In this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast I report from Edinburgh, where I attended a meeting for student members of the Scottish Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) in Condensed Matter Physics and Quantum Materials. While in the Scottish capital I discovered how CDTs are helping students make the most out of their PhDs and I also heard some top tips for making postgraduate life easier.

In the podcast I speak to Alex Coates about the “hidden curriculum” of essential knowledge that no-one tells you when you start a PhD. Coates is doing a PhD at Heriot Watt University and discovered this hidden curriculum during his three years as a postgraduate representative on the students’ union.

But before that, I learn the basics of what a CDT is and why many PhD students choose to join one. That is in a conversation with Chris Hooley, operations director of the Scottish Doctoral Training Centre in Condensed Matter Physics; the University of Edinburgh PhD student Freya Bull; and Ben Gade, who is doing a PhD at the University of St Andrews.

• You can watch Chris Hooley explain the physics of topological insulators in this video: “What is a topological insulator?“.