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Learn about how the Environmental Sustainability Team is working towards the University’s climate targets, and how sustainability can play a part in your professional life.

This comprehensive course equips you with essential skills and knowledge in bacterial genomics analysis, primarily using Illumina-sequenced samples. You'll gain an understanding of how to select the most appropriate analysis workflow, tailored to the genome diversity of a given bacterial species. Through hands-on training, you'll apply both de novo assembly and reference-based mapping approaches to obtain bacterial genomes for your isolates. You will apply standardised workflows for genome assembly and annotation, including quality assessment criteria to ensure the reliability of your results. Along with typing bacteria using methods such as MLST, you'll learn how to construct phylogenetic trees using whole genome and core genome alignments, enabling you to explore the evolutionary relationships among bacterial isolates. You’ll extend this to estimate a time-scaled phylogeny using a starting phylogenetic tree. Lastly, you'll apply methods to detect antimicrobial resistance genes. As examples we will use Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, allowing you to become well-equipped to conduct bacterial genomics analyses on a range of species.

If you do not have a University of Cambridge Raven account please book or register your interest here.

• ♿ The training room is located on the first floor and there is currently no wheelchair or level access.
• Our courses are only free for registered University of Cambridge students. All other participants will be charged according to our charging policy.
• Attendance will be taken on all courses and a charge is applied for non-attendance, including for University of Cambridge students. After you have booked a place, if you are unable to attend any of the live sessions, please email the Bioinfo Team.
• Further details regarding eligibility criteria are available here.
• Guidance on visiting Cambridge and finding accommodation is available here.

Session 1: Introduction to working with digital manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to digital manuscripts by exploring how and where to find them, what to expect when you do, understanding digital manuscript resources and what you can do with them.

Session 2: Tools for working with digitised manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to some of the tools that can be used when working with digital manuscripts. We will also explore further ideas and tools in addition to some other sources for assistance and further learning opportunities.

This CDH Basics session introduces the IIIF image data framework, which has been developed by a consortium of the world’s leading research libraries and image repositories and methods of access to image collections including the collections of Cambridge University Digital Library. We will also discuss a range of methods using IIIF image data in humanities research.

This course will cover concepts and strategies for working more effectively with Python with the aim of writing reusable code. In the morning session, we will briefly go over the basic syntax, data structures and control statements. This will be followed by an introduction to writing user-defined functions. We will finish the course by looking into how to incorporate existing python modules and packages into your programs as well as writing you own modules.

Course materials can be found here.

Note: this one-day course is the continuation of the Introduction to Solving Biological Problems with Python; participants are expected to have attended the introductory Python course and/or have acquired some working knowledge of Python. This course is also open to Python beginners who are already fluent in other programming languages as this will help them to quickly get started in Python.

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

Cambridge Admissions Office have organised a series of briefing sessions in the coming weeks aimed at Schools Liaison Officers, Faculty/Department Outreach Staff, and any academics and staff members who will communicate with potential students.

The Working with Student Ambassadors Session will be led by the Cambassador team at the Cambridge Admissions Office, and cover the steps involved in recruiting, training and using student ambassadors for events such as open days and masterclasses. This briefing will be suitable for Faculty, Department or College staff who may wish to set up their own ambassador scheme, or who wish to improve ad-hoc events which require student volunteers.

The student-supervisor relationship is vital for success in all research degree programmes. However, the exact role of the supervisor is often unclear and sometimes it may feel as though you are not getting the support you need. This can be frustrating for students and supervisors alike, and can lead to a negative doctoral experience.

Researcher Development has moved to Inkpath.

In order to find scheduled training, book places and record your attendance, head over to Inkpath, select 'single sign-on' and log in with Raven.

Click here to Launch Inkpath

This series of four workshops is designed to help participants build sustainable practices to support their wellbeing and resilience in the face of life's inevitable stresses.

Each session in the series is designed as a stand-alone workshop, so anyone may attend all four workshops or just one on its own. The workshops give participants a chance to explore aspects of wellbeing in the context of their own lives.

Originally run in October 2020, and being repeated due to their popularity, Kate Ahl of the Staff Counselling Centre, will introduce each session - an edited recording of the original event - and will be available to answer questions.

Workshop 4: Freedom and Responsibility

The feeling of being 'stuck' can cause great distress. This workshop looks at how we can identify opportunities for choice and freedom even in situations where our options may seem very limited. We will consider ways to take up our responsibility to ourselves, by making deliberate choices about how to use our time and emotional energy, bolstering our sense of dignity and autonomy.

Zoom joining link will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

A series of four, hour-long workshops facilitated by Kate Ahl of the Staff Counselling Centre, designed to help participants build sustainable practices to support their wellbeing and resilience in the face of life's inevitable stresses. These sessions were designed as stand-alone workshops that complement one another - so anyone may attend all four workshops or just one on its own. The workshops are delivered via Zoom as a mixture of informational slides and reflective activities to give participants a chance to explore aspects of wellbeing in the context of their own lives. Each workshop begins and ends with a brief guided mindfulness or relaxation exercise.

Workshop 4: Freedom and Responsibility The feeling of being 'stuck' can cause great distress. This workshop looks at how we can identify opportunities for choice and freedom even in situations where our options may seem very limited. We will consider ways to take up our responsibility to ourselves, by making deliberate choices about how to use our time and emotional energy, bolstering our sense of dignity and autonomy.

Zoom joining link will be provided on your booking confirmation email.

This session is designed for those from the Dept. of Engineering who have attended a Worktribe training session and would like a refresher of the system. In the session staff will also be shown the reporting functionality in Worktribe, update on processes and PI access/ perspective within the system.

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

• See Related Courses below to take your skills further

Please do not book on this course if you do not work in the School of Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences or Humanities

This course is designed to help School of Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences and Humanities staff involved in the research grant process to gain the knowledge and skills they’ll need to fulfil their role.

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

• See Related Courses below to take your skills further

This course is designed to help ROO contracts staff gain the knowledge and skills they’ll need to fulfil their role within ROO and as a support to departments.

• This is the In Person Face to Face version of the Live Online Worktribe Research Operations Office Contracts course.

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

• See Related Courses below to take your skills further

The location for this training is Heidelberg/ Granada Room in Greenwich House. This is located on the second floor.

Please do not book on this course if you do not work in the School of Technology

This course is designed to help School of Technology staff involved in the research grant process to gain the knowledge and skills they’ll need to fulfil their role.

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

• See Related Courses below to take your skills further

This session is designed for those from the School of Technology who have attended a Worktribe training session and would like a refresher of the system. In the session, staff will also be shown the advanced search and reporting functionality in Worktribe, updates on processes, and PI access within the system.

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

• See Related Courses below to take your skills further

Pregnancy Loss, Infertility & Childlessness: The Current Picture & Best Practice Recommendations for Supporting Colleagues

Within this informative, yet sensitive webinar, delegates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to more adequately support those experiencing pregnancy loss, infertility and/or childlessness. Notably, delegates have the opportunity to explore the:

• Prevalence of pregnancy loss, infertility and childlessness (showcasing of current research and statistics).
• Physical and psychological impact of each issue (lived experiences to illuminate key implications).
• Impact on partners, who are often overlooked.
• Different types of pregnancy loss and fertility treatments.
• Interventions for pregnancy loss and their potential effects.
• Employee rights at work.
• How to support a colleague who discloses (communication training).
• Available support/where to turn.
• Pro-natal practices and conversations which may be triggering for affected employees.
• Q&A.

Bio: Katy Schnitzler is the Founder of MIST Workshops Ltd., a company providing training, policy writing and support for pregnancy loss, infertility and childlessness at work. Katy is also an academic, and so her training content is informed by the most current research, notably findings from her PhD. Katy has worked with various organisations to improve practice in these prevalent and significant (yet often overlooked) areas - including global energy companies, universities and The NHS.

This year's World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October has a theme of suicide prevention.

Yvonne McPartland, Deputy Head of the Staff Counselling Centre, will be delivering a session on suicide prevention for staff in Cambridge. The shocking reality is that suicide is the most common cause of death in men aged under 50 and the suicide rate is currently increasing after many years of decline. This equates to more than 6,000 deaths by suicide annually in the UK and Ireland.

The session is designed to give staff the confidence to challenge the taboo around suicide that makes it such a difficult subject to broach, with colleagues, family members, friends and even total strangers: what is it OK to say, what should I be looking for and what should I do next? The session will increase awareness around suicide, dispel some myths and share some lessons from experience at the Staff Counselling Centre. It will also remind staff what the centre can offer them. The message is that having a conversation could really save a life.

WP Groups and Criteria - What do all the acronyms mean?

Don’t know your POLAR from your TUNDRA? Is FSM the same as PP? Are all students with disabilities considered SEN?

This session aims to demystify the wonderful world of widening participation terms and provide an overview of different groups which may be considered ‘WP’. Using the WP Selection Criteria paper (enrolment key: WP@CAM) as a basis, we will define each term/group and discuss the research behind whether they are underrepresented in higher education or face educational disadvantage, as well as any considerations or shortcomings in some of the criteria. At the end, we will talk through how the priority criteria was constructed.

This introductory session would be suitable for anyone with an interest in widening participation, including both practitioners, managers and senior leads, and will be of particular use for newer staff in this area.

Note: this session has a follow up session which will focus on the more practical side of implementing the WP Selection Criteria.

This training will be held via Zoom, the details of which will be circulated before the session.

Cambridge Admissions Office has organised a series of briefing sessions in the coming weeks aimed at Schools Liaison Officers, Faculty/Department Outreach Staff, and any academics and staff members who will communicate with potential students.

Aimed at outreach practitioners with less experience using targeting/selection on their outreach programmes, this skills-based session will provide examples of good practice implementing targeting/selection drawn from experience running CAO programmes. The session will also explore ways to use other data sources and HEAT to make the process easier.

This session follows on from a briefing delivered in March explaining the new targeting/selection criteria adopted by the Collegiate University.

“Help, my WP programme is so popular I have 10,000 students for only 10 spaces, what do I do?” We’ve all been there, but whether you have an incredibly oversubscribed programme or just want to make sure your programme is working with the right people, this training is for you.

In this session we will go through the University’s agreed upon WP Selection Criteria and discuss how practitioners can implement this in their own activities. We will start by looking briefly at targeting and the tools available to help outreach practitioners target their programme to the right people. We will talk about selection: what types of programmes this type of selection criteria is most suitable for, run through some practical considerations in applying the criteria and suggest some methods for easily sorting your data to help with selections.

This session assumes you have either read the WP Selection Criteria paper (enrolment key: WP@CAM) for background, or have attended the previous WP Groups and Criteria training session.

This training will be held via Zoom, the details of which will be circulated before the session.

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

Alongside everything else that needs to fit in with our busy research lives, it can be hard to schedule devoted time in which to sit, think, and write. Our online retreats give you time, peace, and space to fend off procrastination and beat writer's block. 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 established Pomodoro technique.

These virtual retreats are being hosted collaboratively across a number of institutions as part of Academic Writing Month, or ‘Writefest’. Writefest encourages researchers across career stages and institutions to come together in the spirit of collaboration and to foster a supportive, safe, and sustainable writing environment. The retreats will take place nearly every working day during the month of November, and you can book to attend as many or as few as you like (within booking limits for each session).

The table below lists the retreats that are currently planned. Additional dates and times may be added as they become available. Please note that session lengths may vary across hosts.

This writing course supports research students in Engineering. The focus is on aspects of writing that help to meet Cambridge standards and reviewer expectations: structure, logical flow, the effective development of ideas, accuracy and critical analysis.

The course focuses on common errors and problem areas in writing up dissertations and publishing papers, plus an assessment of your personal areas for improvement

• The course consists of 2 workshops plus an individual supervision at the end of the course.

• NB. Please read ATTENDANCE section below before signing up for this course.

This day workshop will help you publish your research paper in the most effective way, so that many people will read, cite and build on it, thus progressing your career. The course is for PhD students and postdocs at any stage, whether or not you have already written or published a paper. It focuses on how to write your research paper, how to navigate the peer review process and how to choose a journal for it.

Trainer

Anna Sharman PhD is an experienced researcher trainer who has been an in-house biology journal editor and scientific publishing consultant. She can give insider insights into how to write and publish scientific journal papers most effectively.

Cancellation and Non-attendance Policy

Due to high demand the GSLS will not accept cancellations within 48 hours of the start of the course. Cancellations must be registered by 10am on Sunday 25th September. Any cancellations after this point will be treated as non-attendance.

Non-attendance on this course will result in you being invoiced for £50 to cover expenses.

By booking on this course you are accepting these terms.

The course will help you understand what scientific journals want, how to navigate the peer review process, how to choose the journal that will give you the best results as fast as possible, and how to structure and write your paper. You will get a chance to work on your own next paper, putting together key sentences into a structure and abstract.

Anna Sharman is an experienced researcher trainer who has been an in-house biology journal editor and scientific publishing consultant, can give insider insights into how to publish most effectively. See http://cofactorscience.com/about-us/editors-consultants#anna

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. Its not just about the writing – its 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.

The other workshops in the series are:

Workshop 1: Why writing at postgraduate level is hard
Workshop 2: The Universitys criterion clearly written - what this means
Workshop 4: The true secret to clarity - multi-level editing