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.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place: https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjozMTAyM319

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.

Have you ever wanted to get creative with your research – to discover how writing can bring a new perspective to your research? 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 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 and for publication and 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, to share your work at a final showcase, 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.

Get your research seen on social media! Shoot, adapt, edit & schedule visual content about your work to inform and excite. Learn from examples, activities and reflection. Taught by a filmmaker and social media manager with over 15 years experience in the field. Focus will be on IG, Twitter, YouTube & FB but skills and knowledge can be applied to all platforms. All you need is your phone, laptop & internet connection!

The course will be led by Ryd Cook. Ryd is a multi award winning film director, actor and mentor. His fiction and documentary films have screened in film festivals around the world. He has 15+ years of experience, filming, editing and producing a range of films. He has also been teaching practical filmmaking for over 10 years for all ages. He currently works as a director, cameraperson, actor and mentor.

The aim of this session is to start a conversation on underserved audiences and the role of public engagement. This training is based on the 'Discover/Play/Discuss' trilogy and participants can expect a workshop and discussion.

This course is led by Vanessa Mignan Jenkins. Vanessa is an independent trainer and social inclusion consultant for science engagement institutions. Vanessa uses her cross-cultural expertise to support institutions working outside their comfort zone. "I believe that even if inclusion is a serious matter, we can explore it in a lively, secure and even playful way."

This event is online only.

Successful public engagement can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you when, why and crucially how, to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with.

The workshop will be followed by the option of a one-to-one consultation to discuss individual and project specific evaluation approaches. These will take place after the workshop and last for 20 min. Please contact the ER team for information on how to book this session.

Dr Jamie Gallagher is an award-winning engagement professional with over ten years’ experience in the delivery and evaluation of quality engagement projects. Working across dozens of institutions and subject areas he has improved the reach, profile and impact of research engagement in almost every academic discipline.

As a specialist in evaluation Jamie provides consultancy services to charities and universities helping them to demonstrate their impact and to understand their audiences and stakeholders. He consulted on dozens of REF impact case studies in the latest round and works regularly with the vast majority of the Russell Group Universities.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjozNjk2Mn19

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.

Are you struggling to engage with public audiences beyond the usual suspects? Do you want to widen your professional network? Could you be the authoritative voice in your field? If these questions resonate with you then podcasting could be the answer. This training will give you all the skills, tools and information you need to get started with creating a compelling podcast, keep going after the first flurry of excitement, and increase your overall impact. The training will be led by Dr Anna Ploszajski, an award-winning materials scientist, writer, presenter, podcaster, performer, trainer and storyteller based in London.

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.

This training will introduce researchers to the importance of quality public and patient involvement in their research and look at current best practice. You will find out about local support available in the region to help plan, deliver and build PPI into research, so as to improve research for patients, services users, and carers. The session will include examples and case studies of how local researchers have incorporated PPI into their research.

The training will be led by Dr Amanda Stranks, the PPI/E Strategy Lead at NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

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.

This course will cover how to use Social Media tools for Public Engagement.

The course will be delivered by Anu Hautalampi, a communications specialist with a focus on social media. Anu was the first Head of Social Media and AV for the University of Cambridge and created the University’s social media strategy. She currently leads on social media for UN Women globally.

Unlock the power of captivating research presentations with our exclusive online course: Mastering TED-Style Research Talks. In just 3 hours, gain essential skills to engage, inspire, and leave a lasting impact on any audience.

Discover the art of attention-grabbing hooks that make your research impossible to ignore. Learn captivating storytelling techniques to create a narrative arc that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats. Unleash the heroes within your research, emotionally connecting your audience to your work.

Our expert instructor will guide you through delivering complex research to a lay audience with clarity and depth. Master the use of simple visuals to make your data come alive and leave a lasting impression.

Delve into the personal side of research, revealing why audiences want to see a glimpse of the person, not just the research findings. Forge an authentic connection that elevates your talk from informative to unforgettable.

Receive personalised guidance on your talk, honing your content, delivery, structure, and engagement skills.

Enroll in Mastering TED-Style Research Talks today and revolutionise how you share your transformative discoveries with the world. Join now and give your science communication skills a boost!

This session will consist of two hours of training and an optional 1:1 session from 12pm. If you are interested in a 15 minute, 1:1 session with the trainer please let us know in advance by emailing Engaged.Researcher@admin.co.uk.

So much of research success relies on collaborations and professional networks. But many of us undersell ourselves and our achievements, or struggle to fit our whole career into a cohesive narrative. This is where personal branding comes in.

In this training, you’ll learn how to define your personal brand, and communicate that effectively through writing, presenting, images, websites and social media. You’ll do exercises which will help you see yourself from an outsider’s perspective, and be given the tools to make you the hero of your own story.

Dr Anna Ploszajski is an award-winning materials scientist, presenter, comedian and storyteller based in London. She’s a materials generalist, equally fascinated by metals, plastics, ceramics, glasses and substances from the natural world. Her work centres around engaging traditionally underserved audiences with materials science and engineering through writing, podcasting, presenting and social media. Having developed her own unique blend of autobiographical scientific storytelling in her first book, Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning Through Making, she now trains professional technical people to communicate what they do better, through the study of story. In her spare time, Anna plays the trumpet in a funk and soul covers band and is an ultra-endurance open water swimmer. Oh, and it’s pronounced “Por-shy-ski”.

Have you ever thought about telling your research story through the universal language of photography?

This training will help you reach diverse audiences even simply by taking photographs with a smartphone! The workshop will look at how you can use photography as a tool to translate the key messages in your research work, the different styles and techniques to do so, and basic technical & software editing skills to perfect your shots.

You will have the opportunity for a one-to-one 20-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your ideas and questions and get project specific help.

The training will be led by Domininkas Zalys. Dom’s career in the creative industry began in Florence and further developed studying photography at the Cambridge School of Art. Dom has worked with Wired Magazine, Jordan Belford, Prof Stephen Hawking, and many more established people and businesses around the world.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place: https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyMzU2NX19

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.

Take your research stories to the next level with focused support to apply the knowledge, skills and techniques from our Introductory course, on your own research.

This module brings a small group together to focus on their own narratives, testing out ideas and refining their creations. Expect group sharing, peer review, co-working and creative testing. Optional individual coaching is also available for those that would want more targeted personal support.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic.

Once upon a time there was a researcher who spun a story so enthralling that it captured their audience’s imagination and they remembered the research for years to come.

Was that researcher you? Would you like it to be?

Telling a good story helps you connect with an audience; brings your research to life, visually and emotionally; and makes it easier for them to listen, understand and remember your research.

This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: understanding attention, motivation and the evolution of storytelling, the strength of non-verbal connections, dramatic structures and rhetorical devices; to give you the skills to craft an engaging story to communicate your own research.

And if you want to apply this on a specific story of your own, then further support is available through individual coaching.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic

Practical extension of the Research Storytelling theory session to put knowledge into practice with your own research. This includes individual coaching, peer mentoring sessions, and a final showcase session which also looks at the next steps to take these stories further. Attendees must have already attended the Research Storytelling Introduction session or the Research Storytelling course delivered in the past years. 20-min one-to-one sessions with the trainer on 20 or 21 October must be booked directly with the trainer.

The course will be led by Sarah Cruise. Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement training since 2006, working closely with Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools and a co-presenter on the Gin & Topic podcast.

Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe. This safeguarding training has been designed specifically to support researchers who may be new to working with children and schools. In this introductory session, we will understand what safeguarding and child protection means and what it involves, discuss potential signs that a young person might be being abused and what to do if you have a safeguarding concern. We will look at some general good practice as well as how to plan events and sessions with safeguarding in mind.

This course will be led by Michelle Tang. Michelle currently works as the Deputy Head of Widening Participation for the University (within the Cambridge Admissions Office). In her role, she oversees a team who work with over 200 schools and 5000 school-aged students each year in a number of widening participation programmes including the University’s flagship HE+ programme, the Sutton Trust Summer Schools and the Insight programme. She has also previously worked as a Schools Liaison Officer, travelling and visiting schools all over the UK but particularly in Yorkshire, Berkshire and Scotland. Michelle completed the Teach First Leadership Development Programme in 2016, during which she worked as a primary school teacher in north London, and holds a PGCE from the Institute of Education. She is passionate about social mobility and the transformative power of education in closing equality gaps.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To see course information and book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQ291cnNlRGV0YWlsUGFnZSIsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJpZCI6MTExfX0=

To see 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.

This training is aimed at users who already run one or more social media accounts and are looking to develop their strategic approach. We will consider and discuss your current goals and audiences for social media and assess the current performance of your social media channels. We will look at gaps and share ideas around tactics to grow your reach and engage your followers.

The course will be delivered by Anu Hautalampi, a communications specialist with a focus on social media. Anu was the first Head of Social Media and AV for the University of Cambridge and created the University’s social media strategy. She currently leads on social media for UN Women globally.

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.

To book your space head over to - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cambridge-the-conversation-media-training-registration-516520084477

This event is Online only.

Why is YouTube popular? Because people love watching videos. A research video can be a great way to get your message across to your collaborators, your friends, and the wider world as well as being a condition of some funding bodies.

But it isn't easy to do well - and this is where this course will make a difference. Come along and learn the skills needed to plan, shoot & edit high quality footage for research videos so that your video can stand out from the crowd. You just need yourself, a camera phone and your enthusiasm!

You will have the opportunity for a one-to-one 30-minute session with the trainer where you can discuss your ideas and questions and get project specific help.

The course will be led by Ryd Cook. Ryd is a multi award winning film director, actor and mentor. His fiction and documentary films have screened in film festivals around the world. He has 15+ years of experience, filming, editing and producing a range of films. He has also been teaching practical filmmaking for over 10 years for all ages. He currently works as a director, cameraperson, actor and mentor.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQ291cnNlRGV0YWlsUGFnZSIsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJpZCI6MTE5fX0=

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/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjozMTAxN319

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.

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 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.

Engaged Researcher has moved to Inkpath

To view course information and book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQ291cnNlRGV0YWlsUGFnZSIsInBhcmFtcyI6eyJpZCI6MTIxfX0=

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 book your place:

https://webapp.inkpath.co.uk/#/redirect/eyJuYW1lIjoiQWN0aXZpdHlEZXRhaWxQYWdlIiwicGFyYW1zIjp7ImlkIjoyMzU1OX19

Please note that this course will be held in person.

To find 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.

We love a plan! In our Introduction to Public Engagement course, we introduced you to planning using a logic model. In this practical session, we’ll use this tool in exercises that will allow you to think about why you want to engage, the outcomes and impact you want to achieve, who you want to engage with and how to reach them.

We’ll look at how to run your project efficiently and how you might evaluate to learn and evidence your success. We’ll also consider the places you run events in, the resources you might need, tips on event planning and how you can make your engagement more inclusive.

You don’t need to come with a plan, we’ll start with hypothetical challenges to spark thoughts and ideas and share learning together.

The course will be run by members of the Public Engagement team - Lucinda Spokes, Selen Etingu, Diogo Gomes and Claudia Antolini. As part of this course, we will provide information on how we support public engagement across the University.

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.

Think about all those people milling around at festivals, networking events, conferences, open days and social gatherings. Would you like to make them curious about your research? What if you could say or do something to capture their attention; make them want to engage with, understand and remember something of your research? This workshop will explore the performative skills of busking and how we may use and adapt these to engage transient audiences and make them curious to find out more about our research. Don’t worry, you don’t need to sing, play an instrument or swallow fire; just have a passion for your research, a desire to engage, and a willingness to play.

Sarah is passionate about the art and science of communication and eloquential is her rattle bag of knowledge, skills and experience which she uses to train, coach and facilitate. Sarah collects research from areas such as psychology and neuroscience, along with practitioners’ experience from the performing arts to fill her bag of tricks, tips and advice. Sarah has been involved in public engagement since 2006, working closely with the Cambridge University. She is also a peripatetic teacher of communication and performance skills in schools, and a co-host of a podcast called Gin and Topic.

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.

• To book your space head over to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/university-of-cambridge-the-conversation-media-training-registration-636401392697

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.

This course seeks to help students develop their critical reading skills, and to deploy tactics and strategies that can accelerate the process of literature-based research without sacrificing detail and depth necessary for a doctoral thesis.

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

From Surviving to Thriving: strategies to do your research and wellbeing just a little bit better.

While a joyful curiosity might be the fuel of research, doing it day-to-day can be really tough. The purpose of this programme is to help researchers move – even just a little bit – from a sense of merely surviving within the research process to thriving within it. Eschewing the hyperbole of the self-help industry, this programme provides participants with practical tools and strategies grounded in the psychological literature to help you do your research and nurture your wellbeing just a little bit better.

Whilst this programme of five sessions has been designed as a set, with each building on the one before – as participants move from a sense of ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’ – each individual session is standalone, meaning you can book and attend the whole series or just those which you think may be particularly useful.

Session 1: Developing Your Resilience

This first session might be useful if you have a sense of being stuck in a hole and want to stop digging. To do this, it explores what might be seen as the ‘Six Cs’ of Resilience. In the process, the session helps you, amongst other things, to: apply an essential three-step ‘coping mantra’ for when things go wrong; develop individually more useful perspectives about your research to boost resilience; formulate individual strategies to boost your senses of community and wellbeing.

From Surviving to Thriving: strategies to do your research and wellbeing just a little bit better.

While a joyful curiosity might be the fuel of research, doing it day-to-day can be really tough. The purpose of this programme is to help researchers move – even just a little bit – from a sense of merely surviving within the research process to thriving within it. Eschewing the hyperbole of the self-help industry, this programme provides participants with practical tools and strategies grounded in the psychological literature to help you do your research and nurture your wellbeing just a little bit better.

Whilst this programme of five sessions has been designed as a set, with each building on the one before – as participants move from a sense of ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’ – each individual session is standalone, meaning you can book and attend the whole series or just those which you think may be particularly useful.

Managing Your Procrastination

This session aims to help you manage your procrastination by:

• Exploring the two fundamental principles to overcome putting things off;
• Helping you build your own individual toolkit of strategies and simple ‘tricks and tips’ to help you manage your procrastination;
• Helping you reflect on why you procrastinate and the most important thing you need to know to overcome it.

From Surviving to Thriving: strategies to do your research and wellbeing just a little bit better.

While a joyful curiosity might be the fuel of research, doing it day-to-day can be really tough. The purpose of this programme is to help researchers move – even just a little bit – from a sense of merely surviving within the research process to thriving within it. Eschewing the hyperbole of the self-help industry, this programme provides participants with practical tools and strategies grounded in the psychological literature to help you do your research and nurture your wellbeing just a little bit better.

Whilst this programme of five sessions has been designed as a set, with each building on the one before – as participants move from a sense of ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’ – each individual session is standalone, meaning you can book and attend the whole series or just those which you think may be particularly useful.

Session 3: Increasing Your Productivity

This sessions aims to help you get research done by: -

• Investigating and applying two fundamental principles of productivity;
• Individually tailoring your own productivity strategies based on how you work best;
• Highlighting simple ‘tricks and tips’ to have a better, more productive day.

From Surviving to Thriving: strategies to do your research and wellbeing just a little bit better.

While a joyful curiosity might be the fuel of research, doing it day-to-day can be really tough. The purpose of this programme is to help researchers move – even just a little bit – from a sense of merely surviving within the research process to thriving within it. Eschewing the hyperbole of the self-help industry, this programme provides participants with practical tools and strategies grounded in the psychological literature to help you do your research and nurture your wellbeing just a little bit better.

Whilst this programme of five sessions has been designed as a set, with each building on the one before – as participants move from a sense of ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’ – each individual session is standalone, meaning you can book and attend the whole series or just those which you think may be particularly useful.

Session 4: Cultivating Your Happiness

This session aims to help you move, even just a little bit, towards a sense of thriving by using a definition of happiness grounded in the psychological literature and applying its proven practical strategies to help you do so. In the process, you will reflect on and apply strategies to cultivate your own happiness; explore the perhaps surprising correlation between and meaning to see your research in a new light; rewrite your to-do list in terms of nurturing your happiness (and productivity).

From Surviving to Thriving: strategies to do your research and wellbeing just a little bit better.

While a joyful curiosity might be the fuel of research, doing it day-to-day can be really tough. The purpose of this programme is to help researchers move – even just a little bit – from a sense of merely surviving within the research process to thriving within it. Eschewing the hyperbole of the self-help industry, this programme provides participants with practical tools and strategies grounded in the psychological literature to help you do your research and nurture your wellbeing just a little bit better.

Whilst this programme of five sessions has been designed as a set, with each building on the one before – as participants move from a sense of ‘surviving’ to ‘thriving’ – each individual session is standalone, meaning you can book and attend the whole series or just those which you think may be particularly useful.

Session 5: The Emotionally Intelligent Researcher

As the final one of the programme, this session simultaneously looks back and forward by aiming to embed previous sessions’ learning to sustain your progress. As a self-contained unit, it also helps you develop your emotional intelligence by providing you with strategies to work effectively with others and develop, amongst others, your listening and assertiveness skills.

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.

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

Getting published is a central part of being a researcher. Understanding where and why to publisht is crucial to developing an effective stragegy that will help you realise your research and/or career ambitions.

With this in mind, the workshop explores strategy around the question of ‘high impact’, and the various meanings (formal and informal) this implies, the limitations of impact metrics and the importance of understanding publishing cultures across academia, and how these vary..

Getting published is a central part of being a researcher. Peer-reviewed publications allow researchers to communicate their research to the broader research community, and thus, contribute to the body of work within their field.

This workshop is part 2 of 3, and concerns the process of peer-review manuscript preparation and the submital process, including peer-review.

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.

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 interactive workshop will support participants to make the most of short periods of study, admin, teaching preparation or research time. Participants work together to create a personalised plan of action combining High Intensity Productivity (HIP) with focused goal setting. The session considers the biggest reasons for procrastination and participants learn how to break larger research, teaching, admin and study activities in to manageable and achievable tasks. The session benefits from integrated protected self-development time to trial the tools learned in the session.

There is also the opportunity to reflect on how participants will implement their learning in order to make the most of future opportunities and avoid procrastination.

“The whole course was useful, the delivery in terms of sharing with others and actually completing activities (productive work) made it a great experience. The practical as well as theoretical made you realise you can actually do better.”

PhD Researcher and Clinician, University of Leicester 2020

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In this session, aimed at postgraduate researchers, we will talk about Academic Misconduct at the University of Cambridge and explain the definitions of plagiarism and self-plagiarism. We will go on to explore some famous examples of plagiarism in different contexts to get everyone thinking. Then we will look at some specific examples of academic plagiarism and how things can go wrong. Finally, we will look at ways to avoid the pitfalls and finish off with some practical tips. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation too. By the end of this session, you will be able to avoid plagiarism and have a good idea of how to improve your writing, referencing and data management skills to prevent accidental plagiarism in your work.

Do you feel like there are never enough hours in the day to complete your research project? Are you struggling to balance your work and personal life while still making progress towards your career goals? Look no further than this course on Effective Time and Project Management for Postgraduate Research Students.

This course aims to equip you with the tools and techniques required to effectively manage your time and research projects. Through interactive lectures and practical exercises, you will learn how to prioritize tasks, manage your workload, and develop effective time management strategies that can be applied to any research project.

With a focus on project management, this course will cover topics such as setting SMART goals, developing project timelines, and identifying and managing project risks. Additionally, you will learn how to identify time-wasters, manage interruptions, and optimize your work environment for maximum productivity.

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

« Description not available »

Research in the 21st century is global, and research teams are intercultural. 35% of Cambridge research students are from outside the EU; and postdocs are the most diverse group by nationality, representing almost 100 countries. This diversity is one of the University’s biggest strengths. Yet intercultural communication is not without its pitfalls and misunderstandings. It takes conscious discipline to think about one’s own cultural assumptions and to try to make sense of others'.

This workshop will give you some tools to help identify where national culture might be having an influence on your professional and social interactions, where common misunderstandings can occur, and how to address potential challenges. The content of the session is informed by research form intercultural studies and refers to culture as a framework of shared values, attitudes and behaviours. It explores the nature of generalisations and the relationship between national culture, other layers of diversity (e g gender, professional, generational differences) and personal values.

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

A recommended course by the Researcher Development Programme as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The course can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A recommended course by the Researcher Development Programme as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The course can be accessed here.

This short course is designed to get you thinking about how to make and maintain a network as a PhD researcher – what is important to you, and how do you build an effective network that helps you to be the best researcher you can be?

If you find this course helpful, you may also be interested in our ‘Becoming Interdisciplinary’ course, which takes a theoretical look at the challenges and opportunities presented by interdisciplinary research.

You are welcome to bring your lunch to this session.

The workshop is designed to help graduate students navigate their initial meetings with their supervisor. During this session, participants will gain essential skills to prepare effectively for these meetings, establish clear expectations, and cultivate effective lines of communication with their supervisors. This workshop provides practical insights and tips to ensure a productive and harmonious working relationship from the very start of their academic journey.

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’.

You are welcome to bring your lunch to this session.

A PhD is a long project and a huge personal investment. It’s normal to find yourself feeling a bit ‘fatigued’ with your project, or to find it hard to maintain enthusiasm. This short session aims to bring this into focus and discuss ways of maintaining your pace throughout the PhD. Come along and meet other PhD students, and help each other to remember what you love about your PhD research!

If you find this course helpful, you may also be interested in our ‘Resilience in your PhD’ sessions.

Let’s face it; being a researcher can be stressful! Not only are you managing the ups and downs of your PhD, but you are probably balancing work and life and also have one eye on the future and what comes after you finish…

This workshop is designed to help you build your resilience. You probably already have some strategies in place so we will reflect on the highs and lows you have already experienced, learn about 3 Cs of resilience (Commitment, Challenge, Control) and consider how we can better support your coping and wellbeing.

It’s time to start working on your writing, but where do you start? How do you deal with the dreaded blank page? Come along to a short session to talk about how to confidently get started with your writing.

After this session, why not book onto one of our writing retreats? Meet with fellow PhD students and work on your thesis in a supportive, friendly environment.

You are welcome to bring your lunch to this session.

Your viva is just a few weeks away – your thesis is ready, you’ve got examiners, and you’ve got a date in the diary. What do you do with those few weeks to prepare for the viva?

This short session is aimed at giving some tips for revision to help you go into your viva feeling confident and prepared.

Your welcome to bring your lunch to this session.

Managing a project is a key skill for an effective researcher, yet project management is often poorly understood.

This can lead to projects running out of time or money, or overworking people. This online course - which builds on the Time Management Toolkit - gives you the foundational project management knowledge needed to complete your research project successfully, as well as the opportunity to implement and thereby embed this knowledge.

Outcomes

• Understand how to define, plan and implement a project
• Know how to manage yourself and others effectively
• Be able to identify and plan for risks and cope with challenges

How to Access the Course

You will need to use the following enrolment key at the link below: MRP_21on

Enrol onto Managing a Research Project (Moodle)

A CRSid / Raven password is needed to access this online course. If you don't have one, please get in touch at researcher.development@admin.cam.ac.uk.

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Ever wonder why you seem to ‘click’ with one person and not another? Ever wonder why you might find some things easier to do than others? The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) might shed some light on these questions. Why this course might make a difference.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator presents a framework to help you understand yourself and others, by exploring differences and preferences in four areas of your personality. As a result of this exploration, you may work more effectively and be more understanding in your relationships with others.

Led by a qualified MBTI practitioner, the workshop comprises working through the MBTI questionnaire and self-assessment exercises, so that participants can:

• Understand the concept and theories behind the MBTI types and process to obtain a personal profile
• Explore the differences and preferences within personalities in research-related scenarios

Please not that these courses are only for University of Cambridge students (undergraduate and postgraduate), who are affiliated to a Cambridge college.

This course will be facilitated online via Zoom.

This is one of four "Mindfulness Workshop" sessions. You can attend one - four of these sessions as you wish, in any order. Although not designed as a course, the four sessions are complimentary and cover different aspects of mindfulness.

Please do not book on to the same session twice.

View complete timetable here. Please visit Mindfulness at Cam for more information.

The other sessions are as follows:
Mindfulness for Exams 2: Improving Attention
Mindfulness for Exams 3: Better Sleep
Mindfulness for Exams 4: Productive Decisions

Negotiation is a life skill with which you can achieve your own desirable outcomes but also help others achieve theirs - a ‘win/win’. Good negotiation skills could help you in situations such as setting up a research collaboration that works for everyone through to dealing with a new job offer.

This workshop covers the fundamental aspects of understanding how to negotiate so that by the end you will be able to take part in a group negotiation, giving you experience of translating the theory into practice.

It focusses on using a principled argument, which is more likely to achieve results that meet the needs of all the parties in the negotiation, and lead to good ongoing relationships, and trust.

Course content:

• What is negotiation and why is it important
• Principled negotiation techniques
• Active listening
• Group negotiation exercise involving all participants

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations.

Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

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

Now that you have successfully defended your thesis, it's time to shift your focus to the next phase of your academic and personal life. In this workshop, we will help you navigate the transition and develop an action plan to achieve your short to mid-term essentials and milestones.

We will guide you through practical exercises that will help you establish and maintain career and personal goals, identify potential obstacles, and develop strategies to overcome them. We will also cover essential skills for managing stress, such as effective time management, prioritization, and self-care.

By the end of this workshop, you will have a clear roadmap for your post-viva life and the tools to maintain focus and momentum. You will also have the opportunity to connect with other PhD students and build a supportive community to help you achieve your goals. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to invest in your future!