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Researcher Development Programme (RDP)

Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable

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Thu 24 Aug – Mon 16 Oct

Now Today



August 2023

Thu 24

The Public Engagement Starter Fund is an exciting opportunity for University of Cambridge researchers to apply for small grants to undertake innovative public engagement with research activities.

As part of this year's applications the public engagement team offers 3 drop-in sessions for potential applicants to ask questions about their work, eligibility and the application process.

The Public Engagement Starter Fund is an exciting opportunity for University of Cambridge researchers to apply for small grants to undertake innovative public engagement with research activities.

As part of this year's applications the public engagement team offers 3 drop-in sessions for potential applicants to ask questions about their work, eligibility and the application process.

September 2023

Fri 1
Student Mental Health Awareness Training new Finished 13:00 - 17:00 Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Meeting Room 4, AL.08

This 4-hour mental health awareness training is intended for frontline staff at Colleges and Academic Faculties/Departments whose roles are pastoral or include responsibilities for responding to student welfare.

The session offers:

  • A brief overview of student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting student and staff wellbeing, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are five available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Mon 4
Student Mental Health Awareness Training new Finished 13:00 - 17:00 Selwyn College, Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium

This 4-hour mental health awareness training is intended for frontline staff at Colleges and Academic Faculties/Departments whose roles are pastoral or include responsibilities for responding to student welfare.

The session offers:

  • A brief overview of student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting student and staff wellbeing, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are five available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Tue 5
Student Mental Health Awareness Training new Finished 13:00 - 17:00 Wolfson College, Gatsby Room

This 4-hour mental health awareness training is intended for frontline staff at Colleges and Academic Faculties/Departments whose roles are pastoral or include responsibilities for responding to student welfare.

The session offers:

  • A brief overview of student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting student and staff wellbeing, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are five available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Wed 6
Mental Health Awareness: Senior Leadership Programme new Finished 14:00 - 17:00 Wolfson College, Gatsby Room

This 3-hour session is a bespoke programme for staff in senior leadership roles at the University and Colleges on the topic of mental health and wellbeing in their workplace and the educational context.

The session offers:

  • An opportunity for senior leaders to support a whole institution approach to mental health and wellbeing, promoting an informed and compassionate higher education community which is conducive to wellbeing and supports the full academic, occupational, and social potential of all staff and students.
  • A brief overview of staff and student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to staff and students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with staff and students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting wellbeing throughout the higher education community, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are two available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Wed 13
Student Mental Health Awareness Training new Finished 13:00 - 17:00 Wolfson College, Roger Needham Room (Chancellor's Centre)

This 4-hour mental health awareness training is intended for frontline staff at Colleges and Academic Faculties/Departments whose roles are pastoral or include responsibilities for responding to student welfare.

The session offers:

  • A brief overview of student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting student and staff wellbeing, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are five available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Thu 14
Student Mental Health Awareness Training new Finished 13:00 - 17:00 Corpus Christi, New Combination Room

This 4-hour mental health awareness training is intended for frontline staff at Colleges and Academic Faculties/Departments whose roles are pastoral or include responsibilities for responding to student welfare.

The session offers:

  • A brief overview of student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting student and staff wellbeing, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are five available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Fri 15
Mental Health Awareness: Senior Leadership Programme new Finished 14:00 - 17:00 Selwyn College, Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium

This 3-hour session is a bespoke programme for staff in senior leadership roles at the University and Colleges on the topic of mental health and wellbeing in their workplace and the educational context.

The session offers:

  • An opportunity for senior leaders to support a whole institution approach to mental health and wellbeing, promoting an informed and compassionate higher education community which is conducive to wellbeing and supports the full academic, occupational, and social potential of all staff and students.
  • A brief overview of staff and student mental health in Higher Education.
  • Best practice guidance on identifying and responding to staff and students who may be experiencing mental health difficulties.
  • Context-specific case vignettes and scenarios to improve staff confidence in intervening and applying skills in discussions with staff and students, including those who may be experiencing poor wellbeing, mental ill-health and thoughts of suicide.
  • Evidence-based and practical strategies for promoting wellbeing throughout the higher education community, including self-care for staff.
  • Key resources and services in place to support mental health locally and nationally.

There are two available training dates – please note these are stand-alone training sessions and participants should only attend one session.


This training is provided free of charge to College and University staff thanks to a philanthropic donation. The cost of providing the course is £25 per participant.

Tue 26

This is a training for those in Arts and Humanities.

An introductory session looking at impact in the Arts and Humanities, offering a guide to the Michaelmas call-out for Impact projects from the School of Arts and Humanities.

Impact is now a requirement for numerous grant applications, the REF, and academic life in general. It can make a useful and dynamic contribution to the long term development of many academic projects as well as bringing partnerships and funding opportunities.

This session will discuss how impact is defined according to the AHRC and REF. It will also discuss previous successful impact projects, outline the connections between research and impact, funding strategies, and the differences between pathways to impact and impact objectives. Many different types of impact will be covered, including work with public policy, public engagement, the media, and commercialisation.

October 2023

Tue 3
Engaged Researcher - The Conversation media training Not bookable 10:30 - 12:30 Online

Are you an academic, researcher or PhD candidate who would like to build a media profile and take your research to a global public audience by writing for The Conversation?

The Conversation is a news analysis and opinion website with content written by academics working with professional journalists. It is an open access, independent media charity funded by more than 80 UK and European universities.

In this interactive session we'll take you through what The Conversation is - our origins and aims; what we do and why.

We’ll look at why you should communicate your research to the public and take you through The Conversation’s unique, collaborative editorial process.

We’ll give you tips on style, tone and structure (with examples), look at how to pitch (with examples) and look at different approaches and article types.

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing you to ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics:

  • The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals?
  • The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders
  • The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

This course will be led by Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement.

Fri 6
Engaged Researcher - Working with Museums [Places] 10:00 - 11:15 Babington Room, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

The eight University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) and Botanic Garden represent the UK’s highest concentration of internationally important collections outside London. With more than five million works of art, artefacts, and specimens, the collections have supported nearly 300 years of investigation into the world around us. Today, we work to deepen understanding of our world, inspire new thinking, and address local and global challenges.

How can researchers get involved with the work of the museums? Or make links to the varied collections? This training session will introduce participants to museums in general as well as work and collections of the UCM.

Sarah-Jane Harknett co-ordinates evaluation projects across the University of Cambridge Museums. Alongside this role, she also heads up the Public Engagement programmes at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Mon 9
Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Full] 16:00 - 16:30 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator (researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk). Please make sure that that e-mail address does not go to your spam folder.

Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Full] 16:30 - 17:00 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail address does not go to your spam folder.

Tue 10
Engaged Researcher Online - Working With Schools [Places] 10:00 - 11:30 Online

Engaging young people with your research can be very worthwhile and rewarding. This training session will support you with your public engagement work with schools by introducing you to the UK school system and discussing how public engagement work can fit with existing school priorities. We will consider ways in which your work can make an impact and briefly consider how public engagement can work with underrepresented groups and contribute to diversity and inclusion initiatives. You’ll be introduced to ways in which the University already works with schools to provide you with ideas for collaboration. Lastly, we’ll begin to think about how to plan and design activities suitable for school audiences.

At the end of this session, you’ll hopefully feel more confident about how to work effectively with schools and can start thinking about your own public engagement work. The group session will be followed by the opportunity for a one-to-one 15-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your projects, ideas and questions and get project specific help.

This course will be led by Dr Diogo Martins Gomes. Diogo is a Public Engagement and Communications Manager at the University of Cambridge with experience of working in the higher education industry.

Lunch Series: Handling Q&A Sessions at Conferences new [Places] 12:00 - 12:45 Student Services Centre, New Wing Seminar Room

Do you feel anxious or apprehensive about how to handle Q&A sessions after a conference paper? Come along to this session to talk about what to expect from a Q&A, how to prepare, and how to handle challenging questions. You will get the chance to meet with other PhD students who are preparing to give conference papers, and work through some friendly activities to practice your question-answering skills!

If you’re interested in developing your presentation skills further, you may also be interested in ‘Practicing your Presentation Skills’ or ‘The Basics of Academic Presentations’.

Wed 11
Get a Head Start on your PhD (AHSS) new [Places] 10:00 - 12:00 Online

The Schools of the Arts & Humanities and the Humanities & Social Sciences have organised this event to help you settle into the Cambridge research environment and get a head start on your studies.

We will primarily focus on helping you: -

  • Understand and set appropriate expectations with your supervisor
  • Refine your thesis and research positionality
  • Identify training and development pathways
  • Create a professional and personal development plan.

This event is designed to complement other departmental and College inductions which you may have had, namely by offering a chance to begin your planning and personal development.

Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Full] 12:00 - 12:30 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail address does not go to your spam folder.

Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Places] 12:30 - 13:00 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail does not go to your spam folder.

Thu 12
Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Places] 14:00 - 14:30 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator (researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk). Please make sure that that e-mail address does not go to your spam folder.

Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Places] 14:30 - 15:00 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail does not go to your spam folder.

Fri 13
Engaged Researcher - Creative Writing [Places] 10:00 - 12:30 West Hub, West Room 2

Have you ever wanted to get creative with your research? To discover how writing can bring a new perspective to your work? How your words can engage with new audiences about the academic research that you are passionate about?

This training will enable you to develop creative ways by which you can use writing to engage with the public; providing you with the resources to be more confident in developing and sharing creative writing responses to your area of research.

The course will introduce creative writing for poetry and prose, and textual writing for exhibition / display. It will discuss developing writing for performance.  The aim is to work with you to bring out the creative responses that lay within your own work. There will be the opportunity to receive written feedback throughout the week, and to discuss your work in a 1-to-1 session with the course tutor (if requested in advance).

The training will be led by David Cain. David’s most recent book, Truth Street, was shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prizes for Poetry (2019). David brings his writing experience together with a passion for public engagement - he currently leads the delivery of the Cambridge Festival.

Mon 16
Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Full] 16:00 - 16:30 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail does not go to your spam folder.

Public Engagement: Drop-in Sessions [Places] 16:30 - 17:00 Online

A series of 30-minute drop-in sessions to talk with a member of the Public Engagement team. We offer expert advice to support your public engagement work, engagement processes and activities. These include:

  • engagement types and the appropriate format to engage effectively and collaboratively
  • engagement opportunities
  • extensive training portfolio for researchers and professional staff to build skills and confidence
  • funding schemes and resources to inform and support develop projects, events and activities

These sessions are not workshops or taught sessions.

Based on your area of expertise and depending on your School affiliation, you can book a time with one of our public engagement professionals:

  • Dr Lucinda Spokes, Head of Public Engagement, all areas and schools - Monday, 16:00-16:30 and 16:30-17:00
  • Dr Diogo Martins-Gomes, Public Engagement and Communications Manager, Clinical School and School of Biological Sciences - Wednesday, 12:00-12:30 and 12:30-13:00
  • Dr Claudia Antolini, Public Engagement Manager, School of Physical Sciences and School of Technology - Thursday 14:00-14:30 and 14:30-15:00

The team will be available every week, each mentor offering two sessions of 30 minutes in the day and time indicated above. We will release new slots in the same days and times a couple of months in advance.

Please book for the day and time you would like to attend, and you will receive closer to the session the Teams link to meet with the mentor. The link will be sent by RDP Course Administrator. Please make sure that that e-mail does not go to your spam folder.