All Graduate School of Life Sciences courses

Learn the basics of Twitter by completing 1 short online activity per day, for 10 days and join the global network of researchers who already use it (http://www.nature.com/news/online-collaboration-scientists-and-the-social-network-1.15711)

This is an online course - you will NOT be required to attend a workshop session.

Tasks will cover:

• the basics – how to set up an account, follow people and send tweets
• the conventions (@, #, RT, etc.)
• etiquette and social conventions
• the plethora of ‘apps’ or third party tools to add on
• strategies for tweeting effectively and building a network

R is a free, software environment for statistical and data analysis, with many useful features that promote and facilitate reproducible research.

In this course, we introduce the R language, and cover basic data manipulation and plotting. We explore more advanced data analysis techniques using the packages dplyr and ggplot. Finally we introduce the concept of reproducible research, and how this may be assisted using 'literate programming'—combining documentation with code.

After the course you should feel confident to start exploring your own dataset, using the materials and references provided.

Sessions

If you book onto this course you must attend all of the sessions as detailed below. Failure to attend a session or cancellation of your place less than 48 hours before the start of the first session will result in an administrative charge of £50.

Please ensure you have permission from your supervisor to attend this course before you make your booking!

Trainers

Dr Michael Grayling, MRC Biostatistics Unit

Dr Simon Frost, Department of Veterinary Medicine

Dr Matt Castle, GSLS

During this one hour presentation I will introduce you to the challenging and diverse topic of regulatory affairs in the pharmaceutical industry and cover some of the aspects we are faced with day to day in the country role. In particular we will look at some of the issues faced with fraudulent and counterfeit medicines and when looking at promotional affairs and product claim development, as these are the two topics for a potential project with Gilead.

About Gilead Sciences Gilead is one of the world's most successful biotech companies with a current market capitalisation of over $150 billion, Gilead Sciences Inc. (www.gilead.com) is a leading research-based biopharmaceutical company which discovers, develops and commercialises innovative medicines in life-threatening diseases. Gilead's primary areas of focus include HIV/AIDS, liver diseases, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, inflammation and oncology

About Alan Collins Alan has 18 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is a Director of Regulatory Affairs at Gilead Sciences. Alan's experience covers the many diverse areas of regulatory affairs, plus pricing and reimbursement, medical affairs, business conduct and auditing - he has never had two working days the same and enjoys the variety and challenge of his role.

An Introduction to R: Software For Statistical Analysis, with Dr Simon R. White, MRC Biostatistics Unit, and Dr Adam P. Wagner, University of Cambridge.

GNU R is (freely) available for all major platforms (Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.) and is growing in popularity in academia and beyond for carrying out statistical analysis and data manipulation.

The aim of the course is to introduce participants to the basics of statistical analysis and the open source statistical software GNU R.

Participants will actively use R throughout the course, during which they will be introduced to principles of statistical thinking and interpretation by example, exercises and discussion about a range of problems. The examples will be used to present a variety of statistical concepts and techniques, with no focus on any specific discipline.

Participants Without a Raven Password: If you do not have a Raven's account and would like to attend this course, or have other booking queries, please email Adam Wagner (apw40@medschl.cam.ac.uk).

This course will focus on the structure of good scientific writing, first at the micro-level of sentences and paragraphs and then at the macro-level of abstracts and entire papers. Writing exercises will form an important part of the day. We will look at into 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 the students apply the ideas they've learnt to editing each other's work. For this students will write a 300-word abstract about their mini-dissertation in advance. The course instructors are Mark Buchanan and Justin Mullins, two highly experienced scientific writers/editors.

Because pre-course work is required, bookings must be made by 9 Jan 2015 and cancellations cannot be accepted thereafter.

« Description not available »

« Description not available »

SeqMonk is a graphical program for the visualisation and analysis of large mapped datasets such as ChIP-Seq, RNA-Seq, and BS-Seq. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

• This course will cover all aspects of The analysis of DNA Methylation using Sequencing. It will cover the primary analysis, mapping and Quality Control (QC) of BS-Seq data and will talk about common pitfalls and complications. It will then cover exploratory analysis of Methylation looking at different methods of Quantitation' and a variety of ways of looking more widely at the distribution of Methylation over the genome. Finally the course will look at statistical methods to predict differential Methylation.
• The course will be comprised of a mixture of theoretical lectures and practicals covering a range of different software packages.
• By the end of the course students should be able to perform an analysis of Methylation Data all the way from raw sequencing to the selection of interesting targets.
• Further information, including a Timetable, will soon be available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to the tools available through the Bioconductor project for manipulating and analysing high-throughput sequencing data. We will present workflows for the analysis of CHip-Seq and RNA-seq, as well as tools to annotate and visualise results derived from other sequencing experiments (such as DNA resequencing) Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

A two-day course designed to introduce MATLAB and some basic programming concepts. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

This course is aimed at those new to programming and provides an introduction to programming using Perl. By the end of this course, attendees should be able to write simple Perl programs and to understand more complex Perl programs written by others. The course will be taught using the online Learning Perl materials created by Sofia Robb of the University of California Riverside. Further information is available.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides a gentle and practical introduction to the writing of Python programs for the complete novice. Participants are lead through the core aspects of Python illustrated by a series of example programs. Upon completion of the course, attentive participants will be able to write simple Python programs from scratch and to customize more complex code to fit their needs. Further information is available here.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to the R programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. A variety of examples with a biological theme will be presented. Further information is available here.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book or register Interest by linking here.

This course sets out to introduce simple computing tools for molecular biologists. It is intended for users with a reasonable background in molecular biology but little or no experience of using the available computer resources. The course is based around an investigation into the disease aniridia. We have chosen a well researched human topic as it allows us best to demonstrate how information can be obtained both by analysis of raw sequence data and by interrogation of information resources where previously determined facts are organised and stored. Further information for this session is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

An introduction on how to search EBI databases using sequence search tools. The workshop will introduce tools such as BLAST, FASTA and PSI-BLAST; explain how they function and the ways to make effective use of them to locate different types of biological data and information. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) record of the world's nucleotide sequencing information, covering raw sequencing data, sequence assembly information and functional annotation available from the Europian Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

An understanding protein structure is vital for the elucidation of its function. Information gleaned from the three dimensional structures of proteins is used to understand the biochemical and functional roles of such molecules in life and for the design and discovery of drug molecules for a variety of diseases and illnesses such as cancer, influenza and tuberculosis.

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the central publicly accessible repository of all experimentally derived macromolecular structures. Containing over 80,000 structures of proteins and nucleic acids the PDB is an essential scientific resource.

The PDB is managed by a consortium of international organizations collectively known as the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB). The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) is one of the founding members of the wwPDB along with the RCSB Protein Data Bank in the USA and Protein Data Bank Japan(PDBj) in Japan.

In addition to serving as a deposition site for data deposited to the PDB, the PDBe also provides services for the search and analysis of the collective wealth of data contained within the PDB. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

This workshop will introduce open-source tools for creating, representing and analysing molecular interaction data. Practical sessions will explore the EMBL-EBI IntAct database and use Cytoscape visualise protein interactions. Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This workshop will introduce open-source tools for creating, representing and analysing molecular interaction data. Practical sessions will explore the Reactome pathway database, showing participants how to navigate molecular reactions and the pathways they form. Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

An introduction the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). The workshop will introduce ways to navigate the website, search EBI database resources and access useful information and metadata. It will also highlight additional resources such as Train Online. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to the tools to access and analyze Metabolomics data available from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

The session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to Network Analysis at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

In this session we will introduce the major protein databases available from the EBI. The use of the UniProtKB database will be especially considered. Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

An introduction to the chemical biology resources available from the EBI. The workshop will cover ontology and bio-activity data, structure representation and tools for protein-ligand investigation. Further information is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to the tools to access and analyze Transcriptomics data available from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

• This workshop is aimed at researchers and developers interested in exploring Ensembl beyond the website.
• The workshop covers the Core (Day 1), Variation (Day 2), Functional Genomics (Regulation) (Day3), and Compara (Day4) databases and APIs.
• Each database schema and API design will be presented in association with practical sessions in which the participants will write their own Perl scripts.
• Further information concerning course content is available.

• This course is comprised of 4 one day sessions.
• The first Core API session (or equivalent experience) is a mandatory prerequisite to the other 3 sessions.
• Please specify which of the optional sessions you wish to attend when booking. The default is "all three of them".
• Participants are requested to give us a little information about their background & requirements by registering here.
• The course fee, for those participants required to pay, will be £100 independent of the number of sessions attended.
• The course timetable can be viewed here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

Exploring Protein Sequence and Functional Information with UniProt.

The Universal Protein Resource (UniProt) is a comprehensive resource for protein sequence and annotation data. UniProt aids scientific discovery by collecting, interpreting and organising protein information in one site so that it is easy to access and use. It provides tools to help with protein sequence analysis as well as links to more than 150 other biological databases to help you access additional information. This course is a guide to the UniProt resource, covering the types of data it provides and how to access the data using the UniProt website. It will go through the protein information and analysis tools available in UniProt in a series of presentations and hands-on exercises.

Further information, including a detailed timetable, is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

Annotators from the Pathogen Genomics Group at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute give a comprehensive introduction to the latest Genome Analysis software (Artemis and ACT). Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

• 'Bioinformatics: Genomics in Medicine ' has been approved by the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom for 6 category 1 (external) CPD credits.

This course, devised by Life Technologies in conjunction with internationally regarded experts, offers a unique learning opportunity for healthcare professionals who are looking to gain knowledge and practical guidance in genomics and pharmacogenomics. No laboratory work will be involved. The course will be comprised of lectures, demonstrations and discussion activities and will focus on how modern DNA sequencing technologies are impacting clinical medicine. Further information is available here.

Booking for this event:

Raven password holders may book a provisional place on this course for themselves. It would be helpful, and save time if they would also follow the procedures for people without a Raven password, specified as follows.

To apply for a place on this course, please fill in your details here

A place will be reserved for you and you will be contacted as soon as your application has been reviewed.

Successful applicants will be provided with details of how to make payment of the course fee of £200 within 2 working days. Your reservation will be confirmed on receipt of the course fee.

This introductory 1-day course is for people who have recently started working with molecular phylogenetic trees, either estimating their own, working in collaboration with others who estimate them, or reading articles that include trees. Further information is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course aims to introduce researchers to software and techniques for the analysis of RNA data. More information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

Galaxy (http://galaxyproject.org/) is an open, web-based platform for data intensive life science research that enables non-bioinformaticians to create, run, tune, and share their own bioinformatic analyses. This introductory course will cover Galaxy's basic functionality, simple data manipulation and visualization. This event is mostly targeted at first time users. Further information is available from the course website.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book register Interest by linking here.

The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the applications, laboratory equipment and online bioinformatic portals for metabolomics research. Further information is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

The course will cover, at a basic level, building phylogenetic trees based on molecular sequence data. This will include the general context and uses of tree-building, choosing models of DNA and protein evolution, tree-building methods including distance, parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian MCMC, and confidence in results. Examples will be worked through using MEGA. Further information can be found here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

”To consult the statistician after an experiment is finished is often merely to ask him to conduct a post mortem examination. He can perhaps say what the experiment died of.” - R.A. Fisher

Modern genomics technologies are able to deliver an unprecedented amount of data rapidly. However, without due care and attention early in the experimental process, such data are meaningless if they cannot adequately answer the intended research question. This course is aimed at those planning high-throughput genomics experiments and highlights the kinds of questions they should be asking themselves. We we also review key statistical concepts that underpin the design process and are referred to throughout further Bioinformatics training courses.

Timetable

• 12:30 - 13:30 - Introductory Statistics (Lecture) - Mark Dunning
• 13:30 - 14:15 - Exploratory data analysis (Discussion) - Mark Dunning
• 14:30 - 15:30 - Experimental Design (Lecture) - Roslin Russell
• 15:30 - 17:00 - Experimental Design (Discussion) Roslin Russell, Mark Dunning

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to Mass spectrometry Proteomics at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course covers state-of-the-art tools and methods for system biology using biological data of different types. The participants will learn about the basis of modelling large-scale datasets as logic networks, as well as a more detailed approach using deterministic and stochastic modelling. At the end of the course the basis of three dimensional modelling of protein-protein interaction will be covered.

The course timetable can be found here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

This course introduces researchers to a multidisciplinary approach to microarray data analysis. Attention is devoted to the design of microarray experiments, data normalization and quality control as well as to statistical analysis. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This session provides an introduction to the IntAct and Reactome database systems. Also to the analysis tools for molecular interaction data available from the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Further information for this session is available here.

This session is one of a series of short introductions to EBI Services, run together, but bookable separately (see Related Courses section below).

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

The course will provide training for bench-based biologists to use molecular data to construct and interpret phylogenies, and test their hypotheses. Delegates will gain hands-on practice of using a variety of programs freely available online and commonly used in molecular studies, interspersed with some lectures.

Course timetable is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to the construction of high quality Multiple Sequence Alignments (MSAs) and the computation of phylogenetic trees from those alignments. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course provides an introduction to next generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis methodologies. Lectures will give insight into how biological knowledge can be generated from RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and BS-seq experiments and illustrate different ways of analyzing such data. Practicals will consist of computer exercises that will enable the participants to apply statistical methods to the analysis of RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and BS-seq data under the guidance of the lecturers and teaching assistants.

Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

• Nowomics - Access to the latest data and papers relevant to your research
• Nowomics is a new website to help biologists stay up to date with the latest data and papers relevant to their research. Try it here.
• Nowomics tracks new papers and many types of data in online repositories. You ‘follow’ the genes and processes you work on to see a Twitter-like news feed of new papers, annotation, interactions, curated comments and more.
• For each gene you can also include information from orthologues and related genes directly in your news feed.
• Data are currently included for human, mouse, rat, fly and plant.
• This short workshop will show you how to use the Beta version of Nowomics to find the latest information for genes & keywords, how to set up your personalised news feed and configure email alerts. We’ll also demonstrate new portals to help researchers working on Drosophila or Arabidopsis find the latest and most popular papers.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This practical-based course will deal with all aspects of the prediction of protein structure, concentrating on the prediction of secondary structure, fold recognition and comparative modelling of structures. Computational aspects of protein structure determination, validation and analysis will be covered. The course will be a mixture of talks and guided practicals. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

This course introduces the use of Python for Bioinformatics applications. Further information is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by email.

This course introduces coding in Python at a basic level and the construction of simple software tools for MRI analysis. Further information is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by email.

This three day course will cover a workflow to conduct molecular epidemiological analysis of viruses, using R both as a platform for analysis and graphics, as well as to call external tools. The first day will cover viral sequence databases, data extraction and manipulation, and sequence alignment; the second will cover phylogenetic reconstruction; and the third will cover analysis of the resulting phylogenies.. Further information for this session is available.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

The course will present intermediate to advanced R programming using the object-oriented programming paradigm. It will cover how to document code and data to produce a fully functional R package. Further information is available here.

The Course Web Site providing links to the course materials is here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book register Interest by linking here.

The Ensembl project provides a comprehensive and integrated source of annotation of, mainly vertebrate, genome sequences. This one-day workshop offers a comprehensive practical introduction to the use of the Ensembl genome browser as well as essential background information.

This event will be primarily be conducted by video from a parallel event in the Craik-Marshal Building, Cambridge.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to Book or register Interest by linking here.

The Ensembl Plants project offers a single and integrative collection of interfaces for accessing and comparing genome-scale data for 38 species (release 24, November 2014). Our Genome Browser allows visualization and analysis of plant genomic sequences including gene annotation, genetic variation and comparative genomics. Tools for downstream genomic analyses such as VEP (Variant Effect Predictor) and BioMart (data export) will be also covered in this workshop. In addition to our Browser and web tools, the publicly available data in Ensembl Plants can be accessed programmatically via our Perl and REST APIs, downloaded FTP or accessed through MySQL queries. Users can view their own data in the context of the reference sequence and datasets.

This course covers state-of-the-art tools and methods for NGS RNA-seq and exome variant data analysis, which are of major relevance in today's genomic and gene expression studies. Further information is available here.

Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here.

How do you make your research palatable to the press? Do you stumble and fumble when in front of a camera? Are you protective about your research, wary of handing over all your hard work to a journalist? Join Dr Eliza Filby, founder of GradTrain and lecturer at King's College London for this one-day media training course especially designed for researchers interested in engaging with the media at all levels.

Many basic numeric messages are inadequately communicated because of poor presentation. This course illustrates some of the problems and demonstrates ways to improve the reception of messages by different target audience. This one-day course is the foundation to all presentations of statistical information. The basic principles of presenting information in tables, charts, maps and text are explained. These are illustrated and then reinforced through practical exercises.

The course is for anyone who is involved in communicating statistics to non-statisticians, or who reports on data within organisations, to specific communities and to the general public where a message is being delivered.

Download the poster at http://www.gradschl.lifesci.cam.ac.uk/GRASP/clear-vision-poster/view

This day-long training course consists of a mixture of taught and interactive practical elements intended to show participants how to get the best out of Twitter for research purposes.

Please note that this course requires you to have an existing working knowledge of Twitter. In order to apply you must fill in an application form available at the following address

https://cambridge.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/come-fly-with-me-application

You own your own research right? Well it depends...

This session will explore the sometimes complicated world of copyright and what can happen when publishing work through formal routes such as journals or through more informal routes such as pre-print servers. The session will also introduce concepts such as third party copyright and rights retention, as well as how licensing tools such as Creative Commons can be used to not only help maximise the reach of research but also navigating reusing other people's work.

PLEASE NOTE that this course will be taught live online, with demonstrators available to help you throughout if have any questions. All lecture components will be recorded and uploaded to the course Moodle page so that you will be able to access that information even if technical or time zone restrictions means that you aren't able to join us for the live sessions.

This virtually delivered course is intended to provide a strong foundation in practical statistics and data analysis using the R or Python software environments. The underlying philosophy of the course is to treat statistics as a practical skill rather than as a theoretical subject and as such the course focuses on methods for addressing real-life issues in the biological sciences.

There are three core goals for this course:

1. Use R or Python confidently for statistics and data analysis
2. Be able to analyse datasets using standard statistical techniques
3. Know which tests are and are not appropriate

Both R and Python are free software environments that are suitable for statistical and data analysis.

In this course, we explore classical statistical analysis techniques starting with simple hypothesis testing and building up to linear models and power analyses. The focus of the course is on practical implementation of these techniques and developing robust statistical analysis skills rather than on the underlying statistical theory

After the course you should feel confident to be able to select and implement common statistical techniques using R or Python and moreover know when, and when not, to apply these techniques.

This series of lectures provides a basic introduction to neurobiology. If you are a new graduate student working in another area but think your research might benefit from some understanding of neurobiology, this is for you. If you have done an undergraduate course in neuroscience of any kind, this is NOT for you.

As scientists, your skills of critical thinking are well developed in hypothesis testing, observation and empirical experiment. This workshop will incorporate other modes of logic and reason into your scientific thinking. The focus of discussion will be social and ethical issues in biotechnology.

You will develop:

• Knowledge of critical thinking, with respect to logic and argument development
• Skills in application of critical thinking using case studies and debate involving bioethics

Developing your critical thinking and recognising how human elements impact on scientific enquiry will support you in making more appropriate decisions in the direction of your scientific projects.

PLEASE NOTE

This course compromises of two compulsory sessions. In the first session you will learn the skills and in the second you will apply them. There is also an optional follow-up session where you can meet with members of your group to discuss how you have applied the skills in your research.

Trainer:

Caroline Broad is a Philosophy graduate, with seven years experience working in the bio science industry and 15 years delivering skills development workshops.

As scientists, skills of critical thinking are well developed in hypothesis testing, observation and scientific projects. This workshop will incorporate other modes of logic and reason into scientific thinking.

This workshop will consist of a set of debates on current bioethical issues. We will then analyse and evaluate the presence and impact of critical thinking within those debates

PLEASE NOTE: This course consists of two half day sessions, with a week between sessions.

A workshop of two half-day sessions that are one week apart, developing:

• Knowledge of critical thinking, with respect to logic and argument development
• Skills in application of critical thinking using case studies and debate involving bioethics

Developing your critical thinking and recognising how human elements impact on scientific enquiry will support you in making more appropriate decisions in the direction of your scientific projects.

As scientists, your skills of critical thinking are well developed in hypothesis testing, observation and empirical experiment. This workshop will incorporate other modes of logic and reason into your scientific thinking. Once these skills have been looked at, they will be use on example discussions in the areas of social and ethical issues in biotechnology – including reproductive cloning and use of bio-information. Please note that these are example topics for practicing the skills and are not the topic of the course.

Workshop leader: Caroline Broad is a Philosophy graduate with a passion for the practical applications of critical thinking; especially in the global, highly technical world we now live in; Caroline has spent ten years working in biotechnology field, previously as an employee for AZ owned MedImmune. She is a visiting lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College, teaching Advanced Concepts in Bio business; delivers workshops to post-docs at Imperial College in Innovation skills and creative problem solving.

Achieving clarity in writing is not just about what’s written on the page – that is merely the final stage in a long and complex process. It actually starts with the interpretation of the question… From a linguistic perspective writing is actually rather straightforward, but the clarity of the ‘end product’, particularly in academic writing, is very much dependent on the clarity of all the stages that precede it. This session will examine this process and explores strategies to help you improve the clarity of your writing.

Over the course of a PhD, students will create and use large amounts of different types of data. This course is designed to help students manage their data effectively, and to make them aware of some of the legal and ethical issues involved in dealing with data.

The design and analysis of experiments is an essential first step before doing any research; this short seminar will help you develop a clear understanding of what you need to consider when planning experiments and will help to maximize your productivity. Please note that this course is aimed at ecologists but the principles can be applied to experimental design in many other areas.

This new half-day workshop has been designed to explore the ideas and techniques to unlock your hidden potential as a researcher with clarity, vision and creative leadership. We willl explore the importance of a creative approach to your research - and its communication - by understanding the nature of creativity, how and where to apply creative thinking and activities (for instance, by setting a new dynamic in departmental meetings!) and finally how creative practices lead to personal change and technical and scientific innovation.

You are encouraged to attend with an open mind 'beginners mind' and a willingness to discuss real issues and problems that would benefit from a creative solution. You will be encouraged to compete a short action plan to focus on next steps in the creative process.

What is required to develop efficient and productive working relationships?

In this workshop we explore research that provides insight into individuals’ different working styles and how to exploit individual strengths to create an effective team. We explore the research of Meredith Belbin and his team role theory using practical exercises to confirm your team role strengths.

• Understand the facets of an effective team
• Belbin team role insight
• Learning styles and communication techniques
• An insight into individual motivations and drivers

Trainer: Caroline Broad is a Philosophy graduate, with seven years experience working in the bio science industry and 15 years delivering skills development workshops.

« Description not available »

There is a growing research base on how to approach influencing in a positive and ethical way. In this workshop you will practice techniques to improve your influencing skills and develop your natural influencing style.

Great ideas need people to get behind them. Teams need to be motivated towards their objectives. Academics and funders need to be convinced of your project’s worth.

We will explore the power of language, rapport, consensus and reciprocity within influencing. We will practice key influencing skills that will help you develop effective committed relationship with the right people for your purpose.

Trainer: Caroline Broad is a Philosophy graduate, with seven years experience working in the bio science industry and 15 years delivering skills development workshops.

If you cannot lead yourself, how can you influence others or be a productive member of a team?

Join us for an intensive 1-day, experiential workshop exploring the core elements of leading self and others positively and effectively. We start with self-leadership: purpose, values and how well I live them, and what gets in the way? It includes mental and neurophysiological tools for reducing fear (a.k.a. stress, tension), accessing presence/ the zone (often referred to in current trends as dynamic "mindfulness") all leading to increase the ACT of leadership - Awareness, Connection and Transformation - for self and others.

Having established this firm foundation, we build the capacity for open, productive, adult-to-adult interactions with others with emotional intelligence, trust, delegation and handling conflict.

If you cannot lead yourself, how can you influence others or be a productive member of a team?

Join us for an intensive 1-day, experiential workshop exploring the core elements of leading self and others positively and effectively. We start with self-leadership: purpose, values and how well I live them, and what gets in the way? It includes mental and neurophysiological tools for reducing fear (a.k.a. stress, tension), accessing presence/ the zone (often referred to in current trends as dynamic "mindfulness") all leading to increase the ACT of leadership - Awareness, Connection and Transformation - for self and others.

Having established this firm foundation, we build the capacity for open, productive, adult-to-adult interactions with others with emotional intelligence, trust, delegation and handling conflict.

This course will take a complete look at the final year of your PhD. From the core elements of the thesis and viva and the often forgotten administrative tasks that must get done, on to looking at who you have become and what career path you may take.

We are running a series of focus groups to gain a better understanding of the entrepreneurship and enterprise landscape at Cambridge for STEMM postgraduates. We welcome everyone to come along and share their experiences and thoughts about this subject with us. Whether you have previously gained entrepreneurship and enterprise experience or thought this is an area to build on as part of your post graduate training, your contribution to these sessions would be most valuable.

This session will be held online via zoom. Joining instructions will be sent to participants two days before the scheduled focus group.

A crash course in what you need to know about scientific writing. This lecture is aimed at those writing scientific papers, but many of the principles apply equally to writing a doctoral dissertation. The examples given are mostly in the area of of Biochemistry research, but applicable to many others.

A full day session including group and individual work, enabling you to think about what a challenging conversation is, whether you need to have one, how to navigate it, if and when you and then how to help avoid further escalation of a difficult situation.

A participative session involving group and individual work delving into how giving and receiving feedback can be a useful development tool, helping you to be heard effectively and potentially the reducing the need for challenging discussions.

Your lab notebook is one of the most important and precious objects you, as a scientist, will ever have. This course will explore how keeping an exemplary laboratory notebook is crucial to good scientific practice in lab research. The course will consist of a short talk, a chance to assess some examples of good and bad practice, with plenty of time for questions and discussion. You might like to bring along your own lab notebook for feedback. (Please note that issues relating to protection of Intellectual Property Rights will not be covered in this course).

A highly participative session including group and individual work. To help build your confidence when networking in-person; looking at preparation, who to approach, how to start and finish any conversations well and manage post event contact.

A participative online session including group and individual work, enabling you to feel more confident when online networking; looking at how if differs to in-person networking and what this means your approach and thoughts about it.

This full-day course takes an evidence-based approach to writing academic papers. Participants learn that publishing is a game and this course will help them win it. It is designed to maximise the number of papers from a research project, make the process of writing the paper as efficient as possible, reduce the chances of co-authors and supervisors making unnecessary changes in the late stages of preparation and fosters collaboration between researchers. The course is highly interactive and participants not only learn from each other, they will, by the end of the day, be well on their way to completing a paper for a particular journal. They effectively learn to market themselves and their departments as well as learn about the process of writing. Past attendees have said the approach is fun. Originally developed for clinicians the course is relevant to all researchers, irrespective of their discipline.

Olivia Timbs is the organiser and trainer. She is a regular tutor for The Guardian Masterclasses programme running this course and another on effective writing.

The course takes an evidence-based approach to writing. Participants will learn that publishing is a game and the more they understand the rules of the game the higher their chances of becoming publishing authors. They will learn that writing an academic article and getting it published may help with their careers but it does not make them better researchers, or cleverer than they were before their paper was accepted; it simply means they have played the game well.

Suitable for GSLS postgraduates in any discipline who are keen to learn how to write academic papers and articles efficiently as well as more established researchers who have had papers rejected and are not really sure why.

If you want a better chance of your name on a paper, this is for you!

Trainer

Olivia Timbs is an award-winning editor and journalist with over 30 years' experience gained from working on national newspapers and for a range of specialist health and medical journals.

This day-long training course consists of a mixture of taught and interactive practical elements intended to show participants how to get the best out of Twitter for research purposes.

Please note that this course requires you to have an existing working knowledge of Twitter. In order to apply you must fill in an application form available at the following address

https://cambridge.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/come-fly-with-me-application-form

A one-day workshop to introduce and practice skills needed for innovative working relationships with business. This is a workshop full of discussion and activity around the practical implementation of the following:

The learning aims are.

• An insight into UK plc expectations following the 2012 Wilson report
• Project management skills that turn an idea into a reality
• Technical skills that test scientific and commercial project viability
• Behavioural skills that build and maintain relationships

Participants will learn about:

• The changing landscape of UK and European funding
• The UK’s drive towards business – academic collaborations
• Expectations from industry. Differences and similarities to academia
• How to manage academic – business differences
• Core project management techniques including: Project Initiation documents; Impact measurement; Risk management; Project tracking and reporting
• Effective working in complex teams including: Creating team buy in; Managing and sharing your knowledge; Communications skills

Provides an understanding of the UK and European landscape for researchers in the context of future careers and collaborations with industry. Also valuable for academics looking for a career move into industry. Provides an insight into what innovation really means and introduces the practical project management tools to implement innovative projects.

« Description not available »

Join Sarah Cruise, a human communication expert, for two hours to explore the core skills of communicating effectively to engage with any audience. This workshop has been designed to cover various communication theories with illustrative demonstrations and practical exercises. Although this will be options should you not be able to take part. During this time you will cover: • the fundamentals of all good communication • two simple ways to enhance your own personal impact • tools for collating and structuring engaging and accessible content • guidance for creating effective visuals • and a model for handling interactive communications

You can find out more about Sarah on her website eloquential.co.uk and if you have any questions, accessibility issues or anything else you’d like to discuss prior to the workshop, you can contact her on sarah@eloquential.co.uk

« Description not available »

There are some key working relationships that require development and management throughout the course of a Ph.D. If this is discussed and understood at the earliest opportunity students can be proactive in managing such relationships, enhance transferable skills and have a better research experience.

Your final year is an exciting, yet unsettling time. You need to finish experiments, start to write your thesis and begin to think about the next chapter of your career. This two-day linked workshop is designed to help you make sense of the year ahead.

You will be given practical tips on planning your final year, as well as discuss the administration of your final year, writing your thesis and preparation for your viva. In addition, you will explore the career opportunities that are best suited to you, by thinking about your expertise, suitability and personal values. Finally, you will get the chance to review your C.V and experience the interview process.

This session discusses the benefits and challenges of maintaining an online presence as a researcher. Part of two sessions on this topic, this first session looks at setting up your academic persona and using academic platforms. Starting with exploring what comes up through a quick Google search all the way through to maintaining profiles on academic sites, we will look at the pros and cons of online engagement. This will include tools such as ORCID, and networking sites such as academia.edu and ResearchGate.

Participants should expect to have the opportunity to critically evaluate the various options presented in this session with the overall aim of being better informed when deciding where to invest their time and efforts when building an academic presence online.

This session discusses the benefits and challenges of maintaining an online presence as a researcher. Part of two sessions on this topic, this second session looks at using social media as a researcher. We will look at the practicalities and pros and cons of online engagement through tools such as Twitter/X, Mastodon, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Participants should expect to have the opportunity to critically evaluate the various options presented in this session with the overall aim of being better informed when deciding where to invest their time and efforts when building an academic presence online.

« Description not available »

The Graduate School of Life Sciences' main showcase in the Univeristy of Cambridge Science Festival for the public understanding of our research. It includes a competition for the best photograph or image from your research. Full rules and regulations are available online. You do not need to book a place for this aspect of the competition, just submit your image as described in the rules and regulations.

The Graduate School of Life Sciences' main showcase in the Univeristy of Cambridge Science Festival for the public understanding of our research. It includes a competition for the best poster concisely conveying a single message to the general public. You must book a place to ensure that your work is accepted.

The Graduate School of Life Sciences' main showcase in the Univeristy of Cambridge Science Festival for the public understanding of our research. It includes a competition for the best research poster, live dialogue and communicating your own research to the general public. You must book a place to ensure that your work is accepted.

Clear, effective and professional communication skills are absolutely essential to any aspiring academic. While students are taught the essentials of how to research, less emphasis is placed on how to present their work either in the lecture hall, in the seminar room or even the viva. This course is unique in that it fuses academic skills with acting training.

This course has been designed to help graduates students and ECRs to develop their understanding of available tools and techniques which can aid with problem solving and innovation in a research-intensive environment.

An introductory workshop for 1st year PhD students to explore the working relationships you will encounter during your PhD with emphasis on how to work well with your supervisor.

This whole day session is designed to help researchers develop strategies for making networking part of a successful career, whether inside or outside of research. It focuses on thinking about all of the researchers' working life as a route to networking, rather than being a course about "personal impact" in conference coffee breaks.

This workshop, led by Understanding Animal Research, outlines the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research and provides advice and practical information on how best to talk about the use of animals in your research.

Academics can make as much of an impact from what they say as what they write whether it be through teaching, conferences or job presentations. Working with a trained actor and an academic, this workshop will take participants through the process of how to write and deliver a speech.

In the first session you will cover how to structure a speech, the use of appropriate language and imagery, audio-visual aids and how to master the Q&A.

In the second session, we will focus on your performance. Drawing on acting techniques, participants will discover how to improve their diction, resonance, range and articulation as well as relaxation and breathing techniques to calm nerves.

This workshop is designed for PhDs and Postdocs at any stage of their academic career.