Postdoc Academy course timetable
February 2025
| Wed 5 |
Pensions Explained for Postdocs
[Places]
Are you unsure how state pensions work in the UK, what the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) is, or how making international moves affects your pension as a postdoc? Then join us for this information session for postdocs, delivered by the University’s Head of Group Pensions. The session will cover:
There will also be plenty of time for you to ask questions. Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Thu 6 |
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:
This session will run again in Easter Term. If you would like to be notified of future iterations of this session, 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. |
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Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
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Queer Postdocs in Action is a set of interactive talks organised collaboratively by LGBTQ+@Cam and the Postdoc Academy. We will explore what it means to be a queer postdoc at Cambridge and if our queerness shapes or does not shape our research in any ways. These sessions will provide interactive dialogue with postdocs from various fields to look at the similarities and differences in our experiences and build a community of queer researchers at Cambridge. The first session will include:
Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
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| Fri 7 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
| Tue 11 |
Collaboration is highly valued in research today and is responsible for many of the most important modern advances in knowledge and understanding. This webinar aims to help you plan and maintain your research collaboration successfully, so both you and your collaborators can enjoy and benefit from the journey. In this 2-hour online masterclass, we’ll consider:
This session will require your input so you should have your camera and microphone on and come prepared to be an active participant. Please note: it is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Wed 12 |
Do you worry about conflict and disagreement in your team? Do you use strategies to avoid conflict? Do you want to better understand how groups and teams function in order to improve your productivity? Conflict and disagreement are a natural and inevitable part of group development. What’s important is how this is dealt with. In this workshop, you will have the opportunity to:
This workshop is for anyone who works as part of a team and wants to better understand how teams function, or if you are an aspiring team leader looking for strategies to manage teams. This session runs termly. If you would like to be notified of future iterations of this session, please add yourself to the waitlist or register your interest. Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Thu 20 |
How can you make your research proposition stand out in a competitive funding landscape? In the business and start up world, the Business Model Canvas tool is used to help companies work out how they will create, deliver and capture value. The research canvas is an adaptation of this and helps researchers plan and present their case for applying for research funding. In this workshop, you will learn to use the Research Canvas. You will also have the opportunity to submit your research canvas after the workshop for personalised feedback. This workshop will:
This session will run again in Easter Term. If you would like to be notified of future iterations of this session, 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. |
| Tue 25 |
Join fellow academics for an engaging session that will elevate your ability to think critically and navigate challenging decision making in academia with confidence. Learn practical strategies to analyse complex problems, confidently make sound decisions, and enhance your research impact. The workshop will employ logical thinking practice and bring to light common thinking fallacies and assumptions that can undermine quality decision making. We will focus on three key areas:
Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the course to your calendar. |
| Thu 27 |
Postdoc Groups Series
[Places]
Meet with postdocs, academics and those who support postdocs from a range of departments, to share best practice of postdoc support, learn what others are doing, and identify improvements and future activities. We will be hosting three sessions throughout the academic year. This session will:
Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
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Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
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| Fri 28 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
March 2025
| Wed 5 |
Postdoc Academy Open Hour
[Places]
These informal sessions give you the opportunity to talk to members of the Postdoc Academy, helping you to figure out how you can begin interacting with us and the wider University community. There will be the opportunity to ask questions within the small group or speak to us one-to-one. These sessions provide:
Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Thu 6 |
This masterclass will introduce you to a range of core project management principles which you can apply within your research projects to more effectively plan and monitor your activities. In this 3-hour online session, you will:
This session will run again in Easter Term. If you would like to be notified of future iterations of this session, 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. |
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Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
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| Tue 11 |
This workshop offers a practical guide to communicating research to the broadest possible audiences via the mainstream media. Sarah Collins and Jacqueline Garget from the University’s Research Communications team will take you behind the scenes of the processes and tactics used to get University research reported nationally and internationally in newspapers, online news sites, radio and TV - from identifying a potential news story, to responding to emerging coverage. We will cover:
The session will include practical tasks as well as an opportunity to ask questions and share experiences. It will be co-hosted by CCTL and the Postdoc Academy. Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Fri 14 |
Do you know when it is appropriate to negotiate, and how to do this effectively? Would you like to improve your skills in communicating with influence? This interactive session will introduce you to key principles of influencing and negotiation that can be applied in workplace situations. In this 90-minute session, you will:
You will have the opportunity to practice some of these skills in the session. To make the most of this session, we recommend that you come prepared to participate in discussions and activities. Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Mon 17 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
| Mon 24 |
Postdoc Welcome Event
[Places]
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:
Please note: it is important that 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. |
| Tue 25 |
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:
Please note: It is important that when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Thu 27 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
| Fri 28 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
April 2025
| Thu 3 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |
| Wed 9 |
This short, interactive workshop will introduce you to practical tools that will help you test and refine how you are articulating your research vision. We will not generate ideas for new research projects in the session but, rather, explore what makes a potential research topic compelling. We will also explore how you can assess whether your ideas add up to a vision that is bold, exciting, coherent, and – hopefully – fundable. This session would benefit researchers at the initial stages of developing a proposal for funding, and may work well as preparation for one of our sessions on Writing Fellowship Grants with Impact. We will not review specific funding schemes or application materials in this workshop. Please note: when you book this course, on the booking confirmation page, select Add to Calendar to start importing the appointment to your calendar. |
| Thu 24 |
Virtual Writing Retreats
[Places]
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. |