Department of Chemistry course timetable

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

RSSL is a contract analytical sciences company serving the food, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Having Mondelēz International as a parent company means that a portion of the work involves fascinating products such as Cadburys chocolate and Philadelphia cream cheese. In this session the presenter will explain the work of a contract analytical company through the lens of RSSL and explain how analytical chemistry adds intellectual and financial value to organisations.

A one day course that explores the considerable research that has been done into leadership and the ways to develop individual leadership skills. The challenges of leadership will be discussed and participants will gain an appreciation of effective leadership behaviour, as well as being given the opportunity to discuss and develop their own approaches to being a leader.

The Course Leader is Roger Sutherland, previously an HR Director for Mars Incorporated, and highly experienced in running courses for senior universities and companies

Science is a striking, successful and powerful feature of contemporary human cultures: it has transformed lives, enabled great technological feats and often revealed the world to be a much stranger place than appearances suggest. But what is science, really, and how and why has it been so successful? This 6 week course aims to introduce graduate students to some main themes in the philosophy of science generally, and the philosophy of chemistry in particular.

Phase transition is a well-analysed problem in many areas of chemistry and physics. It has become increasingly apparent that this phenomenon also plays an important role in biology. Biopolymers, such as RNA and intrinsically disordered proteins, have been shown to assemble into functional compartments with liquid-like properties. We will discuss recent literature on this concept, starting from a general polymer physics perspective, and covering the molecular determinants of biopolymer phase separation and its relevance to physiology and disease.

Catering will be provided in the Todd Hamied after this session - booking is essential

Enzymology provides a vital link between chemistry and biology and understanding the role of enzymes and how to modulate their activity remains a key focus for drug discovery. Fortunately, the language used to describe enzyme reactions is the chemical language of thermodynamics and kinetics, which facilitates the chemist’s ability to become fluent and so enriches the opportunity to design effective new medicines.

This short course will provide a brief introduction to the kinetics and thermodynamics of ligand binding, an overview of different enzyme inhibition mechanisms, as well as an illustration of the analysis of time-dependent inhibition.

Exploiting the information gained from such detailed mechanistic studies on enzymes with and without inhibitors allows the identification and evaluation of diverse compounds with favourable physicochemical properties, facilitates an understanding of detailed structure-activity relationships and provides the knowledge required to optimise leads towards differentiated candidate drugs.

This course is provided by AZ Discovery Sciences.

Science is a striking, successful and powerful feature of contemporary human cultures: it has transformed lives, enabled great technological feats and often revealed the world to be a much stranger place than appearances suggest. But what is science, really, and how and why has it been so successful? This 6 week course aims to introduce graduate students to some main themes in the philosophy of science generally, and the philosophy of chemistry in particular.

In this session, Deborah will outline the opportunities that exist in both the US and the UK respectively for University jobs that are teaching-focused. She will highlight the differences which exist between the countries and explain how to prepare and apply for these positions.

We are all of us unique, and face challenges to our productivity and ability to work throughout our lives.

Do you, one of your friends, or one of the students you support have learning difficulties or other disabilities that affect productivity? Would you like to know more about what sort of challenges students can face, so that you can recognize when you, or those around you may need some additional support?

Raising your awareness of these issues can help you give feedback and support to those around you in a more considered way, and help you avoid causing unintended distress to those whose self confidence may already be very low.

Science is a striking, successful and powerful feature of contemporary human cultures: it has transformed lives, enabled great technological feats and often revealed the world to be a much stranger place than appearances suggest. But what is science, really, and how and why has it been so successful? This 6 week course aims to introduce graduate students to some main themes in the philosophy of science generally, and the philosophy of chemistry in particular.

The session aims to show how visible light can be used to promote chemical transformations in various fields of research. It will be divided in three subunits. The principles of photochemistry (how light interacts with matter), photoredox catalysis and some milestones achievements in organic photochemistry will be the topics of the first section. In the second section, novel organic reactions from the literature will be highlighted to underline the power of photochemistry/photoredox catalysis. Selected applications in other areas including materials and chemical biology will also be illustrated. In the third section, the focus will lie on energy-related light driven transformations such as water splitting and CO2 reduction.

Catering will be provided in the Todd Hamied after this session - booking is essential

This compulsory session introduces Research Data Management (RDM) to Chemistry PhD students. It is highly interactive and utilises practical activities throughout.

Key topics covered are:

• Research Data Management (RDM) - what it is and what problems can occur with managing and sharing your data.
• Data backup and file sharing - possible consequences of not backing up your data, strategies for backing up your data and sharing your data safely.
• Data organisation - how to organise your files and folders, what is best practice.
• Data sharing - obstacles to sharing your data, benefits and importance of sharing your data, the funder policy landscape, resources available in the University to help you share your data.
• Data management planning - creating a roadmap for how not to get lost in your data!

Refreshments are included for this course

A thorough awareness of issues relating to research ethics and research integrity are essential to producing excellent research. This session will provide an introduction to the ethical responsibilities of researchers at the University, publication ethics and research integrity. It will be interactive, using case studies to better understand key ethical issues and challenges in all areas.

There are three sessions running, you need attend only one.

Molecular imaging is a medical discipline that aims at visualizing normal and abnormal processes in living systems for the early diagnosis of disease. Clinical applications of molecular imaging include the use of nuclear medicine (PET and SPECT imaging), magnetic resonance (MRI) and fluorescent imaging (FI) and ultrasound (US). Pitfalls and remarks of these imaging modalities will be briefly discussed.

Emphasis will be put on the PET and SPECT techniques which are currently the only true "molecular" imaging methods due to their valuable quantitative capabilities. Multiple agents have been developed, predominantly for PET imaging but also for SPECT imaging. In this talk, we will overview various examples of imaging constructs, ranging from small molecules to antibodies and nanoparticles. Special attention will be given to probes for imaging thrombosis in vivo which is the underlying cause of deadly diseases such as stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and heart attack. Pre-clinical results with 64Cu-FBP8, a PET probe that recognizes fibrin and is currently in clinical studies in the US, will be presented.

More than a 1/4 of students in the UK report having mental health problems of one sort or another. This session is here to normalise the experience of mental health ups and downs; to empower anyone experiencing mental health difficulties, either directly or indirectly, to have the confidence to seek help and support and to play a small part in a wider culture change empowering people to take care of their mental health concerns in the same way they would take care of any other health concerns.

Submission of an MPhil thesis can seem to be a daunting experience, from constructing it to submitting and then being examined, with one of those examiners coming from an external institution. In this session, Marie Dixon (Degree Committee Office, School of Physical Sciences), Rachel MacDonald and Deborah Longbottom will talk through all aspects of procedure regarding thesis submission and answer any questions students wish to pose. Students who were recently examined, as well as members of academic staff who carry out MPhil vivas will also be there to talk about the reality of the process from all perspectives.

Submission of the PhD thesis can seem to be a daunting experience, from constructing it to submitting and then being examined, with one of those examiners coming from an external institution. In this session, Marie Dixon (Degree Committee Office, School of Physical Sciences), Rachel MacDonald and Deborah Longbottom will talk through all aspects of procedure regarding thesis submission and answer any questions students wish to pose. Students who were recently examined, as well as members of academic staff who carry out PhD vivas will also be there to talk about the reality of the process from all perspectives

'Enhance focus, reduce stress, use time more wisely and be more productive.

Learn to:

• Establish a method that works for you to enhance focus for the most important work (Deep Work)
• Reduce distraction and prioritise more effectively
• Establish 1 daily high quality mini break, to relieve stress, reduce self criticism and strengthen resilience
• Create the space to recognise your achievements each day - increase self awareness and confidence
• Combining proven neuroscience & mindfulness based techniques into useful daily habits.