreat, fine-tuning the MOOC on Materials 4.0 they have been delivering, before returning to Manchester to participate in the final day of activities.
The week also gave us the opportunity to collaborate with the RAINZ CDT, bringing PGRs from across the CDTs together for a session exploring robotics and automation. Later on, all three cohorts had the opportunity to interact with other PGRs based at Royce during the monthly PhD Café offered by the Royce Training team. It was certainly a busy and varied week!
A real highlight of the week came on Thursday, when all three Materials 4.0 CDT cohorts came together in the Peak District. We were lucky to have perfect weather for a day of team-building challenges, problem-solving and ‘Capture the Flag’ activities, including rock climbing and abseiling. Everyone got involved, making it a brilliant opportunity for PGRs across the different cohorts to meet, work together and strengthen the sense of community within the CDT.
