Category: Courses & Workshops

LERU Doctoral Summer School | KU Leuven University | 6 – 11 September 2026

Inter-, Multi- and Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Health
KU Leuven University | 6 – 11 September 2026 

Application deadline: Thursday 04 December 2025 @ 11:00 UTC

The LERU Doctoral Summer School at KU Leuven seeks to foster increased cooperation in research on health across all academic disciplines and in tandem with extra-academic partners. The timing is fortunate, since 2026 also sees the opening of Leuven’s new Vesalius Museum of science, healthcare and society. Participants in the Summer School will be invited to join in pre-opening trial runs of the permanent exhibition and share their critical assessments in dedicated sessions of the Summer School programme.  

Andreas Vesalius is an ideal patron scientist for a new generation of doctoral researchers from all disciplines of LERU’s comprehensive universities. Some 500 years ago, he entered Leuven University where he studied Arts before switching to Medicine in Paris five years later. Returning to Leuven, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the 10th -century Persian physician and polymath Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, and a few years later, having moved to Basel, made his lasting mark with the publication of the groundbreaking work on human anatomy De Humani Corporis Fabrica (1543). As a physician and humanist who collaborated with artists, Andreas Vesalius exemplifies the value of multidisciplinary knowledge-making. His life and work offer an inspiring frame for addressing fundamental questions about life, health, science and scholarship today.  

The LERU Doctoral Summer School 2026 welcomes participants from all disciplines whose research focusses principally on health broadly conceived or promises to lend itself to extension to health research. Day One features expert surveys on inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary health research and on research-based public engagement initiatives on health, as well as a presentation of the Vesalius Museum, whose permanent exhibition will serve to loosely structure the Summer School programme. Days Two, Three and Four feature morning sessions by leading health researchers and afternoon sessions devoted to museum testings and group project work facilitated by local experts. On the final day, groups finalise their presentations and share their projects with university leaders, academics and guests.  

During lunch breaks, there will be poster sessions on LERU Health Institutes and Young Researchers’ Careers Initiatives.  

We aim for a course that corresponds to approximately 5 ECTS. 

Please review the course advert for the preliminary timetable and further details.  

Costs and course format 

The registration fee for the programme is €600, which will cover materials, catering and accommodation during the programme.   

Imperial will provide funding of £1000 towards the costs of participation for the nominated student. This includes the registration fee (€600) and a contribution towards travel (up to £450 can be claimed for return flights/train travel from London to Leuven and visa costs). Participants will be expected to cover any costs above £1000.  

This course will be delivered on-site at KEU Leuven in Belgium. Participants should take the entry requirements into account, including vaccination requirements and visas, when arranging travel to Belgium.  

 Application information 

Imperial has one guaranteed place on the summer school. 

As part of the application, you will be asked to provide a statement of motivation (maximum 500 words). The selected candidate will later be asked to provide a statement of motivation and up-to-date CV which will be shared with LERU.  

Who can apply? 

The summer school is for intermediate to advanced doctoral candidates in all fields of academia. Doctoral students who are at a later stage of their PhD will benefit from the learning environment that challenges their thinking into new directions through cross-disciplinary perspectives. Candidates should be highly motivated to work intensively on this project in an international and interdisciplinary team. All sessions will be conducted in English. 

Imperial College participants must: 

  • Be a current doctoral student (from any discipline)  
  • Be more than 18 months into their PhD at the time the course takes place 
  • Be available for the entire duration of the Summer School, and must be prepared to take part in all activities 
  • Be willing to prepare by completing any preparatory readings prior to the course  

Successful applicants will: 

  • Be strongly motivated to engage with the programme theme of ‘Inter-, Multi- and Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Health’.  
  • Be able to explain what they hope to gain from the experience 
  • Be keen to connect with fellow doctoral students in international and multidisciplinary group work 
  • Be willing to communicate their experiences to peers and colleagues at Imperial afterwards 
  • Be able to demonstrate an interest in building international networks 
  • Be willing to be a good ambassador for Imperial 

How to apply? 

Applications are now open via the online Application Form.  

The application deadline is Thursday 4th December 2025, 11am UTC.    

Any additional queries, please contact: irop@imperial.ac.uk  

Please note that it is not possible to provide feedback on individual applications.  

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.

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

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