Department of Chemistry course timetable

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

This compulsory session introduces Research Data Management (RDM) to Chemistry PhD students. It is highly interactive and utilises practical activities throughout.

Key topics covered are:

• Research Data Management (RDM) - what it is and what problems can occur with managing and sharing your data.
• Data backup and file sharing - possible consequences of not backing up your data, strategies for backing up your data and sharing your data safely.
• Data organisation - how to organise your files and folders, what is best practice.
• Data sharing - obstacles to sharing your data, benefits and importance of sharing your data, the funder policy landscape, resources available in the University to help you share your data.
• Data management planning - creating a roadmap for how not to get lost in your data!

Lunch and refreshments are included for this course

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

Can you defend yourself against the 'Dark Arts' of 'management speak'? These days Governments, funding bodies, and University management, produce a stream of buzzwords and phrases such as ‘Innovation’, ‘Impact’, ‘Knowledge Exchange’, ‘Outreach’ and ‘Employability’. No-one quite knows what all these things mean but there is a sense that failure to grasp this could be career altering. Are researchers being irresistibly pulled towards the ‘Dark Side’? How do these things affect the future careers of young researchers?

This two part interactive session will deconstruct the buzzwords into a logical framework, giving some specific examples and techniques that researchers can use to answer questions like ‘I’ve just done this piece of work, will anyone be interested in it?’ In particular we will discuss,

•the things that make chemical inventions interesting to the outside world,

•the opportunities for chemistry to resolve many current global problems

•ways to talk about your research to non-specialists

•the things that make researchers employable at Universities and major commercial and social enterprises

The second part of the talk will describe the presenter’s personal career journey from a ‘catastrophic’ Ph.D to becoming an FRSC, via work in industrial R&D, commercial sales, technology management, strategic planning, business development consultancy, technics-economic appraisal, knowledge transfer consultancy, training and content development, for the RSC. At each point the talk will list both the science involved and the key transferable skills required.

The talk will finish with a ’What you must know and what you must be able to do’, career skills check list, and a number of specific suggestions on how to develop these skills.

This is a compulsory session which introduces new graduate students to the Department of Chemistry Library and its place within the wider Cambridge University Library system. It provides general information on what is available, where it is, and how to get it. Print and online resources are included.

You must choose one session out of the 9 sessions available.

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

PhDs in the physical science and technology disciplines have plenty of options once they graduate. In this interactive session we will look at the pros and cons of different career options. You will have a chance to think about what you want your work to do for you and what you can offer employers, and you will learn ways to find out more about jobs you are interested in. You will also learn more about how selection processes work including how to put together a CV and cover letter and how to prepare for job interviews

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

PhDs in the physical science and technology disciplines have plenty of options once they graduate. In this interactive session we will look at the pros and cons of different career options. You will have a chance to think about what you want your work to do for you and what you can offer employers, and you will learn ways to find out more about jobs you are interested in. You will also learn more about how selection processes work including how to put together a CV and cover letter and how to prepare for job interviews

Chloe Francis (Eight19 Ltd) will talk about the opportunities that come with working for a small company, using Eight19 as a prime example. Eight19 is a start-up company based in Cambridge that develops new generation solar technology and energy autonomous devices. There’ll be an introduction into Eight19’s technology capabilities and the stages of technology commercialization, before we move on to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of starting your career in a small company.

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

This session is aimed at those contemplating postdoctoral research. Israel and Tessa will discuss many aspects of this, including changing field or remaining in the same area, getting funding and moving country, all from both a personal and then more general perspective. Some information on making applications for funding will be given and there will be plenty of time for a Q&A session following their short presentations.

We are looking for additional postdocs who have complementary experience and background to those who have already agreed to give the session to contribute.

This course is made up of 8 sessions which will be based around the topics below: unlike other courses in the Graduate Lecture Series, it is essential to attend all 8 sessions to benefit from this training. Places are limited so please be absolutely certain upon booking that you will commit to the entire course.

Professor Scherman will outline how to go about writing an effective fellowship and grant applications in order that participants may have a realistic idea of what this entails, should they be required to do so at any point.

Stuart Cantrill (Chief Editor, Nature Chemistry) will discuss the publishing process and what goes on in the editorial office, as well as providing some guidance on how to write a paper, how to write an abstract and some DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to titles and graphical abstracts. There will also be broader consideration of peer review in general, the wider chemistry publishing landscape and also other aspects such as metrics (impact factor, altmetrics, etc) and the use of social media.

This session will look at various pathways leading from academic research background into secondary school teaching and what the job is like in different environments. There will be short presentations and plenty of time for questions.

This hands-on course teaches the basics of Latex including syntax, lists, maths equations, basic chemical equations, tables, graphical figures and internal and external referencing. We also learn how to link documents to help manage large projects. The course manual is presented in the style of a thesis and since you also receive the source code you also receive a template for a thesis.