Postdoc Academy course timetable

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

About this session

When it comes to presenting research, being a good researcher is not enough. In order to make a point and convince an audience, you need to be a good speaker.

But how can you best engage and guide listeners rather than merely recite results and conclusions? How do you inspire trust while facing stress-induced self-doubt?

This practical workshop will help you develop your stagecraft to be able to successfully engage and guide an audience when presenting with slides.

At the end of the training, you will be able to:

• use slides and presenting tools effectively
• manage space to maximise audience engagement
• use your voice and body language to be perceived as confident and competent
• manage your stress and minimise its negative impact
• guide and interact with an audience effectively.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

About these sessions

Postdocs frequently report very positively on the valuable peer learning that occurs in our workshops. So, we've created these peer learning and support sessions to expand this opportunity. In these regular one-hour sessions, postdocs interested in developing their leadership awareness, knowledge, and skills can come together to discuss challenges, ideas and solutions with their peers.

These sessions also provide the time and space for postdocs to reflect on their current leadership practice and activities. In a recent survey by Advance HE on Higher Education Leaders, 99% of HE leaders agreed that taking time to reflect on leadership practice is important, but less than half of respondents found the time to do this regularly.

By embedding this practice at the postdoctoral phase of the academic career journey, participants will set themselves up to become successful future research leaders, as well as better enabling themselves to perform effectively in their current roles.

These sessions run multiple times per year. If no future sessions are listed and you would like to be notified when these become available, please add yourself to the waitlist or register your interest.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the social development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

The Postdoc Academy provides welcome events specific to postdocs joining the University of Cambridge - these are open to postdocs affiliated with the University, Colleges and University Partner Institutes.

These sessions include presentations from the Postdoc Academy, PdOC and Careers Service, followed by a Q&A and then networking.

You will be given information on how to navigate life as a researcher in Cambridge and then have the opportunity to network with other new postdocs and University services.

During the session, postdocs will learn about:

• interacting with the Postdoc Academy
• attending professional development activities and accessing the Careers Service
• connecting to the wider postdoc community at Cambridge
• accessing resources available to postdocs as staff members.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

If you have any questions or problems with signing-up, please email events.pda@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, click on Add to Calendar to start the process of importing the course appointment to your calendar.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Note that this session is for postgraduate students only.

Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, click on Add to Calendar to start the process of importing the course appointment to your calendar.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, click on Add to Calendar to start the process of importing the course appointment to your calendar.

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This session is hosted by the Postgraduate Education and Development programme, but is open to and suitable for postdocs. There are a limited number of places available for postdocs on this session, if it is full please add your name to the waiting list. Postdocs must book a place through this Postdoc Academy page and are not permitted to book through the Postgraduate Researcher Development page.

About this session

Writing at postgraduate level

In this series of four sessions we’ll be taking an in-depth look at various aspects of writing at postgraduate level. Each session will be 90mins, with 30mins at the end for questions and discussion.

Whilst they have been designed as a set of sessions, with each building on from the previous, the individual sessions have been designed to be standalone – which means that you can attend the whole series or just those that particularly speak to you.

Workshop 1: Why writing at postgraduate level is hard

In this first session, we’ll be taking a step back and reflecting for a moment on what it is that you’re actually doing at PG level, as this is far more than simply writing. You’re engaging in a complex, cognitive process of knowledge creation. And so when the writing gets hard, its useful just to remember that what you are doing is far more complicated than just writing – as writing is something that you can all already do and to a pretty high degree of ability. In fact, as we will see, there are numerous factors involved in writing at this level, from the epistemological assumptions of your discipline, through how we construct argument, before we even get to how we construct an articulate sentence – and we’ll be looking at all of these.

Karen's three other workshops can be accessed via the links below, under 'Related Courses'.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

About this session

How can developing intercultural competence and embracing diverse perspectives increase psychological safety and therefore drive results?

In today's diverse workplaces, speaking the same language is just the beginning. Our cultural backgrounds profoundly shape how we connect, collaborate and influence, impacting team performance.

This session will explore the vital role of intercultural competence in inclusive leadership. It will help you understand:

• how international diversity can impact team dynamics
• what are the different layers of ‘culture’ and the role of cultural intelligence for leaders
• how to cultivate inclusive leadership skills to foster collaboration and synergy among diverse teams

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

This session is hosted by the Postgraduate Education and Development programme, but is open to and suitable for postdocs. There are a limited number of places available for postdocs on this session, if it is full please add your name to the waiting list. Postdocs must book a place through this Postdoc Academy page and are not permitted to book through the Postgraduate Researcher Development page.

About this session

Writing at postgraduate level

In this series of four sessions we’ll be taking an in-depth look at various aspects of writing at postgraduate level. Each session will be 90mins, with 30mins at the end for questions and discussion.

Whilst they have been designed as a set of sessions, with each building on from the previous, the individual sessions have been designed to be standalone – which means that you can attend the whole series or just those that particularly speak to you.

Workshop 2: The Universitys criterion 'clearly written' – what this means

If you’ve ever had a look at the Cambridge Student webpages as to the requirements of postgraduate writing submitted for assessment, you’ll see that the University has only one criterion – and this is that it is ‘clearly written.’ At first glance, this seems both explicit and unequivocal as clarity in all its forms is surely the bedrock not only of postgraduate study, but of academia itself. Yet on further scrutiny, whilst there may be an instinctive consensus that this is a cardinal criterion for postgraduate writing, when it comes to defining what this actually means and how we are supposed to attain it, the matter is far less perspicuous. And indeed, clearly written is not simply an assessment criterion at Cambridge, as the vast majority of guides to academic writing rhapsodise about clarity as an assumed mutually acknowledged objective. Yet rarely is this criterion unpacked.

And so in this second session, we’ll be looking at doing just that – by considering what academics see as the central tenet of ‘clearly written’, namely, argument, and also in what ways the rhetorical expectations of ‘clearly written’ in English may differ from the expectations in other languages.

Karen's three other workshops can be accessed via the links below, under 'Related Courses'.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

About this session

This short, interactive session will introduce the fundamental principles of Lean - a methodology which prioritises continuous improvement and respect for people.

Lean is a philosophy and way of working which removes waste from activities and ensures that emphasis is given to tasks that provide added value. Originally developed by Toyota, it is now widely used across many sectors including the NHS and Higher Education.

During this masterclass for postdocs, you will:

• gain a high-level understanding of continuous improvement tools and techniques, and how you can apply them
• develop skills to identify and remove waste in your day-to-day activities to become more effective and efficient.

This session runs multiple times per year. If no future sessions are listed and you would like to be notified when these become available, please add yourself to the waitlist or register your interest.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

This session is hosted by the Postgraduate Education and Development programme, but is open to and suitable for postdocs. There are a limited number of places available for postdocs on this session, if it is full please add your name to the waiting list. Postdocs must book a place through this Postdoc Academy page and are not permitted to book through the Postgraduate Researcher Development page.

Writing at postgraduate level

In this series of four sessions we’ll be taking an in-depth look at various aspects of writing at postgraduate level. Each session will be 90mins, with 30mins at the end for questions and discussion.

Whilst they have been designed as a set of sessions, with each building on from the previous, the individual sessions have been designed to be standalone – which means that you can attend the whole series or just those that particularly speak to you.

Workshop 3: Reader Empathy. It's not just about the writing – it's writing for your readers

The primary focus of most writing training is on honing your skills as a writer – and for obvious reasons. But what tends to be overlooked is the reason why we are writing – namely, to be read. Text is generated to be read by a reader and as soon as it has been submitted, it belongs to the reader, a reader who has no recourse to question the writer. This is why the monological form of writing is difficult, as the writer has to structure the text and articulate the content in such a way that they will hopefully be received by the reader as the writer intended it, and so it has to be clearly articulated.

And this is precisely an aspect that novice postgraduate writers often struggle with – the research has been conducted and it is now simply a case of getting it down on the page. As one academic I have spoken to about this put it, they tend to write with no empathy for the reader, thereby forcing the reader to do the hard work of trying to elicit from what they have said what it is that they are actually trying to say. Being widely read has long been known as good training for a writer – but explicitly thinking of the reader when constructing text is often overlooked, when in fact it proffers a useful frame through which to view one’s own writing.

So, in this third session we’ll be looking at the concept of reader empathy and why it’s important to think of your reader when writing. We’ll look at a range of strategies to help you to do this: from the macro perspective of the structure of the entire document, through rhetorical templates, right down to where the reader expects information to be in a sentence.

Karen's three other workshops can be accessed via the links below, under 'Related Courses'.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

This session is hosted by the Postgraduate Education and Development programme, but is open to and suitable for postdocs. There are a limited number of places available for postdocs on this session, if it is full please add your name to the waiting list. Postdocs must book a place through this Postdoc Academy page and are not permitted to book through the Postgraduate Researcher Development page.

Writing at postgraduate level

In this series of four sessions we’ll be taking an in-depth look at various aspects of writing at postgraduate level. Each session will be 90mins, with 30mins at the end for questions and discussion.

Whilst they have been designed as a set of sessions, with each building on from the previous, the individual sessions have been designed to be standalone – which means that you can attend the whole series or just those that particularly speak to you.

Workshop 4: The true secret to clarity - Multi-level editing

Having got everything down on paper in a first draft is a huge achievement, but this is where the work really starts in the editing – refining the structure, the content, and the language to strengthen your argument and the clarity of your articulation. Academics I’ve spoken to say that on average they go through between 10-20 rounds of edits in their own writing, with the lower end being more in the sciences disciplines and the higher figure more in the arts and humanities disciplines.

In this final session, we’ll be looking at editing from a macro, through the mezzo, and down to the micro level, from the bigger picture of how the entire document hangs together, through how to keep the argument on track at the mezzo level, and then right down to individual paragraphs and sentence, where we’ll be looking at such features as hedging, emphasis, passive voice, and nominalisations.

Karen's three other workshops can be accessed via the links below, under 'Related Courses'.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

Academic writing doesn't always come naturally, but writing groups can be a key ingredient in improving your writing productivity in a sustainable way.

These weekly in-person retreats offer a quiet and supportive environment amongst other researchers working to achieve their own writing goals. Please feel free to join us for a full or partial day by booking one or both sessions. See 'Format' section for detailed timings.

Considering your writing goals and committing to specific times in advance will help you get even more out of your writing sessions.

"Successful academic writers do not wait for inspiration. They do not wait until the last minute. They do not wait for big blocks of time. They make a plan for writing every day and they stick to it." Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks (Belcher 2009)

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

About this session

As you progress in your career, you will have to navigate the transition from being managed and supervised by others, to taking on leadership of projects and people for the first time.

Using our own experience of leadership, along with discussion and theories, we will look at a variety of aspects of successful leadership within the research and innovation context.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for you to:

• think about your aims in terms of leadership
• take stock of your own leadership attributes and experience
• identify how to further develop your research and innovation leadership potential.

This session runs multiple times per year. If no future sessions are listed and you would like to be notified when these become available, please add yourself to the waitlist or register your interest.

Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar.

This is one of the formal development opportunities that you can engage with as part of your minimum 10 days (pro rata) of professional development under the Researcher Development Concordat (2019). To learn more about the Concordat, the responsibilities of the University and its research staff therein, please visit our Professional Development Guidance page.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, click on Add to Calendar to start the process of importing the course appointment to your calendar.

Do you have a deadline coming up or a piece of writing that’s long overdue? Or maybe some data analysis that keeps slipping to the bottom of your to-do list?

Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to think and write. Each session will provide a friendly and constructive environment in which to meet like-minded peers, discuss challenges, and work in a focused way using the Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across several institutions to encourage researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in a sustainable writing environment.

The retreats will take place several times per month throughout the academic year and you can attend as many as you like (within booking limits for each session).

Note that this session is for postgraduate students only.

Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, click on Add to Calendar to start the process of importing the course appointment to your calendar.