Postgraduate researcher workshops

Undertaking a doctorate is unlike anything you will have done before – and your project won’t be like anything anyone has done before; that’s the beauty of research. It can be a little daunting, though. This workshop introduces you to everything that is on offer from the Researcher Development and Employability team, to help you make the most of your experience.  

Through this workshop we hope you will learn about: 

• The inclusive values that drive the doctoral college and the university, and how you can contribute to a positive research culture 
• The many development opportunities we offer you, including research skills, career planning and academic writing support 
• What is expected of you as a doctoral researcher, and what you can expect from your supervisor and department 
• The importance of taking ownership of your project, and the many options Surrey offers to pursue your interests 

We will also cover some more practical points, such as navigating Surrey’s various information platforms, and key milestones during your doctorate.  

It is an opportunity for you to ask questions and to meet other researchers. 

Every doctoral candidate must undergo a confirmation process, usually about 12 months into their programme (or 24 months if part time). The aim is for you to have expert feedback on your work so far and your plans for the future. This will help you to address any current or potential issues and gives you a taste of academic peer review of your work. 

Naturally, this can be an anxious time, since the confirmation report may be the first substantial piece of work you have shared with anyone besides your supervisor, and the viva can feel pressured. This workshop is designed to help you prepare for this process as effectively as possible and to build your confidence. We will discuss the practicalities of the process, make sure you know where to find relevant guidance, and unpack what the examiners are looking for in the viva. 

Although it is hard work, Confirmation can be a very beneficial exercise, helping you to develop the focus of your project, plan ahead, and learn from your examiners’ expertise. We cover some good ways to prepare, and next steps you can take. 

This workshop can be usefully paired with our workshop “Thesis writing: Writing a Confirmation Report”.

The last hurdle, your viva examination, but what will it be like? What will the examiners ask? How can you prepare for it?

This workshop provides delegates with an insight into the process, and helps them understand what to expect within a doctoral degree viva. The workshop aims to demystify the process by addressing common student concerns and uncertainties regarding the viva. The workshop explores the viva's purpose and issues relating to the conduct of the viva (typical processes and procedures, who is there and what they do, and so on). We will discuss the type and nature of questions which are most-likely to be posed by examiners during viva examinations, and give practical ideas for viva preparation as a result.

During the workshop participants will:

• Receive answers to questions or concerns you may have about any aspect of the viva
• Share research which provides insight into the types of questions you are likely to encounter during your viva
• Understand the process and requirements of a doctoral degree viva
• Gain an understanding of possible viva outcomes and the procedures that follow
• Increase confidence in your ability to prepare for and perform well during your viva.

Critical writing is vital for engaging with the literature in your field, for developing your arguments, and for articulating how and why your research is significant. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between critical and descriptive writing and how and when to use these writing styles.

The skills covered on this workshop will be applicable for all areas of doctoral writing but may be particularly helpful for participants seeking support with literature reviews, or with transitioning between disciplines or languages.

The workshop will focus on the following:

• The difference between critique and description
• Techniques for reading critically
• Literature reviews
• Identifying critical writing
• Developing a critical voice in your writing

This is the first of three core writing workshops designed to develop key skills in academic writing for doctoral researchers. You may also be interested in the other workshops in this series; Writing Coherently and Writing Concisely.

Good academic writing communicates complex ideas with precision and clarity. Writing with coherence is often a challenging and time consuming process. However, it is important that readers can easily read your work in order to understand, and engage with, your research and ideas.

This workshop will focus primarily on structure and on editing. The structure of chapters, paragraphs and sentences is key to your reader’s ability to follow your argument or understand your results. Similarly, the editing process is essential to developing a clear writing style.

The workshop will focus on the following:

• Developing a successful editing process
• Writing with different readers in mind
• Techniques for organising large amounts of information
• Using paragraphs and sentences to guide your reader

This is the second of three core writing workshops designed to develop key skills in academic writing for doctoral researchers. You may also be interested in the other workshops in this series; Writing Critically and Writing Concisely

When trying to communicate complex ideas, researchers often develop a writing style that is overly complicated. It is common to; restate the same idea in different ways, hold too many clauses in one sentence, use vague or general terms, or move between large ideas too quickly.  These difficulties arise when researchers write to figure out their thoughts and ideas rather than communicate those ideas to their reader. This workshop will develop understanding of the difference between writing as a thinking process and writing as a tool for communication and will introduce participants to techniques for writing with precision.

The workshop will focus on the following:

• The writing process and the thinking process
• Sentence and word functions
• Becoming your own editor
• The importance of redrafting
• Writing for your discipline
• Tools and techniques for writing clearly

This is the third of three core writing workshops designed to develop key skills in academic writing for doctoral researchers. You may also be interested in the other workshops in this series; Writing Critically and Writing Coherently

Much as we would like to get it right first time, editing is an inevitable part of writing. Whether you're working on your thesis, articles or other projects, making editing part of your research and writing process is essential.

Here we will talk about breaking editing down into specific stages: substantive editing, copy-editing and proofing. This can make your attention and your work schedule more effective. As well as tips and techniques for general editing, we'll adapt the methods and checklists used by professional academic copy-editors to the requirements of thesis writing.

Editing is an essential skill, applicable to many different career paths. You can also develop yourself in several areas of the Research Development Framework, including A1, literacy and information management; A2, Critical Thinking and Evaluation; C2, Research planning , and D2, Publication.

Through this workshop you will:

• Learn about different types of editing and their functions;
• Practice copy-editing and be introduced to helpful tools and techniques;
• Discuss best practice and innovative approaches to editing with other researchers

This workshop is part of our writing skills support. You may also find these workshops useful:

• CORE writing workshops: Writing Critically, Coherently, Concisely
• Getting started with Thesis Writing
• Engaging with your Literature
• Writing for 4-Star Publications
• Turning your Thesis into a Book

This workshop is designed to support doctoral researchers at an early stage of writing for their theses.

Your thesis is likely to be one of the largest writing projects that you have undertaken thus far in your career. This workshop will provide you with strategies to help break down your thesis into manageable stages of writing. Participants will also become familiar with the expectations for thesis writing compared to other modes of writing. 

The workshop will cover the following:

• The role of writing in the doctoral process
• Overcoming writers’ block
• Strategies for managing a large scale project
• Different examples of how to start a thesis
• The difference between thesis chapters and journal articles

This a professional mentor-ship training workshop for all doctoral researchers who are interested in being a mentor or developing transferable mentoring and coaching skills.

The workshop covers some mentoring theory, introducing you to a range of models and techniques as examples of best practice. The session also includes practical elements to help you reflect on, practice and develop your own mentoring techniques. You will learn how to encourage others to see opportunities and take up new challenges, build confidence, and help people to feel motivated and empowered to achieve their goals.

After attending this workshop, you will receive a certificate or digital badge recognising you as an Researcher Development Programme trained mentor, which you can use for your careers and professional development profile.

Attendance at this workshop is essential if you have signed up to volunteer as a mentor for our peer mentoring ‘Transitions’ programme, ECR mentoring or STAR mentoring schemes.

This workshop also aligns with Domain D (Engagement, influence and impact) of the Vitae Researcher Development framework:

• Effectively supports the learning of others when involved in teaching, mentoring, demonstrating or other research activities.
• Recognises the importance of mentor-ship and receiving mentoring.
• Develops skills as a mentor and uses own mentor-ship effectively.
• Shapes the mentoring strategy of own institution.

Modern researchers are increasingly expected to be able to communicate their research to a variety of specialist and non-specialist audiences with confidence, clarity and impact. The aim of this workshop is to equip participants with valuable writing strategies for producing impactful text for broad audiences. This interactive session covers three main themes:

1) Motivations and Choosing Your Audience,

2) Making Headlines and

3) Writing for the Genre. Participants will get an opportunity to discuss a selection of texts of different genres to highlight some of the key differences between them and more traditional academic texts, and to identify strategies used to ensure that writing is impactful.

Whatever your background and experience, it is never too early to explore options after the doctorate.  What can you do after a doctorate?  Explore different approaches to career planning, reflect on career ideas and your professional development needs, building on previous skills and experience, taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the doctorate.

Preparation is the key to impressing at recruitment interviews and even more so now that many interviews are held online. As with face to face interviews online interviewers want to hear examples that best demonstrate your suitability for the role and organisation and also what to gauge your enthusiasm for the role. Knowing you have done all you can to prepare for an in person or online interview will help you approach the experience with confidence.

By the end of this workshop you will:

• Understand the different types of recruitment interviews you might face
• Develop strategies on how to prepare for different types of questions using the STAR structure
• Be able to effectively present yourself, your skills, experience and motivation for the role

This workshop is interactive and will include exercises during which you can practice asking, answering interview questions, as well as gaining feedback. For the Virtual Workshop, you will be expected to have your camera turned on during this workshop, just as you would in an online interview. 

Part of the Virtual Careers Express Series, brief sessions, sharing key career advice & information

In this session, we will cover the fundamentals of CV preparation for both Academic CVs and CVs for roles beyond academia.

This will include how to tailor CV content to an advertised role and effective CV presentation, layout and language.

Researchers are increasingly being asked to write narrative CVs. Narrative CV formats, which UKRI call the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI), prompt descriptions of contributions and achievements, allowing researchers to reflect a broader range of skills and experiences, beyond a narrow set of metrics.

This short information session, will provide a brief background to this new and evolving approach, with a focus on: 

• Why narrative CVs are being adopted by many funders
• Overview of the narrative CV format
• Suggestions on how to get started writing your narrative CV, along with tips for each module
• Signpost to further resources
• Time for Questions and discussion

For further information see the University of Surrey Open Research Webpages here 

Are you considering a career in academia? Relevant to any postgraduate researcher considering or planning to continue in research beyond their doctorate, this workshop explores postdoctoral roles. We examine the skills that applicants are expected (or encouraged) to demonstrate, and what you can do during your doctoral studies to meet these criteria. We also explore the differences between postgraduate and early career researcher roles.

What are your career options with a PhD?  

What opportunities are there in industry and beyond?  

Explore resources to help you research and evaluate opportunities.  Reflect on your interests, strengths and values. Everyone welcome, whatever your background and experience. 

Are you looking for work?  Have you completed?  Have you submitted your thesis or are about to?  

Job search can be a frustrating process. How do employers recruit in practice and what is the hidden job market?  

If you are actively seeking work this workshop is an opportunity to review strategies to find  opportunities and make effective applications. Whether looking for work in academia or beyond, connect with other researchers searching for work to share experiences, and insights.

Building and maintaining your network is key to your continuing professional development, whatever field you may work in. In the current circumstances, online networking is increasingly important. This introductory workshop is designed to help you build your confidence when networking both online and face to face. We’ll introduce strategies for successful networking in different contexts such as career development and exploration, job search and raising your profile at conferences.

During the workshop we will:

• Reflect on experiences and understanding of networking
• Audit your current network to consider how to build and strengthen your connections
• Prepare for, and practise, online networking
• Explore the benefits of social media and online platforms

Develop confidence in their own authentic networking approach and strategies

International Student Advice presents on the range of visas available after the doctorate such as the Graduate Route, Skilled Worker Visa, and Innovation Founder route. 

Followed by an introduction to the UK labour market, and navigating opportunities, presented by the Doctoral College.

Insights into the UK labour market, from an international PGR perspective, and space to reflect on how best to create opportunities and maximise employability skills.

• Explore opportunities both in academia and beyond, when to apply and at what level.
• Understand the challenges and advantages of being an international researcher approaching the UK labour market. 

Explore how an international placement through the Turing scheme can strengthen your profile.

Whatever stage you are in your research, are you interested in how you can use your research to influence policy makers, publicise your work, and engage stakeholders?  Learn more about the policy making process and how PGRs can contribute.

The university Communications and Public Affairs team provides an introduction and shares advice on how to engage with policy makers to promote your research, develop valuable transferable skills to support your professional development, and build your network.

This is also an opportunity to find out about any current placement opportunities related to policy making.

1.5 hour course delivered in person.

About to start a research project or prepare a bid which creates, collects and/or uses qualitative data? How will you manage that data? Want to generate a Data Management Plan?

Good research data management practices make research more efficient and minimize potential risks of data loss, corruption, and disclosure. In addition, funders are increasingly interested in research projects that follow good Data Management Plans and produce well managed datasets that are ready for sharing, publishing and long-term preservation for future re-use. 

For qualitative data this may involve acquiring personal data, gaining consent from participants and de-identifying/anonymising data. 

By the end of the session, you will:

• Understand what Open Data is and why you should practice Open Research.
• Explore key aspects of the Research Data Management (RDM) lifecycle and why RDM is important to increasing demands to control, share and preserve data.
• Become familiar with best practices for file management, documentation, storage, sharing and security of qualitative data.
• Understand how to build a data management plan and use the DMPOnline tool.

1.5 hour course delivered in person.

About to start a research project or prepare a bid which creates, collects and/or uses quantitative data? How will you manage that data? Want to generate a Data Management Plan?

Good research data management practices make research more efficient and minimize potential risks of data loss, corruption, and disclosure. In addition, funders are increasingly interested in research projects that follow good Data Management Plans and produce well managed datasets that are ready for sharing, publishing, and long-term preservation for future re-use. 

For quantitative data this may involve more complex folder structures, file naming, formatting, version control and metadata, etc. 

By the end of the session, you will:

• Understand what Open Data is and why you should practice Open Research.
• Explore key aspects of the Research Data Management (RDM) lifecycle and why RDM is important to increasing demands to control, share and preserve data.
• Become familiar with best practices for file management, documentation, storage, sharing and security of quantitative data.
• Understand how to build a data management plan and use the DMPOnline tool.

Find out about the options available for managing large amounts of literature or references. Participants will have the opportunity to consider their specific needs and explore various reference management options with the support of a Learning Development Librarian.

Need a place to share your data for a project or a publication? Join us for a brief hands on demonstration of the data repository Surrey is piloting. Learn the ins and outs of the new repository, the various ways to share data, and how your team can contribute to shared project spaces on the repository. Want to try it out the system with some data you currently have? Bring it along!

By the end of the session you will:

• Know how to access the repository, upload and describe your data, and get a DOI
• Understand the different levels of sharing on the platform (public, restricted, and confidential)
• Learn how to create project spaces and connect collaborators to your shared data.

This workshop briefly introduces researchers to the research funding landscape and focuses on the grant-writing process. Researchers will learn to adopt best practices and effective strategies when applying for funding grants and putting in a research bid. By the end of the the session you will have:

• Learnt how to avoid some of the common pitfalls associated with research applications
• Understood how to tailor your application to meet funder requirements
• Developed an awareness of what a good research funding application looks like

This workshop will be helpful to ECRs and PGRs wishing to understand what research funding involves, particularly those who may be intending to apply for their first research grant.

Note: Although a variety of funders may be introduced as examples, this workshop is not designed to advise attendees on where to apply for funding.

This workshop aims to help you communicate effectively and confidently in an academic context.

Presenting your research can be daunting, but is a crucial part of sharing your research and establishing yourself within the field. In this workshop we address best practice for several aspects, including structuring your talk, connecting with your audience, and preparing yourself for questions. We’ll consider how to maximise audience attention, and understanding the expectations of different audiences and disciplines.

The workshop includes some preparatory material that you can download when you register on the event. It includes a set of slides with links to other resources and videos. On the day we will mix time for discussion with practical activities to try out different techniques in a supportive environment.

Presentation skills can boost you in several areas of the Researcher Development Framework, including Personal Effectiveness (self-confidence) (B1), Networking (B3), Engagement and Impact (D3) and Communication (D2).

Through this workshop participants will be able to:

• Visualise the structure, content and tone of a presentation
• Consider different audiences and occasions
• Discover how to best use their own strengths and preferences to good effect
• Prepare for answering tricky questions
• Share experience about what makes for a great (or weak) presentation

You may also like to combine this workshop with:

• Presentation Skills in Practice
• Writing and structuring a conference paper
• Bright Club: stand-up comedy training for academics
• Visual aids and infographics
• Networking

This practical workshop is designed for people who have some experience of presenting and understand the basic principles involved, but would like to get more hands-on practice to develop their academic presentation skills at a higher level.

You will have the opportunity to plan, prepare and deliver a 5-10 minute mock presentation within a small, friendly and supportive peer group of fellow researchers.

After delivering your presentation, you will receive constructive feedback that will help identify your strengths and weaknesses, build your confidence, and find new ways of enhancing and improving your presentation style.

During the workshop participants will:

• Present to a peer group
• Exchange feedback with their peers
• Gain an understanding of their style and how to improve it further
• Be given the option to have their presentation video recorded, which many presenters find to be a very useful exercise.

Presentation skills can boost you in several areas of the Researcher Development Framework, including Personal Effectiveness (self-confidence) (B1), Networking (B3), Engagement and Impact (D3) and Communication (D2).

Please Note:

To get the full benefit from this session, all participants should arrive with their own materials for a presentation that they want to work on. This can include pre-prepared slides and content, although you will be given time to build and design your workshop in the session.

If you have a specific presentation that you are hoping to deliver (e.g. for a forthcoming conference), then you can bring in the materials for that and use this workshop to practice for it. Alternatively, your practice presentation in this workshop can be based around a topic related to your research (e.g. ‘The inspiration for my research’ or ‘Why my research is important’).

We strongly advise that participants first attend our workshop on ‘Presentation Skills: Essentials’ before attending this interactive workshop, as it will allow them to pick up on best practice that they can try and apply in their own presentations.

Recommended for: All stages of study and research staff.

You may also like to combine this RDP workshop with the following ones:

• Writing and structuring a conference paper
• Bright Club: stand-up comedy training for academics
• Networking

Most doctoral students will be asked to design and present a poster about their research at some point during their research degree. However, what makes an effective poster, and how to present it well are topics that are rarely explicitly discussed.

This workshop will run slightly differently to a usual session. You will be sent a booklet of information to look at in your own time, and the time you spend in the workshop will be used for poster critique and consolidating your ideas. During the session you will explore what makes a successful poster presentation and examine how key components of a poster can be designed to make the poster more effective.

As a result of this workshop participants will:

• Improve their understanding of what makes an effective poster presentation
• Understand the importance of deciding on key message(s) and narrowing the scope of a poster
• Have a clearer idea of good poster design, planning, layout, graphics, illustrations, colours, text and data display
• Increase confidence in their ability to answer questions and interact with the audience.

Recommended for: All stages of study.

Can you see the funny side of your research?

Bright Club takes a group of researchers and turns them into stand-up comedians for one night only.

Interested? Then read on. Each researcher does an eight-minute set seeing the funny side of their research (and wider academia and science) in a local pub with a supportive audience of about 70. It's great fun, good for those communication skills, confidence and your public profile development and allows an audience to easily access your research.

This workshop is a training session to equip you for this challenge, though there is no obligation to perform if you attend. You'll be guided through some techniques for shaping and presenting your ideas in an informal and engaging way. We recommend this for anyone who'd like to improve their presentation skills and confidence. It makes a great extension to the Doctoral College 'Basic' and 'Advanced' Presentation Skills workshops.

Did you know that the University requires all PGRs to submit an electronic copy of their thesis, upon completion? And that this copy is openly accessible, as per the requirements of the open research agenda? This of course raises further questions, i.e. what is open research and why does it matter? How do you feel about sharing your thesis, publications and data? Where do you stand on public engagement and citizen science?

In this short workshop you will have the chance to discuss different aspects of open research and work out how to adopt open practices suitable for your research area and as per the requirements of the University.  

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.

This is one of a number of workshops offered collaboratively by facilitators from the School of English and Languages and the Researcher Development Programme. These workshops concentrate on the "technical business" of academic writing for research students.

During the workshop participants will:

• Gain an appreciation of the importance of adapting writing style to respond to Journal Guidelines
• Understand the importance of identifying grammatical errors and eliminating them from a paper before peer review
• Gain experience of producing a small piece of writing in response to a simulated journal ‘Call for Papers’.

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, make a contribution to the body of work within their field. Increasingly, emphasis is being placed, not only on getting publications, but getting high impact publications. Therefore, it is important for early stage researchers, not only to understand the publication process, but also to learn how to maximize potential impact of each publication.

Academic peer review is a process of self-regulation of academic literature, by evaluation involving qualified individuals. Typically the peer review is completed prior to the publishing of the article. Peer review aims to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility to the output of researchers. Scholarly literature provides dissemination and archiving of knowledge, quality control and credit for authors. Peer review concentrates on giving a form of quality control to the publishing of scholarly literature.

This is one of a number of workshops offered collaboratively by facilitators from the School of English and Languages and the Researcher Development Programme. These workshops concentrate on the "technical business" of academic writing for research students.

During this workshop participants will:

• Learn how to exploit their publication to its maximum potential
• Gain a better understanding of the technical aspects of the publication process
• Talk about being reviewed and a reviewer
• Have an understanding of the peer review system
• Be aware of alternatives to anonymous peer review methods.

This workshop will familiarise PGRs and ECRs with the process of, and the various issues involved with, turning their PhD thesis into a published monograph. The workshop will focus on the following:

1. The differences between a thesis and a monograph
2. The copyright and editorial issues of publishing material from an open access e-thesis
3. The process of selecting a publisher and writing a book proposal
4. The publication process, from submission of the proposal up to actual publication of the  book. 

Though turning a thesis into a monograph frequently happens across all fields, it is more common within the arts, humanities and social sciences. Thus, the workshop is designed primarily for FASS students. That being said, PGRs and ECRs are more than welcome to attend.  

The current climate of competition among academics to have high-impact publications is producing increasingly selective Quartile 1 journals. Q1 editors are looking for manuscripts which are more than well-written; they are looking for papers with ‘star quality’.  For many, star quality remains a rather elusive ingredient in their writing.      

This highly interactive, half-day workshop is designed to explore the question: What aspects of writing help to give a journal manuscript star quality?  The session starts by considering the widely acknowledged mechanisms for producing quality writing, such as coherence, clarity and conciseness.  It then moves on to explore less obvious mechanisms that are used to communicate consistency and authority. This is done by analysing the language used in articles from various high- and low-impact journals. The session is open to all ECRs and Post-docs.

Session objectives

• To consider the aspects of writing that contribute to the star quality of high-impact journal articles
• To compare and contrast differences in writing style between high-impact and low-impact journal articles.

By the end of the session, you should

• Be able to identify writing techniques that make an article readable and authoritative
• Have experience of analysing extracts from journal articles  to identify particular writing mechanisms used for coherence, clarity and consistency.

Need help with networking? Want to get the most out of conferences? Are you getting bogged down by networking blogs? Then this is the workshop for you.

The workshop will cover:

• Networking basics
• Clear communication
• Adapting your message
• Face-to-face networking
• Virtual networking.

This session is based on a flipped classroom model. Participants will be sent materials before the workshop that will cover networking basics and contain suggested tasks, with relevant web links, to further explore the learning.  These materials will be used in the session, which will be highly participatory. You will explore networking skills (e.g. adapting your message, elevator pitches), the network within the room, and discuss all aspects of networking in academia and beyond. 

At the end of your PhD, you are expected to make the final version of your thesis open access via the University's Open Research repository.

Making your thesis publicly available online will help strengthen your research profile and make your research more visible.

In this session we discuss the benefits of open access, address some common concerns around open access theses, and show you how to prepare, upload and license your thesis for open access.

An 80,000 word thesis would take 9 hours to present. Your time limit... 3 minutes!

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition developed by The University of Queensland. Doctoral students have three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. 3MT challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries so they can be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience.

Join one of our training sessions, where you can learn about the 3MT competition rules, judging criteria and judging process, and how to effectively communicate your research in 3 minutes. This year we have the added bonus of learning how to present to camera, as well as the technical details of submitting your 3MT video. Through the session you will learn how to impress the judges – and hopefully win a £100 Amazon voucher prize and represent the University of Surrey in the national semi-finals.

We encourage workshop attendees to apply for the 3MT® competition but there is no obligation to do so.

This preparatory training session will aim to:

• Provide information about the competition, its timescales and requirements
• Provide tips about putting together your three-minute recorded presentation
• Provide general presentation skills information and support
• Offer the opportunity to review and discuss previous 3MT submissions
• Provide you with the opportunity to reflect upon your own research project and how you might deliver a three-minute summary for the competition.

3MT® is a great way to further your personal development and the competition builds on the following areas from the RDF Planner:

A1.1 Subject Knowledge

B1.1 Enthusiasm

B2.3 Time Management

B3.5 Reputation and Esteem

D2.1 Communication Methods

D3.2 Public Engagement

All postgraduate researchers have to complete six-monthly progress reviews. This may seem like just another thing that is taking you away from your research; however, these reviews are actually brilliant opportunities to receive feedback and guidance, which can help you to become more productive in your doctorate. In this workshop, you will be given the opportunity to reflect on your past accomplishments, to discuss what areas you feel you need feedback on most and to learn how to use your review to help ensure your doctorate stays on track. You will be able to use the outcomes of the exercises within this workshop when filling in your review forms, saving you time. The workshop will also help prepare you for your review meeting with your supervisor.

In this workshop you will:

• Become aware of how the review process can benefit you as a postgraduate researcher.
• Learn how to use good reflective practice to improve your research.
• Become more aware of your strengths and weaknesses.
• Develop techniques which will help you to become more pro-active in seeking feedback from you supervisor.
• Put together an initial development plan to be discussed with your supervisor at your review meeting.

Transferable skills you will be learning in this workshop include: reflective practice, project planning and interpersonal communication.

Among the big changes and challenges that doctoral students encounter is how little of their project is laid out for them. Even if you are part of a larger project, you are expected to be in charge of your own research, workload and writing. Sometimes this can be liberating and wonderful; sometimes it will feel daunting. This workshop covers ways to make the most of your doctorate by taking control, using recognised planning techniques, and making the structure of a doctorate work for you.

In this course you will be able to:

• Consider how you can take ownership of your doctorate, helping you to feel in control rather than passive
• Discuss the benefits of an outcome-driven approach
• Share strategies for planning – for the longer-term, for the next few months, for the unexpected
• Sketch out your own plans for the coming months.

The student-supervisor relationship is vital for success in all research degree programmes. In many ways, this relationship is different than any other relationship you have encountered in your previous experiences as a student or employee. This is because of the unique nature of a research degree, which is based on independent study and mentoring. However, the exact role of the supervisor is often unclear and sometimes it may feel as though you are not getting the support you need. This can be frustrating for students and supervisors alike, and can lead to a negative doctoral experience.

This workshop features case studies to illustrate different characteristics of students and supervisors, and explore how these can lead to different expectations. We will discuss how, as students, you can be pro-active in the supervision process to ensure you receive the advice and support you need at certain times, but also the creative freedom that is necessary to truly own your project.

During this workshop participants will:

• Consider various aspects of the student-supervisor relationship and identify potential areas of conflict or misunderstanding
• Explore ways of dealing with conflict and promoting understanding
• Discuss how to use their own initiative to ensure that they are getting the type of supervision they require at any given time
• Receive practical advice on how to get the most out of supervisory meeting and manage a supervisory team.

Helping you start off your week with a sense of achievement and progress.

When we’re working at home, we often miss our familiar routines and the motivating feeling of working alongside peers in the office, lab, or library. Without this structure to our days, it can be hard to decide which tasks we should to focus on. Where should we start to build up some momentum for the week ahead?

The Focus Zone is a structured time management session designed to give you space and motivation to tick off some tasks on your to-do list. No need to chat or turn your camera on – just join the session with a list of specific tasks, and commit to setting aside the time to complete them.

We will be using the ‘Pomodoro’ time management technique. Each session will consist of four ‘Pomodoros’ – 25-minute intervals of work, with five minute breaks between each one. Select an achievable task to complete during each Pomodoro, and at the end of the session you can take a break for lunch knowing you have ticked four things off your to-do list.

Work on whatever you want, whether it’s writing, reading, or admin tasks. It might be…

• Marking up edits to a draft piece of writing
• Filling in a form that is due soon
• Searching for and filing new publications
• Responding to an email that you have been putting off
• Tidying up the entries in your reference manager
• Drafting a conference abstract

After registering you will be sent a Zoom link on the morning of the session. An RDP trainer will structure and facilitate each session, providing time updates during each interval. After the final Pomodoro, you are welcome to stay and chat, ask questions, or reflect on what you’ve been working on.

This workshop will examine the role and responsibilities of research students undertaking demonstrating and other teaching-related activities (e.g., supporting tutorial classes) in science, engineering and related subject areas. The session considers the purpose, aims and objectives of practical classes within the curriculum, and perspectives on the "demonstrator" role from students, academic staff and demonstrators themselves. In considering "what makes a good demonstrator" the session offers practical suggestions for PG demonstrators to improve their own understanding and practice.

By the end of this session participants should:

• Understand their roles and responsibilities in these teaching environments
• Understand the skills necessary to be effective in their teaching roles
• Learn practical techniques to help them develop their teaching skills.

Recommended for: All stages of study.

• Introdution to learning and teaching
• Assessment and feedback
• Graduate certificate in learning and teaching.

For a list of DHE workshops and information on how to book, see their webpages