Category: Courses & Workshops

CfAE ‘Speaking with Impact in STEMM’ sessions (Summer Term)

Are you coming up to an assessed viva, an assessed elevator pitch, an assessed project presentation or are you simply keen to work on your public speaking skills?

CfAE ‘Speaking with Impact in STEMM’ sessions are a structured programme to enhance your skills and boost your confidence in preparation for any presentation.

We are running 6 weekly sessions in the summer term. These are 50-minute on-campus sessions (South Kensington).

They are grouped into two blocks of three, but you are free to attend one, some or all sessions.

  1. Engaging your audience (Thursday 8 May 13.00-14.00)
  2. Using your voice (Thursday 15 May 13.00-14.00)
  3. Rehearse your presentation in our ‘Café Scientifique’  (Thursday 22 May 13.00-14.00)
  4. Building your narrative (Thursday 29 May 13.00-14.00)
  5. Guiding your audience (Thursday 5 June 13.00-14.00)
  6. Rehearse your presentation in our ‘Stand up and speak’ session (Thursday 12 June 13.00-14.00)

In addition, we offer 20-minute 1:1s, both online and on campus, if you would like individual advice on your presentation skills. Book here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/academic-english/speaking/advice/.

CfAE’s summer term ‘Writing a research paper’ sessions (May 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: 6 May

Writing a successful introduction: 13 May

Writing a successful results section: 20 May 

Writing a successful discussion and conclusions section: 27 May

Engaging with Entrepreneurship and Innovation Retreat for PhD Students – Monday 14 & Tuesday 15 July 2025, Hilton Kensington London (apply by midnight 9 May 2025)

Dear PhD students,

Imperial’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Doctoral Training Partnership will hold an Entrepreneurship and Innovation retreat in July developed by Imperial’s Enterprise Lab for PhD students –

Engaging with Entrepreneurship and Innovation Retreat

Dates: Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 July 2025

Location: Hilton Kensington London, Holland Park Avenue – accommodation including breakfast and lunch, will be provided.

 

This retreat in aimed at MRC funded PhD students, however, limited places are available free of charge for PhD students from departments across Imperial who are currently in year 2 or above. If you are interested, please use this form to apply for a place:  https://forms.office.com/e/2s1Gtu3DMz

The deadline for applications is midnight on 9 May 2025 and places will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis.  In the event of all places being taken before this date, a waiting list system will be used.

Below are the draft overview and learning objectives, however, final content may change.

Retreat Overview

This 2-day retreat, based in White City, is designed for PhD researchers from the MRC MultiSci Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) at Imperial College London. The retreat focuses on developing skills for translating complex scientific research into commercial opportunities and effectively communicating with industry partners, investors, and non-academic audiences.

Day 1: Customer Discovery & Market Testing

The first day focuses on self-reflection, career pathways, and commercialisation strategies. Participants explore their StandOut assessment results, engage in career planning activities, and learn about identifying commercial potential in their research. Through interactive workshops, they develop skills in customer discovery and market testing applicable to scientific innovations.

Day 2: Refining Your Story & Making an Impact

The second day emphasises communication skills, focusing on crafting compelling narratives and delivering impactful presentations. Participants learn storytelling techniques, work with a professional magician to enhance their stage presence and receive coaching on their pitches. The day culminates in a pitch session where participants present to a panel of industry experts for feedback.

Learning Outcomes

  • Leverage Personal Strengths for Professional Growth
  • Evaluate Commercial Potential of Research
  • Engage with Stakeholders and Validate Ideas
  • Communicate Complex Scientific Ideas Effectively
  • Develop Actionable Commercialisation Plans

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

Virtual ‘Introductory Medical Statistics’ course – 22 May (pm) – 23 May (am) 2025

The Introductory Medical Statistics course, held online, is an introduction to basic statistical concepts, and is run by statisticians and epidemiologists based at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), part of Imperial College.

It is suitable for doctors (including trainee grades), nurses, allied health professionals, clinical research fellows and postgraduate students.

Registration fees are as follows (VAT doesn’t apply):

  • MSc/PhD Students: £120
  • Academic/NHS/Charities: £190
  • Corporate/Other: £240

Booking link:

https://estore.imperial.ac.uk/product-catalogue/faculty-of-medicine/nhli/online-introductory-medical-statistics-course-may-2025

  • NB: Imperial College staff and students can pay via internal journal/transfer, using an Imperial finance code.  Please contact Magda Wheatley on wheatley@imperial.ac.uk for further details (you don’t then need to book online).

It will be held and recorded on Microsoft Teams, and recordings circulated afterwards.

Please note that places are offered on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis, and that we can accommodate 45 delegates only.

Further details can be seen on our website: https://www.medstatscourse.co.uk/

Six CPD points are currently sought.

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

Adult Education Classes – Arts, Languages, Humanities and Science – Open to all!

Evening Sessions starting in October – Arts, Languages, Humanities and Science – Open to all!

The Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication is now enrolling for its new adult education classes starting in October. The classes are open to all Imperial staff, students and the general public, and include courses in languages, practical arts, science, the arts and humanities.

Courses this year include Practical Gardening for Beginners, Art Therapy, Abstract Strategy Games, as well as courses such as Art History, Classical Music, Philosophy, Second World War History and Learning to Play Acoustic Guitar (to name but a few!)

There are also language courses for beginners and the more advanced, and an array of courses in practical art, to both excite and relax you.

For most courses you do not need any previous experience and you are welcome to join a class for mental stimulation, to improve your skills, or simply to make new friends and have fun. Everyone is welcome.

For full details visit http://www.imperial.ac.uk/adult-ed

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

Imperial after:hours – Language, Arts and Humanities Classes

Imperial after:hours is an evening class programme in languages, arts and humanities open to Imperial students, run by the Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication (CLCC). If you have ever wanted to learn a new language we offer beginners courses in Arabic, British Sign Language (BSL), French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, as well as advanced level classes for those who want to improve their language skills. We also run various practical arts and humanities courses, from painting and photography, to philosophy and psychology. No previous experience is necessary. Most classes are taught face to face, once a week, in the evenings at South Kensington Campus, with a small number offered online.

For full details and to enrol visit www.imperial.ac.uk/adult-ed