· further broaden their research knowledge and expertise; so as the skills on literature search
· learn about the recent advancement in advanced design and systems engineering related research and methodologies
· present their research findings and discuss their learning experiences with their peers and academic staff
· further strengthen their research mind set and scholarship and the research culture in the department.
These formal forums are in the form of regular Research Seminars which offer a cooperative learning environment in which PhD students from different cohorts and research themes can mix, interact, challenge and support each other during the very important formative years of their doctoral candidature.