Postdoc Academy course timetable
March 2020
| Wed 4 |
Concordat Open Meeting
Finished
In December 2019, the University of Cambridge officially signed the new Researcher Development Concordat. The ‘Concordat’ sets out a series of responsibilities and working practices designed to create a healthy and supportive culture for research, and to increase the appeal and sustainability of research careers in the UK. The new Concordat is structured in to three principles: Environment & culture, employment and professional & career development. Within each principle there are obligations for institutions, managers of researchers and researchers themselves, and, for the first time, funders of research. At this open meeting, Liz Simmonds, chair of the University’s Concordat Working Group, will present further detail about the Concordat and its likely benefits and implications, and will update on progress of the working group towards an institutional implementation plan. This will be followed by a Q&A session. The Concordat will have an impact across the whole institution, and so this session will be useful for academic staff, research staff, and professional services staff who support postdocs. |
| Tue 10 |
Media Taster for Postdocs
CANCELLED
Learn how to sell your research to the media. You will pick up some tips on best media practice and how to spark interest in your specialism. |
| Wed 11 |
Bring & Share
Finished
Bring along your favorite/local dish to share (max. 2 portions) and enjoy all kinds of food from all around the world! |
| Tue 17 |
If you have recently started peer reviewing, or are ready to get involved, the OSC invites you to this unmissable session, where you will pick up tips and best practices from PLOS, publishers of the world's largest multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal. |
| Thu 19 |
Postdoc Welcome Event
CANCELLED
A must-attend morning with information tailored to postdocs in Cambridge, whether University-based or employed by Colleges or Research Institutions. At this event, you will be given information about: o Your contract o Professional development & the careers service o Accommodation (including how to apply for accommodation at the new North West Cambridge development) o The postdoc community at Cambridge and have ample opportunity to meet other postdocs and network. |
| Fri 20 |
Immigration Info Session for Postdocs
CANCELLED
Following the UK government’s announcement of a ‘new’ visa route, known as the Global Talent Visa, Graeme Ross, the University’s Head of Immigration for staff members, will conduct a presentation on what this means for postdocs and how to apply for this visa. There will also be a short presentation on other relevant visa routes, such as dependant visas and Indefinite Leave to Remain/Settlement, and an opportunity to ask questions about other immigration matters. |
| Mon 30 |
Do you know what to look out for when choosing an Open Access publisher or a data repository? It's important to get these decisions right to be at the forefront of the trend towards Open Research, ensuring that you build a strong profile and embrace the changes that are expected from researchers. Practicing Open Research will help you to:
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April 2020
| Mon 27 |
What is the REF?
Finished
An introduction to REF 2021, providing an overview of the exercise and its importance to the University. Focus will be given to eligibility requirements for individual researchers and how the University aims to ensure that all eligible staff are considered during REF preparations. |
|
What is the REF? Session for Post docs
CANCELLED
An introduction to REF 2021, providing an overview of the exercise and its importance to the University. Focus will be given to eligibility requirements for individual researchers and how the University aims to ensure that all eligible staff are considered during REF preparations. |
May 2020
| Mon 4 |
Please note this is now a virtual session. Have you ever faced any issues related to authorship within your research group or making a submission to a journal?
Using case studies and group discussion, this course will explore best practice from how authorship of a paper is decided to managing the challenges that can arise when working with publishers or editors. Discussions will include ‘grey areas’, common issues and pitfalls, and you will be given the opportunity to share your experiences and perspectives. |
| Wed 6 |
Lockdown / COVID Q&A for Postdocs
Finished
Representatives from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Human Resources, the Researcher Development Programme and the Careers Service are hosting a Zoom session to address your lockdown and coronavirus-related concerns. We have already been fielding questions about contract / funding extensions, life after lockdown, balancing working from home with parental duties, how to work effectively from home and many other topics, so please ask us anything that you would like to know. Whether or not you are able to join us, we welcome your questions via slido (www.slido.com, event code #2854) between now and 6th May, as these will give us valuable insight into how our postdoc community is coping during the current situation and whether we can be providing further clarity, reassurance and support. |
| Thu 7 |
Pensions Explained for Postdocs
POSTPONED
In this session, you will learn about:
The session will be delivered by Head of Pensions at the University of Cambridge, and there will be ample opportunity for asking questions. Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here. |
| Wed 13 |
A must-attend virtual session with information tailored to postdocs in Cambridge, whether University-based or employed by Colleges or Research Institutions. At this event, you will be given information about:
You will also meet representatives from various University services who may be helpful to you while you are working in Cambridge. |
| Thu 14 |
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| Mon 18 |
Please note this session is now running as a virtual/online session. Joining instructions will be emailed closer to the time. People love stories. They entertain, they help us to remember. This short interactive session is aimed at researchers looking to improve the effectiveness of their communication. It will introduce the importance of working out who your audience is and what they want to know. It will also explore how storytelling is as relevant to research communication as it is to fairy tales. We all have to communicate our research and ideas, why not do it through stories? The session will be delivered by the Academic Director for STEM, Institute of Continuing Education. Please note that if you are not eligible for a University of Cambridge Raven account you will need to book by linking here. |
| Thu 21 |
Virtual COVID Q&A for Postdocs
Finished
Representatives from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Human Resources, the Researcher Development Programme and the Careers Service are hosting another Zoom session to address your questions as the coronavirus situation continues to develop. We have already been fielding questions about contract / funding extensions and furlough, life after lockdown, balancing working from home with parental duties, how to work effectively from home and many other topics, so please ask us anything that you would like to know. Whether or not you are able to join us, we welcome your questions via slido (www.slido.com, event code #E159) between now and 21st May, as these will give us valuable insight into how our postdoc community is coping during the current situation and whether we can be providing further clarity, reassurance and support. |
June 2020
| Thu 11 |
Virtual COVID Q&A for Postdocs
Finished
Representatives from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Human Resources, the Researcher Development Programme and the Careers Service are hosting another Zoom session to address your questions as the coronavirus situation continues to develop. We have already been fielding questions about contract / funding extensions and furlough, life after lockdown, balancing working from home with parental duties, how to work effectively from home and many other topics, so please ask us anything that you would like to know. Whether or not you are able to join us, we welcome your questions via slido (www.slido.com, event code #V098) between now and 11th June, as these will give us valuable insight into how our postdoc community is coping during the current situation and whether we can be providing further clarity, reassurance and support. |
| Thu 25 |
A must-attend virtual session with information tailored to postdocs in Cambridge, whether University-based or employed by Colleges or Research Institutions. At this event, you will be given information about:
You will also meet representatives from various University services who may be helpful to you while you are working in Cambridge. |
July 2020
| Tue 7 |
Virtual COVID Q&A for Postdocs
Finished
Representatives from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Human Resources, the Researcher Development Programme and the Careers Service are hosting another Zoom session to address your questions as the coronavirus situation continues to develop. We have already been fielding questions about contract / funding extensions and furlough, life after lockdown, balancing working from home with parental duties, how to work effectively from home and many other topics, so please ask us anything that you would like to know. Whether or not you are able to join us, we welcome your questions via slido (www.slido.com, event code #V0100) between now and 7th July, as these will give us valuable insight into how our postdoc community is coping during the current situation and whether we can be providing further clarity, reassurance and support. |
| Wed 15 |
A must-attend virtual session with information tailored to postdocs in Cambridge, whether University-based or employed by Colleges or Research Institutions. At this event, you will be given information about:
You will also meet representatives from various University services who may be helpful to you while you are working in Cambridge. |
September 2020
| Mon 14 |
Postdoc Welcome Event
Finished
A must-attend virtual session with information tailored to postdocs in Cambridge, whether University-based or employed by Colleges or Research Institutions. At this event, you will be given information about: Your contract Professional development and the Careers Service How to connect to the wider postdoc community at Cambridge You will also meet representatives from various University services who may be helpful to you while you are working in Cambridge. |
| Tue 22 |
Postdocs Wellbeing Event: Failure stories by Academics • What does ‘failure’ mean to you? • How to cope with the failures? • What is this ‘shadow CV’ and what is the benefit of keeping it? • Do you share your failure stories with anyone? If you want to hear about your colleagues’ experiences and to have a chance to share your own stories, please join PdA wellbeing session at the Postdoc Appreciation Week! Marta Costa and Deepak Venkateshvaran will be sharing their own failure stories and coping strategies as academics. https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/marta-costa https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/people/dr-deepak-venkateshvaran Please register your interest in this online event. Postdoc Academy PdA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81570320122?pwd=U20zMi9hYzl2clRjZ0lxMHRGVTZvZz09 Meeting ID: 815 7032 0122 Passcode: 721608 |
| Wed 23 |
This event is open to you if you are at the mid-point of your postdoc contract at Cambridge. The aim is help you to position yourself for the next stage of your career (in academia or otherwise) at a key point in your postdoc journey by reflecting on your professional development activities so far and giving you some guidance and tools to support you in reaching your future career goals. The event will be facilitated by members of the Postdoc Academy, the Postdoc RD Team and Careers Service. You will also meet staff members from other University services who offer resources for postdocs. At the end of the session, you will have a set of actions to help guide you in your next steps. Please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RQSlSfq9eUut41R7TzmG6ZPfIemFCGBMhayWndtGTfJURTdDTEhaOU9LOFdUUFYxVEpaN0QzSFcxUC4u so that we can learn a bit about you and where you are in your career planning/professional development journey in advance of the event so that we can tailor the session accordingly. Your registration for this session will be approved upon our receipt of this form. |
| Wed 30 |
If you are considering applying for an early career fellowship (postdoc fellowship and/or career development fellowship), this is the event for you. Dr Candace Hassall, Head of Researcher Affairs at the Wellcome Trust, will share insights gained from working for one of the UK’s top funders of academic research and from sitting on a range of selection panels for research funding. You will learn which questions to ask yourself both when thinking about applying and when preparing your application. Her advice is general and relevant to all disciplines. Nicole Horst (RD/PdA) and Anne Forde (Careers Service) will co-host. |
October 2020
| Fri 2 |
Virtual COVID Q&A for Postdocs
Finished
Representatives from the Postdoc Academy, Human Resources, the Researcher Development Programme and the Careers Service are hosting another Zoom session to address your questions as the coronavirus situation continues to develop. We have already been fielding questions about contract / funding extensions and furlough, life after lockdown, balancing working from home with parental duties, how to work effectively from home and many other topics, so please ask us anything that you would like to know. Whether or not you are able to join us, we welcome your questions via slido (www.slido.com, event code #V0101) between now and 2nd October, as these will give us valuable insight into how our postdoc community is coping during the current situation and whether we can be providing further clarity, reassurance and support. |