To be eligible to participate in the summer school, you must:
- be enrolled on a PhD in condensed matter physics or a related area at the time the School begins; and
- (if you are an international student) satisfy any immigration requirements for studying in the UK; and
- have not participated before!
Please note that we are unable to offer any advice on visa requirements and similar matters if you are not currently based in the UK for your studies. Moreover we are also unfortunately not able to sponsor visa applications at this time.
Fees
In 2024, the full fee for the school, including all board and lodging, was £1000. There was a deposit of £500 to pay on applying, with the balance to be paid by July 1 2024.
Further information about funding
Physics by the Lake is the UK Summer School for condensed matter theory PhD students. EPSRC-funded students, either in CDTs of DTPs can ultimately get EPSRC funding for the school. Non-EPSRC and non-UK students are also welcome.
Any student who is a member of the Institute of Physics (IOP) and its Theory of Condensed Matter Group can apply to the Research Student Conference Fund for financial support to attend the School.
A few places are reserved for our sponsors, but otherwise applications are taken on a first-come first-served basis. In some years the school has filled before the closing date.
EPSRC has given funds to your University for this type of training, and this is handled differently by each University. Your University may be able to pay directly (ask your CDT or graduate school administration). Otherwise you can pay by card and get reimbursed. We can provide invoices on request.
Begin your application
Applications for the School are made via a secure payment system hosted by the Institute of Physics on behalf of the University of Edinburgh which is organising the practical arrangements.
The School is scheduled to open for applications from May 13 2024 and close on June 28 2024. At this stage, the School is approaching capacity. If you wish to attend please contact sopa.events@ed.ac.uk to confirm availability of a place and obtain a payment link. We are able to maintain a waiting list in the event of any cancellations.