Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable
Wednesday 11 March 2020
09:30 |
Map your Postdoc Journey NOW!
Finished
How can you make the most of your postdoc years at Cambridge? What does a strategic postdoc look like? What could you be doing now to be more strategic, intentional and agentive during your time at Cambridge?
“It encouraged an overall view of thinking about my career and what I want out of it and what I am good at. It also covered examples of people who stayed in academia as well as those who did not, so that I was able to consider the pros and cons of more than just one route.” “I'm right at the start of my post-doc and it helped me to think about what I wanted to get out of the next few years in terms of my career.” |
10:00 |
As a researcher, you are expected not only to run experiments, but also write regularly. Establishing a writing regular routine can be difficult, especially when experiments are running well. This half day workshop will explore the different writing techniques, tips and tricks, productive writers use regularly to keep on track with their writing commitments. |
15:30 |
Do you want to increase the probability of completing your PhD on time and be happier doing it? In this workshop, Dr Sue Jackson will share and discuss these 'secrets' which the aim of allowing you to reflect on what you can easily do to help yourself achieve this aim.
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17:30 |
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 |
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 12 March 2020
09:00 |
Scientific Writing
Finished
This one-day course focuses on the structure of good scientific writing. Including writing exercises as an integral part of the workshop, we will look at the practical process of writing, the nature of scientific publishing, and the importance of editing. The day will finish with a group editing session in which you apply the ideas you have learnt by editing each other's work. For the group editing session you will need to write a 300-word abstract about your work in advance, and bring it with you as a printout (see 'Prerequisites' below for details). REGISTRATION starts at 9.00am on the day. Please ensure you arrive on time as latecomers may be refused entry.
Outcomes:
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10:00 |
It’s that time of year: the report is looming on the horizon and the reality of writing is here! Aimed at first-year PhD students, with little or no academic writing experience. This course focuses on helping you develop good writing habits and become a more efficient writer. It is designed to get you thinking and to get working effectively on your end-of-first-year report / Certificate of Postgraduate Studies. Please note, this is a beginners course, so if you already have experience in writing for academic purposes, this course might not be for you.
Outcomes:
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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.
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14:00 |
Postdocs: Leading Others
CANCELLED
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.
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Tuesday 17 March 2020
10:00 |
The last hurdle, your viva examination, but what will it be like? What will the examiners ask? How can you prepare for it? This workshop provides participants with an insight into the process, and helps them understand what to expect within a doctoral degree viva, including a discussion on the type and nature of questions most-likely to be posed by examiners. This course is not suitable for students in their first year, and we strongly advise against students in their second year from attending. |
Wednesday 18 March 2020
10:00 |
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.
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Thursday 19 March 2020
14:00 |
Postdocs: Strategies for Being Resilient
POSTPONED
The life of a postdoc can be inherently stressful, with making applications for research grants, publishing and maintaining a work life balance, as well as coping with the precariousness of temporary contracts or visa regulations. Postdocs need an ample supply of resilience to deal with the ups and downs of being a professional researcher. The aim of this workshop is to help you build emotional resilience by further developing coping strategies to overcome challenges. We will focus on what constitutes resilience, identifying your current coping strategies, and using theories of resilience to strengthen your ability to deal with whatever life and work throws at you, whilst maintaining a good level of wellbeing.
“I would like more courses like this! Thank you!” “Really good framework for applying it personally.” “Interacting in groups worked well while exploring real-life examples.” |
Poster presentations are a well-established format for presenting research findings within STEM subjects. The past few years has witnessed a growth in poster presentations across a number of AHSS conferences. Given the infancy of this phenomena, it stands that a number of researchers within AHSS remain unsure on the question of content design and delivery. During the session, therefore, we will explore what makes a successful poster presentation in AHSS and examine how key components of a poster can be designed to make the poster more effective to your target audience. This is a beginner’s course covering the basics of poster presentations. |
Friday 20 March 2020
09:30 |
As a postdoc, you’re in a transitional period of your career, one that can be precarious at times or marked by dependency on others. Inevitably, there are moments when you have to engage in difficult conversations, whether with your PI, your peers, students and/or the people you support or oversee. Are you able to ask for the things you need and want? Do you spread yourself too thin by saying yes to others’ requests for support? Do you have techniques for approaching difficult conversations? This course is designed to help you develop an assertive mindset and to communicate your needs in an honest, clear, and respectful way.
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Monday 23 March 2020
13:00 |
This beginner’s course is designed to get you thinking about presenting with impact. Giving presentations is an essential skill for a researcher, be it in your department, at a major conference, or in your next job interview! You know your subject but sometimes issues of performance and clarity stop you being your best. This highly interactive workshop requires you to throw yourself into the activities in a safe and supportive environment. |
Tuesday 24 March 2020
09:30 |
Across all AHSS disciplines (and within) there are varying views of what research is. Following the work of Thomas Kuhn, these views form what are commonly referred to as ‘research paradigms’, entailing a variety of epistemological (study of knowledge) and ontological (study of being) assumptions that ultimately underpin and guide how we carry out research (method). Though not a definitive means by which to conceptualize meta-research, this course offers the ‘research paradigm’ as a heuristic and expedient entry point into key terms and concepts often encountered by research students and the tactic assumptions underpinning them. This can and often does result in an ability to understand the significance of one’s own research, the research of others and the broader intellectual context in which both are situated. |
Wednesday 25 March 2020
10:00 |
As a researcher, you are expected not only to run experiments, but also write regularly. Establishing a writing regular routine can be difficult, especially when experiments are running well. This half day workshop will explore the different writing techniques, tips and tricks, productive writers use regularly to keep on track with their writing commitments. |
Thursday 26 March 2020
10:00 |
It’s that time of year: the report is looming on the horizon and the reality of writing is here! Aimed at first-year PhD students, with little or no academic writing experience. This course focuses on helping you develop good writing habits and become a more efficient writer. It is designed to get you thinking and to get working effectively on your end-of-first-year report / Certificate of Postgraduate Studies. Please note, this is a beginners course, so if you already have experience in writing for academic purposes, this course might not be for you.
Outcomes:
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Tuesday 31 March 2020
10:00 |
A good poster’s worth 1000 words… but a bad poster’s just a bit of messy paper. When it’s time for you to present your scientific poster how are you going to make the most of the opportunity? We’ll think about why we use posters to present our research, what makes the difference between a good and bad poster and some useful tips to help you present your data in style. Please note, this is an introductory course to help you start preparing for your first poster sessions... |
Thursday 2 April 2020
10:00 |
Postdocs: An Initial Guide to Leadership
POSTPONED
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.
“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.” |
Monday 6 April 2020
10:00 |
The Engaged Researcher: Famelab heats
CANCELLED
Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival? Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/ |
Thursday 9 April 2020
10:00 |
The Engaged Researcher: Famelab heats
CANCELLED
Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival? Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/ |
Friday 17 April 2020
10:00 |
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.
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Tuesday 21 April 2020
13:00 |
Resilience In The Lab (STEMM)
POSTPONED
Let’s face it; being a researcher can be stressful! Not only are you managing the ups and downs of life in the lab, but you are probably balancing work and life and also have one eye on the future and what comes after your PhD… This workshop is designed to help you build emotional resilience. You probably already have some strategies in place so we will reflect on the highs and lows you have already experienced, look at some of the theories of resilience and consider how we can better support your coping and wellbeing.
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Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom. Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project. Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session. |
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13:45 |
Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom. Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project. Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session. |
14:30 |
Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom. Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project. Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session. |
15:15 |
Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom. Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project. Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session. |