Researcher Development Programme (RDP) course timetable

As a postdoc, you’re in a transitional period of your career, one that can be precarious at times or marked by dependency on others. Inevitably, there are moments when you have to engage in difficult conversations, whether with your PI, your peers, students and/or the people you support or oversee.

Are you able to ask for the things you need and want? Do you spread yourself too thin by saying yes to others’ requests for support? Do you have techniques for approaching difficult conversations? This course is designed to help you develop an assertive mindset and to communicate your needs in an honest, clear, and respectful way.

Outcomes:

• Understand the benefits of being assertive and the difference between assertive, aggressive, and passive thinking and behaviour
• Know what assertiveness looks and sounds like
• Consider different ways to deal with difficult conversations in light of your own behaviour and that of others.

This beginner’s course is designed to get you thinking about presenting with impact. Giving presentations is an essential skill for a researcher, be it in your department, at a major conference, or in your next job interview! You know your subject but sometimes issues of performance and clarity stop you being your best. This highly interactive workshop requires you to throw yourself into the activities in a safe and supportive environment.

Across all AHSS disciplines (and within) there are varying views of what research is. Following the work of Thomas Kuhn, these views form what are commonly referred to as ‘research paradigms’, entailing a variety of epistemological (study of knowledge) and ontological (study of being) assumptions that ultimately underpin and guide how we carry out research (method).

Though not a definitive means by which to conceptualize meta-research, this course offers the ‘research paradigm’ as a heuristic and expedient entry point into key terms and concepts often encountered by research students and the tactic assumptions underpinning them. This can and often does result in an ability to understand the significance of one’s own research, the research of others and the broader intellectual context in which both are situated.

As a researcher, you are expected not only to run experiments, but also write regularly. Establishing a writing regular routine can be difficult, especially when experiments are running well. This half day workshop will explore the different writing techniques, tips and tricks, productive writers use regularly to keep on track with their writing commitments.

It’s that time of year: the report is looming on the horizon and the reality of writing is here!

Aimed at first-year PhD students, with little or no academic writing experience. This course focuses on helping you develop good writing habits and become a more efficient writer. It is designed to get you thinking and to get working effectively on your end-of-first-year report / Certificate of Postgraduate Studies.

Please note, this is a beginners course, so if you already have experience in writing for academic purposes, this course might not be for you.

Outcomes:

• Understand the form and function of the first-year report
• Start planning the structure of your report
• Overcoming procrastination

A good poster’s worth 1000 words… but a bad poster’s just a bit of messy paper. When it’s time for you to present your scientific poster how are you going to make the most of the opportunity? We’ll think about why we use posters to present our research, what makes the difference between a good and bad poster and some useful tips to help you present your data in style.

Please note, this is an introductory course to help you start preparing for your first poster sessions...

Are you in a formal leadership role, or have you taken on leadership positions informally?

This workshop will help you to consider the variety of situations and contexts you find yourself leading in and guide you in understanding your leadership skills and abilities so that you can improve them and deploy them thoughtfully. We will look at a variety of meanings and views of leadership, discover the 4 elements of leadership, consider various leadership styles, and reflect on leadership within and out of research environment.

We would encourage you to take this workshop as a brief introduction to leadership before attending more in-depth workshops, including Postdocs: Self-Leadership and Postdocs: Leading Others.

Outcomes

• Recognise own current skills and strengths in relation to developing further as a leader.
• Review a range of definitions of, and styles of, leadership.
• Apply to your own context.

Feedback:

“I found it interesting to define what leadership means and to understand the different styles there are.”

“It was a very interesting and different training which was very good to attend so as to know the skills to develop.”

Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival?

Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/

Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival?

Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/

While we might assume that creativity is a fixed innate ability – stereotypically leading to the creation of poems and paintings – in the context of our research, the creative thinking process that underpins creativity can be seen as a skill to be developed to solve problems large and small. Indeed, with this creative thinking process at the heart of research, research itself can be viewed as an inherently creative act.

Why this course might make a difference
The overall purpose of this intensive, practical workshop is to help you develop your creative thinking skills to help you solve research problems.

Outcomes:
With this aim in mind, the course outcomes are:

• To give you a systematic creative-thinking process for solving problems
• The opportunity to apply and develop a creative thinking process to a challenge in your current research
• To explore your assumptions about your own creativity

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

This is the first of two workshops designed to develop your understanding of the technicalities and the process of getting your research published.

In this workshop, we examine the technical aspects of writing up your research in a format appropriate for publication. You will learn about the importance of following journal guidelines and house style, and the value of using a clear structure to frame your paper. You will also receive guidance on how to produce clear writing in a register appropriate for the readership.

It is possible to attend this course as an individual workshop, although we would encourage you to attend the second workshop in the series Getting published II: Impact and Peer-review.

Please note: The course does not offer bespoke or 1-1 support for manuscript preparation.

Museums and collections are so much more than the objects they house. They are places of research, education and engagement, and they are open to members of the public in ways that departments and colleges are not. They can allow researchers to reach a range of diverse audiences. This training session will give you an insight into the breadth of activity ongoing at University of Cambridge Museums and how it could relate to your research and public engagement plans. After this training you will have a better understanding of the opportunities to work with museums.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

Dr Christian Gilliam continues to offer one-to-one support to PhD students across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. However, given the present circumstances relating to Covid-19, one-to-one support will be provided virtually or online using either Skype, Teams or Zoom.

Please bear in mind that topics for discussion should relate to researcher or personal development, and/or advice relating to the management of your PhD project.

Upon booking, you will receive a booking confirmation email. Please refer to the joining instructions in the email for further information regarding your one-to-one session.

A good poster’s worth 1000 words… but a bad poster’s just a bit of messy paper. When it’s time for you to present your scientific poster how are you going to make the most of the opportunity? We’ll think about why we use posters to present our research, what makes the difference between a good and bad poster and some useful tips to help you present your data in style.

Please note, this is an introductory course to help you start preparing for your first poster sessions...