All Researcher Development Programme (RDP) courses

Creativity is a critical part of research, helping people look at old problems in new ways and facilitating leaps in thinking that seem logical in hindsight but are far from it in the moment. In this practical workshop we will briefly explore what creativity is, and quickly move on to exercises, tools and techniques that can boost your creative confidence so you can apply it to your own research.

A central theme will be that creativity is not a talent but a way of operating, and we will look at that way of operating. Although not essential, participants are asked to think of a particular problem or challenge in their research before the workshop so they can practice some of the tips and techniques - who knows, it could be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for!

This workshop is a practical introduction to presenting a lecture. It is aimed at those lecturing for the first time, especially PhD students who may be delivering a guest lecture. Participants will have the opportunity to deliver a 10 minute lecture and receive feedback.

This workshop aims to support participants in:

• the practice of giving a lecture
• discussion of different approaches to lecturing
• to incorporate feedback to their own lectures
• to increase confidence

Please note this workshop is focused on lecture delivery and does not cover lecture preparation.

This workshop is aligned with A1, A2, A4, K2, K3, K5 of the UKPSF.

This writing retreat is designed to offer structured sessions of academic writing for PhD students who wish to come and work in a supportive environment, and discuss strategies for good working practices that accommodate neurodivergence. You do NOT need to have a confirmed diagnosis to attend this retreat.

We start the day with an introduction that discusses the kinds of challenges that Autism and ADHD can present in doctoral research, as well as strengths. This is followed by discussion sessions on finding adaptive ways to work when handling executive dysfunction, or issues with your environment. The rest of the day is dedicated to writing, with short sessions to test out new ways to approach your work.

You will be writing alongside fellow graduate students. There will be a ‘quiet room’ and a ‘noisy room’ to accommodate various working styles/activities, and attendees are welcome to bring along any fidget objects etc. that would normally help them focus. We will also bring a selection of these to try out!

If you have attended before you are very welcome to come again – feel free to skip the introductory talk or just go get settled in the ‘quiet room’ to start your work.

Lastly, tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, but you will need to arrange your own lunch.

The Two-Day writing retreat is designed to offer structured sessions of academic writing for PhD students who wish to come and work in a supportive environment, and discuss strategies for good working practices that accommodate neurodivergence. You do NOT need to have a confirmed diagnosis to attend this retreat.

We start the first day with an introduction that discusses the kinds of challenges that Autism and ADHD can present in doctoral research, as well as strengths. This is followed by discussion sessions on finding adaptive ways to work when handling executive dysfunction, or issues with your environment. The rest of the first day is dedicated to writing, with short sessions to test out new ways to approach your work. The second day will be a dedicated writing retreat, with time in a comfortable environment to crack on with some writing! A full schedule for the two days will be sent out at least a week in advance.

You will be writing alongside fellow graduate students. There will be a ‘quiet room’ and a ‘noisy room’ to accommodate various working styles/activities, and attendees are welcome to bring along any fidget objects etc. that would normally help them focus. We will also bring a selection of these to try out!

If you have attended before you are very welcome to come again – feel free to skip the introductory talk or just go get settled in the ‘quiet room’ to start your work.

Lastly, tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided, but you will need to arrange your own lunch.

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

Blogs and online articles are becoming ever more important as a shop window to help spread word of your work and get your message across.

They can draw attention to the great things you’re doing, generate trade, build partnerships and establish you as a leader in your field.

The statistics say that organisations and their staff with blogs produce significantly more potential new opportunities and collaborations than those without.

This half day, highly interactive course teaches you all you need to know to write beautiful and highly beneficial blogs, from the importance of a title to layouts, what to write about to build an audience, and even smartphone photography.

Across all AHSS disciplines (and within) there are varying views of what research is. Though not a definitive means by which to conceptualize research, this course offers Thomas Kuhn’s idea of the ‘research paradigm’ as a heuristic and expedient entry point into key terms and concepts often encountered by research students and the tacit 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.

The course is especially useful for those who feel less comfortable with the ‘common terminology’ (such as ‘ontology’, ‘epistemology’ etc.) and are perhaps apprehensive of asking colleagues and/or supervisors.

Please note, this is a theory-heavy session

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 workshop will cover key themes relating to procrastination. Participants are encouraged to reflect and share experiences with others and take part in discussion groups and activities. The session covers the common causes of procrastination, how to recognise personal procrastination traits and techniques to dig deep to find the real cause of procrastination in order to banish it for good.

This one-day programme aims to provide researchers with a dedicated space to explore different communication styles, including their own, and learn more about when and how to use them with impact.

This will be an engaging programme which will give participants the opportunity to build confidence in their own communication approach and develop their self-advocacy, whilst becoming more aware of their strengths and motivations when working with others. The session will provide researchers with the techniques and skills to communicate effectively with supervisors, and colleagues, in difficult conversations, in negotiations, collaborative working, in meetings and when providing feedback.

Objectives:

By the end of programme, participants will:

• gain practical techniques for communicating with impact
• outlines techniques and approaches for different communication styles
• increase confidence to influence others, clarify priorities and develop self-advocacy

Join this workshop to demystify and re-define the concept of “leadership” and understand the importance of developing your impact and influence in Academia and beyond. We will explore opportunities to increase your visibility and spheres of influence to drive research impact throughout your project and increase your power to pursue your research interests and aspirations. This is an opportunity to uncover what leadership means to you, decide on the type of leader and influencer you want to become as well as help you prioritise the relevant skills and mindsets which will help you progress to the next level of confidence and responsibility. The workshop will cover the following themes:

• Defining “a good leader” in research and beyond: uncovering myths and assumptions
• De-tangling the concept of leadership in the context of research in a post-COVID world: moving towards impact and influence
• Top skills and mindsets which you need to develop to increase your impact and influence in research and beyond
• The art of influence and impact: practical tips on building your leadership experience and how this will support your current research project

The workshop is highly engaging and requires active participation. This is a safe place to share your experience and learn from peers.

An interactive and informal session looking at:

• What assertiveness is and isn’t
• Your own assertiveness – where are you starting from and what do you want to work on?
• The assertive and the unassertive you – when are you assertive and unassertive and why
• Some theory and hints and tips that will help you to work your assertiveness.
• Putting it into practice
• Actions to your assertiveness practice.

To enable everyone attending, the chance to work and meet each other, the session will contain a mix of small and large group work and some individual work. The small groups will be changed throughout the session.

So, you’ve got a first draft (of a section, of a chapter, of the whole thesis…) – what now? Well, unlike at undergraduate level where you can pull an all-nighter to write an essay, this doesn’t tend to lend itself as an approach at postgraduate level – one of the reasons being that texts tend to be much longer. But the far more significant reason is that at postgraduate level editing plays a far greater role in the research and writing process than at undergraduate level. For example, the average Cambridge academic goes through a 10-15 edit cycle when writing a paper for publication. So, whilst writing is important, editing is more important – although the number of edit cycles does differ across the disciplines (for reasons I’ll go into in the session itself).

So, in this session, we’ll start by looking at what to focus on when editing, before exploring one of the main reasons why we do this – namely, to show empathy for our intended reader. The story of our text doesn’t end when we click submit or upload – how successful our text is depends on how it is accessed by our reader(s). And so, in the final stages before clicking submit/upload, we, the writer, need to interrogate our writing as a reader – with our intended readers in mind. And to conclude we’ll look at some linguistic tools (largely related to the fact that English is a writer-responsible language, as discussed in the first session) that you can employ when your writing is starting to get a little unwieldy: so, Characters & Actions; Old before New; Simplicity First, Complexity Last; Passive; and Nominalisations.

This is an in-person event.

This training will introduce you to the world of visual communication. We will look at visualising data versus visualising abstract concepts and think about appropriateness! How can you simplify a huge body of research into something that is visually enticing to people outside of your field? In this training you will learn how to create visual metaphors that illustrate your research as well as the basics of frame by frame and stop motion animation so that you may turn these illustrations into short animated gifs.

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.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view the information about the course and book your place: https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyMzU2M319

To view all the Engaged Researcher courses open for booking:

1) head over to Inkpath (https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/)

2) select 'single sign-on', choose University of Cambridge, and log in with Raven

3) search 'Engaged Researcher' to find all of our courses currently open for booking.

Please note that this course will be held in person.

Communicating your research via the media can be an effective way of reaching a wide audience. This workshop will help you understand what makes a news story and what to expect when engaging with the media. It will provide tips to help you tell your story most effectively and ensure your research is reported accurately, as well as explaining how the University can support you.

In this session Dr Holmes-Henderson (Durham University) and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge) will explain routes into policy engagement for researchers in Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines. They will explain the benefits for academics and their institutions of sharing academic research with policymakers in government, parliament and the devolved nations. This will be a practical and interactive session, with the opportunity to ask questions and design a strategy for getting started.

Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at Durham University where she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2022-2024). As an expert in Classics outreach and knowledge exchange, she engages diverse stakeholders to explore ways to widen access to the study of the classical world.

Working at the intersection of research, policy and practice, Arlene collaborates closely with policymakers in government and parliament on issues across the Humanities and Education. An affiliated researcher with the Bennett Institute, Arlene sits on AHRC’s Public Policy Advisory Board. Her successful policy engagement with a range of partners has been showcased in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gEzYV9RSY

Owen Garling is the Knowledge Transfer Facilitator at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy where he provides an important conduit between its own researchers and policymakers in the UK and internationally. His work helps to ensure that the Institute’s research is focussing on the questions that matter, and that it reaches the right policymakers and public audiences for making a positive difference. Owen’s work covers all of the Bennett Institute’s research themes: Place, Progress, Productivity and Decision-making in Government. With over two decades of experience of working in the public sector in and around Cambridge he has a particular interest in how the Bennett Institute’s work can support policymakers working at regional and local levels as well as at a national level.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyNTQ0M319

To view all the Engaged Researcher courses open for booking:

1) head over to Inkpath (https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/)

2) select 'single sign-on', choose University of Cambridge, and log in with Raven

3) search 'Engaged Researcher' to find all of our courses currently open for booking.

Please note that this course might be held in person.

This session will help researchers to deepen their engagement with policymakers. Led by Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson (Durham University) and Owen Garling (Bennett Institute for Public Policy) it will explore funding opportunities for collaboration with policymakers and will provide examples of successful partnership projects. Researchers from a range of disciplines will be offered support to disseminate their research in formats favoured by policymakers. The Bennett Institute and the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy will outline the support available to researchers who want to become more policy-engaged. This will be a practical and interactive session, with the opportunity to ask questions and meet colleagues from across the University.

Dr Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at Durham University where she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2022-2024). As an expert in Classics outreach and knowledge exchange, she engages diverse stakeholders to explore ways to widen access to the study of the classical world.

Working at the intersection of research, policy and practice, Arlene collaborates closely with policymakers in government and parliament on issues across the Humanities and Education. An affiliated researcher with the Bennett Institute, Arlene sits on AHRC’s Public Policy Advisory Board. Her successful policy engagement with a range of partners has been showcased in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gEzYV9RSY

Owen Garling is the Knowledge Transfer Facilitator at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy where he provides an important conduit between its own researchers and policymakers in the UK and internationally. His work helps to ensure that the Institute’s research is focussing on the questions that matter, and that it reaches the right policymakers and public audiences for making a positive difference. Owen’s work covers all of the Bennett Institute’s research themes: Place, Progress, Productivity and Decision-making in Government.

With over two decades of experience of working in the public sector in and around Cambridge he has a particular interest in how the Bennett Institute’s work can support policymakers working at regional and local levels as well as at a national level.

From lab equipment to label makers, objects can help people to engage with your research in new and interesting ways. In this session we will look at how you can safely introduce objects into your public engagement, how close looking can help enthuse people and how even the most seemingly un-exciting artefact can tell stories.

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 where she regularly teaches with objects.

A session for those who have been to the Introduction to Evaluation session but would like further support on getting their evaluation right. Do you have questions about what methods to use? How to make your results reliable? How to report on your findings? Submit your questions or concerns in advance of the session for tailored support

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view the information about the course and book your place: https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyMzU2NH19

To view all the Engaged Researcher courses open for booking:

1) head over to Inkpath (https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/)

2) select 'single sign-on', choose University of Cambridge, and log in with Raven

3) search 'Engaged Researcher' to find all of our courses currently open for booking.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place: https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyMzU1NX19

To view all the Engaged Researcher courses open for booking:

1) head over to Inkpath (https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/)

2) select 'single sign-on', choose University of Cambridge, and log in with Raven

3) search 'Engaged Researcher' to find all of our courses currently open for booking.

Would you like to find out what audiences think about your activity but want to try something other than a questionnaire? Want to move beyond ‘any other comments’? In this session, find out about alternative evaluation techniques used in the University of Cambridge Museums, and how you could apply them to your own situation.

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.