Covid-19 Update
Our usual programme of workshops and face-to-face support has been temporarily suspended. Instead, please check out our new RD Online section, where you can find a whole host of new (and existing) content available remotely.
If you're involved in teaching, please take a look at the CCTL website for advice and support on Teaching in 2020-21, including undergraduate supervisions.
If you're not sure where to start or where to go next with your researcher development, the following two courses may be of particular interest.
Skills Analysis Survey
We highly recommend that all students take this course at the beginning of their studies, as well as each year thereafter. This will help you to plan your researcher development most effectively.
One-to-One Support
One-to-One sessions with a Researcher Developer are available to help support you in your researcher development in any way, but particularly as a follow-up to the Skills Analysis Survey. Now available remotely.
These courses are taken from our full programme for research students, which is listed according to theme below.
The following courses will primarily help you to develop your skills in the four competencies which relate to this skill area:
Effective Researcher (STEMM)
Hit the Ground Running (AHSS)
Reading Efficiency Toolkit (online)
Time Management Toolkit (online)
Managing a Research Project (online)
Procrastination Workshop
Solving Research Problems Creatively
Resilience in the Lab
Building Resilience and Coping with Setbacks
The following courses will primarily help you to develop your skills in the four competencies which relate to this skill area (divided into themes for clarity):
Presenting
Presentation Skills Toolkit (online)
Better Presentations: A Practical Guide (STEMM)
Scientific Posters
Communicating
Making the Most of Conferences
Being Assertive: Making yourself Heard
The Art of Negotiation and Influence
Intercultural Communication
Collaborating
Introduction to Self-Leadership
Developing your Leadership
MBTI: Understanding Personality in a Research Environment
The Centre for Teaching and Learning is the central coordinator of development opportunities for those involved in or wishing to teach. For advice and support at this time, please see their Teaching in 2020-21 pages.
The Careers Service is the principal provider of development opportunities and assistance for career-related skills within the University.
Our pages on Coaching and Mentoring contain several resources, including an introductory webinar, which may be of interest of PhD students.
There are many opportunities for developing your entrepreneurial skills whilst in Cambridge: see the RD Hub for more details.
Your Department and School may also run courses relating to careers. The following providers run courses or provide guidance relating to funding and other academic processes:
Office of Scholarly Communication
Research Operations Office
Research Strategy Office
Finance Division
Centre for Science and Policy
You will primarily develop these skills through training provided by your Department, Faculty or School, as well as by engaging in your research, attending talks and seminars, and learning from colleagues.
The Language Centre is the principal provider of teaching and assistance for language-related skills within the University.
If you have any kind of data to analyse, learn how to use MATLAB at the Cambridge MathWorks portal.
The University Information Services provide training in a range of different programming languages.
There are several providers of teaching in statistics and bioinformatics within the University: see the RD Hub for more details.
The Research Strategy Office runs an Introduction to Research Integrity course.
Finally, the University Library also provides a range of teaching relating to this skill area.