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Researcher Development Programme (RDP)

Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable

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Thu 5 Dec 2019 – Thu 23 Jan 2020

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Thursday 5 December 2019

10:00
Postdocs: Leading Others new Finished 10:00 - 12:00 Postdoc Centre@ Mill Lane, Eastwood Room

Are you ready to lead others confidently in whatever leadership position you may find yourself in?

This workshop draws on insight gained from Postdocs: An Initial Guide to Leadership and Postdocs: Self-Leadership and considers how to apply different skills, strengths, and styles of leadership as well as the strategies of self-leadership to enable you to thoughtfully and self-assuredly lead others. This workshop will help you cultivate a more profound and extensive portfolio of leadership capabilities and a deeper understanding of how to motivate people and to get the best out of them.

It is possible to attend this as an individual workshop, although we would recommend that you try to attend the series starting with Postdocs: An Initial Guide to Leadership and Postdocs: Self-Leadership.


Outcomes:

  • Understand the key components of being led and leading others.
  • Expand and extend your skills, strengths, abilities and style in detail so that you can lead others now and in the future.
  • Apply self-knowledge, awareness and techniques in the deployment of your leadership skills with others.
Advanced Presentation Skills (Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) new Finished 10:00 - 13:00 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03a

Presenting is a crucial skill for researchers, yet it is often something that even experienced scholars struggle with. This interactive workshop is designed for people who already have some experience of presenting and the basic principles involved, but would like to develop their skills in this area to a higher level.

This workshop provides the opportunity for practical experience of presenting within a supportive environment. During the workshop, you will be given time to design and deliver a short (5-10 minutes) presentation to a small audience comprised of your fellow researchers.


This course is designed for students with some presentation experience. It is possible to attend this course as an individual workshop, although we would recommend that you try to attend the series starting with the Basic Presentation Skills course.

Research Effectiveness and Efficiency – A One-Day Tune-Up new Finished 10:00 - 16:30 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03d

Success as a researcher is as much about managing your process and resources as it is about intellectual brilliance. What’s more, there is no ‘correct’ way to operate – everyone has to find approaches that work for him or her and fit with their own circumstances. So, what does it mean to be efficient and effective, and how can we fit these simple tools and strategies to aid our effectiveness in the context being a researcher?

This one-day immersive workshop will help you to build personal effectiveness tool-kit.


Specifically we’ll focus on six theme areas (which complement the short bite-sized modules and online offerings from the Cambridge Researcher Development programme). These themes are:

Self – Manage your personal development and growth
Project – Consider your research as a project to be managed and draw on some simple project management practices
Integrated – Reflect on your overall approach to research and fine you’re your work-life balance.
Relationships – Get the best out of the team (inc. supervisor) around you
Information - Develop some strategies for handling the papers, articles and data that cross your desk
Time – Learn some simple tools to ensure you make the most out of the most precious resource you have

Within these themes, the exact nature of the session on the day will be tailored to the needs and questions of participants and there will be a small amount of preparatory work to aid your reflection prior to the session.


The workshop will be led by Steve Hutchinson, a former academic who is now a consultant, author and coach.

15:30
Mindfulness Workshop: Better Sleep Finished 15:30 - 17:00 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03a

Please not that these courses are only for University of Cambridge students (undergraduate and postgraduate), who are affiliated to a Cambridge college.

This is one of four "Mindfulness Workshop" sessions. You can attend one - four of these sessions as you wish, in any order. Although not designed as a course, the four sessions are complimentary and cover different aspects of mindfulness.


Please do not book on to the same session twice.

View complete timetable: https://universityofcambridgecloud.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/AD/CCTL_RDP/EYJcHMg6NslFq2huR8CfpwMB0Nrlcht5sPphj8xsmxJqSA?e=oWnvBc

The other sessions are as follows:
Mindfulness for Exams 1: Keeping Calm
Mindfulness for Exams 2: Improving Attention
Mindfulness for Exams 4: Productive Decisions

17:30
Mindfulness Workshop: Improving Attention Finished 17:30 - 19:00 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03a

Please not that these courses are only for University of Cambridge students (undergraduate and postgraduate), who are affiliated to a Cambridge college.

This is one of four "Mindfulness Workshop" sessions. You can attend one - four of these sessions as you wish, in any order. Although not designed as a course, the four sessions are complimentary and cover different aspects of mindfulness.


Please do not book on to the same session twice.


View complete timetable here

The other sessions are as follows:
Mindfulness for Exams 1: Keeping Calm
Mindfulness for Exams 3: Better Sleep
Mindfulness for Exams 4: Productive Decisions

Friday 6 December 2019

09:30
Solving Research Problems Creatively Finished 09:30 - 12:30 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03d

While we might assume that creativity is a fixed innate ability – stereotypically leading to the creation of poems and paintings – in the context of our research, the creative thinking process that underpins creativity can be seen as a skill to be developed to solve problems large and small. Indeed, with this creative thinking process at the heart of research, research itself can be viewed as an inherently creative act.


Why this course might make a difference
The overall purpose of this intensive, practical workshop is to help you develop your creative thinking skills to help you solve research problems.


Outcomes:
With this aim in mind, the course outcomes are:

  • To give you a systematic creative-thinking process for solving problems
  • The opportunity to apply and develop a creative thinking process to a challenge in your current research
  • To explore your assumptions about your own creativity

Monday 9 December 2019

10:00
Postdocs: Self-Leadership new CANCELLED 10:00 - 12:00 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03a

The first step toward confident leadership is assured and well-balanced self-leadership. Are you really aware of how you lead yourself every day? This workshop aims to inspire you to be a self-leader by developing strategies to extend your awareness and confidence to take action and design the professional outcomes you are looking for. We will encourage you to think about how to recognise patterns of your own behaviour that might hold you back so that you can have the understanding and tools to communicate yourself and your perspective with awareness and confidence. This will create a firm foundation on which to build your leadership of others.

This workshop is part of a suite of leadership workshops that we offer. You may also be interested in: Postdocs: An Initial Guide to Leadership and Postdocs: Leading Others


Outcomes

  • Explore and experience your skills, strengths, abilities and style in detail within your individual context.
  • Consider how to extend your own self-leadership on a daily basis through a variety of strategies.
  • Apply self-knowledge, awareness and techniques to your repertoire of leadership skills.

Wednesday 11 December 2019

14:00
Introduction to Research Integrity at Cambridge new Finished 14:00 - 16:00 17 Mill Lane, Seminar Room E


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 and explore issues of good research practice, research integrity and research misconduct. It will be interactive, using case studies to better understand key ethical issues and challenges in all areas.

The course will:

  • explore the issue of research misconduct in academia and facilitate discussion of why and how it occurs
  • explain the University and national expectations around research integrity and examine how this effects researchers
  • discuss some of the challenges to the integrity of research and ask what individuals, groups and institutions can do to tackle them
  • introduce the University’s research ethics system


The course will be delivered by the Research Governance Team in the Research Strategy Office.

Thursday 16 January 2020

10:00
Developing Your Leadership as a PhD Student Finished 10:00 - 16:30 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03d

Leadership is a word that seems to be ubiquitous in universities these days, but keeping a handle on all its possible meanings is becoming ever harder: research leadership, team leadership, institutional leadership, thought leadership, educational leadership, ethical leadership, inclusive leadership…

Likewise, employers beyond academia repeatedly tell us that they’re seeking researchers who can be self-motivating, proactive, strategic; can build productive relationships with colleagues at all levels of seniority; are able to create consensus and shared understanding; know how to mentor and guide as well as take direction…

So, if leadership is being talked about everywhere and yet is also very hard to define, how can you as a PhD student identify your own leadership practice and your future potential?

This interactive workshop will combine practical insights with key leadership theories in order to explore the ways in which you’re already acting as a leader; to examine how ‘follower’ behaviours have a crucial role in shaping good leadership; and to consider leadership in a variety of contexts.

The session will be led by Jen Wade, a highly experienced trainer who has been leading her own business for more than ten years, working with a diverse range of organisations across the academic, public, and commercial sectors.


Outcomes:

  • Review a range of definitions of, and styles of, leadership.
  • Recognise your current strengths and future potential as a leader.

Monday 20 January 2020

09:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 09:30 - 10:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

10:00
Research Effectiveness and Efficiency – A One-Day Tune-Up new Finished 10:00 - 16:30 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03d

Success as a researcher is as much about managing your process and resources as it is about intellectual brilliance. What’s more, there is no ‘correct’ way to operate – everyone has to find approaches that work for him or her and fit with their own circumstances. So, what does it mean to be efficient and effective, and how can we fit these simple tools and strategies to aid our effectiveness in the context being a researcher?

This one-day immersive workshop will help you to build personal effectiveness tool-kit.


Specifically we’ll focus on six theme areas (which complement the short bite-sized modules and online offerings from the Cambridge Researcher Development programme). These themes are:

Self – Manage your personal development and growth
Project – Consider your research as a project to be managed and draw on some simple project management practices
Integrated – Reflect on your overall approach to research and fine you’re your work-life balance.
Relationships – Get the best out of the team (inc. supervisor) around you
Information - Develop some strategies for handling the papers, articles and data that cross your desk
Time – Learn some simple tools to ensure you make the most out of the most precious resource you have

Within these themes, the exact nature of the session on the day will be tailored to the needs and questions of participants and there will be a small amount of preparatory work to aid your reflection prior to the session.


The workshop will be led by Steve Hutchinson, a former academic who is now a consultant, author and coach.

Solving Research Problems Creatively Finished 10:00 - 13:00 Student Services Centre, Exams Hall, Room AG03a

While we might assume that creativity is a fixed innate ability – stereotypically leading to the creation of poems and paintings – in the context of our research, the creative thinking process that underpins creativity can be seen as a skill to be developed to solve problems large and small. Indeed, with this creative thinking process at the heart of research, research itself can be viewed as an inherently creative act.


Why this course might make a difference
The overall purpose of this intensive, practical workshop is to help you develop your creative thinking skills to help you solve research problems.


Outcomes:
With this aim in mind, the course outcomes are:

  • To give you a systematic creative-thinking process for solving problems
  • The opportunity to apply and develop a creative thinking process to a challenge in your current research
  • To explore your assumptions about your own creativity
10:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 10:30 - 11:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

11:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 11:30 - 12:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

13:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 13:30 - 14:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

14:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 14:30 - 15:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

15:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 15:30 - 16:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

Tuesday 21 January 2020

10:00
The Engaged Researcher: Media training Finished 10:00 - 13:00 Clinical School, Seminar Room 11

This course gives an introduction into how to engage with the public through media. It will cover the differing types of media, what makes research newsworthy, how to work with the communications office to gain media coverage, what to expect from an interview (print, pre-recorded, live) and how to communicate well in interviews. It will be delivered jointly with the University Communications team

Wednesday 22 January 2020

10:00
The Engaged Researcher: Working with Museums new Finished 10:00 - 13:00 Postdoc Centre@ Mill Lane, Seminar Room

Museums and collections are so much more than the objects they house. They are places of research, education and engagement, and they are open to members of the public in ways that departments and colleges are not. They can allow researchers to reach a range of diverse audiences. This training session will give you an insight into the breadth of activity ongoing at University of Cambridge Museums and how it could relate to your research and public engagement plans. After this training you will have a better understanding of the opportunities to work with museums.

14:00
Postdocs: An Initial Guide to Leadership new Finished 14:00 - 16:00 Clinical School, Seminar Room 12

Are you in a formal leadership role, or have you taken on leadership positions informally?

This workshop will help you to consider the variety of situations and contexts you find yourself leading in and guide you in understanding your leadership skills and abilities so that you can improve them and deploy them thoughtfully. We will look at a variety of meanings and views of leadership, discover the 4 elements of leadership, consider various leadership styles, and reflect on leadership within and out of research environment.

We would encourage you to take this workshop as a brief introduction to leadership before attending more in-depth workshops, including Postdocs: Self-Leadership and Postdocs: Leading Others.


Outcomes

  • Recognise own current skills and strengths in relation to developing further as a leader.
  • Review a range of definitions of, and styles of, leadership.
  • Apply to your own context.


Feedback:

“I found it interesting to define what leadership means and to understand the different styles there are.”

“It was a very interesting and different training which was very good to attend so as to know the skills to develop.”

17:30
Mindfulness: Meditation Drop In (open to anyone who has learned meditation) new (1 of 8) Finished 17:30 - 19:00 Magdalene College, Benson Hall

Dr Elizabeth English is offering a new weekly DROP-IN MEDITATION session, Wednesdays at 5.30pm.

These sessions are open to anyone who has learned meditation, especially participants who have previously attended the eight-week Mindfulness Programme. The Meditation sessions are not designed as a course, they are weekly one-off sessions, and you are welcome attend as many (or as few) as you wish.

Class format: starting with meditation, sharing experience in 2s/3s, gathering questions and topics, exploring topics together, final meditation.

You do not need to book. You are welcome to turn up to any of the sessions starting 5.30pm. Class will be approximately 75 mins.

See times and dates below.

View the Mindfulness Timetable here

Mindfulness: Meditation Drop In (Session 1) new Finished 17:30 - 19:00 Magdalene College, Benson Hall

Dr Elizabeth English is offering a new weekly DROP-IN MEDITATION session, Wednesdays at 5.30pm.

These sessions are open to anyone who has learned meditation, especially participants who have previously attended the eight-week Mindfulness Programme. The Meditation sessions are not designed as a course, they are weekly one-off sessions, and you are welcome attend as many (or as few) as you wish.

Class format: starting with meditation, sharing experience in 2s/3s, gathering questions and topics, exploring topics together, final meditation.

You do not need to book. You are welcome to turn up to any of the sessions starting 5.30pm. Class will be approximately 75 mins.

See times and dates below.

View the Mindfulness Timetable here

Thursday 23 January 2020

09:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 09:30 - 10:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

10:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 10:30 - 11:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

11:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 11:30 - 12:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

13:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 13:30 - 14:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

14:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 14:30 - 15:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

15:30
Postdocs: Communication & Personal Impact (1:1 Coaching) Finished 15:30 - 16:30 Student Services Centre, Meeting Room BG04

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations. Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.