Category: Courses & Workshops

Git for Researchers (14 Oct to 11 Nov)

Have you ever found yourself drowning in countless “final” versions of your code, unsure which one actually produced the results you’re analysing?  Or perhaps you’ve come across Git and felt like you’re just going through the motions of using it without seeing much benefit. You’re not alone. Version management can be a major drain on the scarce time and energy of a researcher.

Thankfully, when used effectively, Git can ease this burden, while boosting your productivity and research reproducibility.

This series of 15-minute talks offers practical, research-focused guidance on how to use Git. Rather than just teaching the commands, it explores the workflows that make them meaningful – so you’ll not only understand what to do, but also why and how. Along the way, you’ll encounter the insights I wish I’d known when I first started using Git, so you can skip the frustrations and reap the benefits from the get-go. In addition, you’ll learn how to leverage the Git history to better understand codebases, streamline debugging and make your coding life easier as you tackle science’s toughest problems.

Join us every Tuesday from 14th October to 11th November. Refreshments are provided after each talk. Come for the knowledge, stay for the snacks!

Location: CAGB 640 – except for 11th November where it will be in CAGB 309 – and online

Schedule:

  • 14.00 – 14.15: Talk
  • 14.15 – 15.00: Refreshments

Upcoming Talks

  • 14th October 2025 – Presentation Final Final Final – Version Tracking with Git
  • 21st October 2025 – Git’s 3 Magic Words – add, commit, push (event link coming soon)
  • 28th October 2025 – Commit Messages – A Time Machine into the Past (event link coming soon)
  • 4th November 2025 – Atomic Commits – Tiny Changes, Impeccable History (event link coming soon)
  • 11th November 2025 – Branches – A Glimpse into the Multiverse (event link coming soon)

Writing a research paper activity sessions (Oct & Nov 2025)

Writing a paper for publication?

Register for CfAE’s ‘Writing a research paper’ activity sessions!

In these sessions, you will be trained to become more reader-aware through guided analysis of published research papers to identify the structure, language and strategies used by successful writers in your field. This training will both speed up your writing and ensure your paper truly communicates the value of your research to an increasingly global and interdisciplinary readership. Many participants who’ve benefited from this training have fed back that it’s transformed their approach to writing papers.

In case you’re not aware, all members of Imperial (whether or not English is their first language) at all stages of their degree or academic career have the opportunity to benefit from CfAE provision.

These weekly 50-minute sessions are offered both online and on campus (South Kensington).

Upcoming sessions:

Writing a successful abstract: Wednesday 15 October 13.00-14.00

Writing a successful introduction: Wednesday 22 October 13.00-14.00

Writing a successful results section: Wednesday 29 October 13.00-14.00

Writing a successful discussion and conclusions section: Wednesday 5 November 13.00-14.00

Reserve your place by filling out the registration form.

Further information: Work on your writing in guided activity sessions

Social Mobility Week (27 – 31 October 2025)

Join us for the Faculty of Natural Sciences Social Mobility Week, a 5-day series of events on w/c 27 October celebrating and exploring Social Mobility at Imperial and beyond.

Organised within the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FoNS) but open to all staff and students across Imperial, this initiative aims to bring together a range of events designed to celebrate, explore and promote social mobility within our community.

Events include sessions on ‘How to network’, a ‘Conversation on Social Mobility at Imperial’ and Community Cafe, as well as a keynote with Professor Lee Elliot Major on ‘The Rise and Unravelling of Meritocratic Elites’.

Students attending one of the week’s events will be able to book a headshot appointment with a professional photographer. Spaces limited. First come first serve.

See the full range of events taking place during social mobility week and register here.

Imperial after:hours – day and evening classes for Imperial students and staff

Imperial after:hours is a programme of day and evening classes open to Imperial students and staff, and members of the public. Organised by the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication, we have classes in various languages, ranging from Arabic, French and German. to BSL, Hindi and Spanish, as well as a huge range of arts and humanities courses.

Maybe you have always wanted to learn to play acoustic guitar or understand the meaning of art, or perhaps you want to make art yourself, on one our painting, printmaking and craft courses. We have day schools as well, including day trips this autumn to the medieval sites of Canterbury, Faversham and London, and day classes in topics including Christopher Wren’s architecture and art therapy.

No previous experience is needed for any course, there are no assessments or exams, and you’ll find our tutors are knowledgeable, friendly and welcoming.

Full details on all courses is available at www.imperial.ac.uk/afterhours. Classes are enrolling now.

AI-Enhanced Storytelling for Impactful Presentations (16, 23 Oct, 06, 13 & 20 Nov 2025)

Discover how Artificial Intelligence can revolutionise your storytelling approach. This masterclass provides a comprehensive, hands-on exploration of how AI tools can transform the way you create, communicate, and evaluate powerful narratives.

Key Topics Covered

  • The role of AI in storytelling
  • Audience identification and persona development
  • Crafting compelling narratives with AI
  • Innovative problem-solving using AI
  • Communicating insights and key messages
  • Evaluating storytelling outcomes with AI
  • Collaborative storytelling with AI
  • Ethical considerations in AI storytelling
  • Presenting to peers and stakeholders (Capstone activity)

Click here for further information including course dates and how to book.

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Your Research (online)

What’s your research carbon footprint? While the average person in the UK emits 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, many academics emit more than 15 tonnes. To maintain safe and equitable boundaries, the planet needs us to emit only 2 tonnes per year.

Why do academics emit so much more than the average? In this interactive and non-judgmental workshop, we’ll consider how our energy use, digital activities, travel, diets, consumer habits, and research practices all contribute to our emissions. We’ll cover:

  • Why we need to urgently reduce our carbon footprint.
  • What science tells us about the impact of our activities.
  • How we can make changes to reduce carbon emissions.

By the end of this workshop, participants will have:

  • Insights into your current carbon footprint.
  • Practical actions you can take to reduce your emissions.
  • Tools for considering the impact of future activities

It’s never too late to get started! No judgement or pressure, just empowerment.

To sign-up to this course please register via ICIS: https://icisprd.ad.ic.ac.uk/ 

Once signed, go to ‘My training’ and search for ‘Carbon Footprint’ and follow the prompted steps to register.

Get Ready to participate in Horizon Europe in 2025 – opportunities, info and webinars

The European Commission will shortly be releasing its 2025 “Work Programme” in which it publicises all the calls for proposals it will release in 2025. It has recently announced several public Information Events where EC officers will describe the topics, supported by “brokerage” events run by collaboration platforms including National Contact Points, to help researchers meet potential partners with which to form a consortium.

A running list of these announcements is published on the Research Office’s VivaEngage channel

To support researchers who are new to Horizon Europe collaborations to navigate the multitude of events and opportunities, the Research Office’s EU Team is offering short webinars which are running in advance of the corresponding EC Information Event.

The first webinar on Research Collaborations is on Wednesday March 26 from 13.00 to 13.45 and we invite Principal Investigators to sign up here

Introduction to Mixed Methods Research Online Courses in 2025

Want to learn more about mixed methods research? Join us for an online course delivered by mixed methods experts, Dr Sarah Jasim and Dr Ruth Plackett, both senior researchers at LSE and UCL.

This course will guide you through the essential principles of mixed methods research, practical applications, and tips on how to start writing up your research. It’s an excellent opportunity for PhD students, post-docs, and other researchers to enhance their skills.

When:

  • Monday, February 24th (online)
  • Monday, October 20th (online)

Both sessions will run from 10 AM – 4 PM

Cost:

£200 for PhD students, £300 for post-docs and other researchers

Read more & Sign up here:  https://mixmethods2025.eventbrite.com

Imperial Academic Writing Sessions

Do you struggle to focus and get down to the task of writing due to the many other distractions of work and everyday life?

Academic writing is challenging. Even more challenging is focusing on writing with all the other work-related tasks that researchers and academics have to contend with. Frequent emails, meetings, teaching, capturing and analysing data, and of course other distractions such as social media, phone calls, etc. When it comes down to focusing on writing, it’s easy to procrastinate.

The Imperial Academic Writing Sessions team run a series of fortnightly sessions on Thursdays, 09:30-12:00, to give you dedicated time to work on a writing task of your choice, alongside a community of other Imperial researchers.

Our next session will be held online on the 3rd of October

Find out more and sign up here:

https://imperialcollegelondon.github.io/writing-sessions/

Or email us: writing-sessions@imperial.ac.uk

The London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP) – Training & Networking Opportunities

The London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP) provides training, development and networking opportunities for any social science doctoral student at King’s College, Queen Mary University or Imperial College. You do not need to be funded from the LISS DTP to benefit.

Register as a LISS DTP Affiliate to receive the regular newsletter and gain access to training and other activities. Sign up for Autumn Term courses now! Visit the LISS DTP Training Page for a complete list of online research methods training courses.

Questions? E-mail liss-dtp@kcl.ac.uk