Tag: Doctoral Students

Doctoral Student Welcome Event – South Kensington (Weds 15 Oct 2025)

The Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI) would like to invite you to our upcoming Doctoral Student Welcome event, which will be held at South Kensington campus on Wednesday 15 October 2025.

This event will consist of introductory talks from the Director of ECRI, and a Welcome from the Provost and the Imperial College Union (ICU) President, this will be followed by refreshments and the chance to meet other students and researchers. There will also be information from support services within Imperial at the event for you to take away.

You will be given an overview of ECRI and our available initiatives from Dr Magdalena Jara, ECRI’s Head of Pedagogy, all of which are aimed at supporting you throughout your time here at Imperial. You will also hear directly from your Union representatives about the provision they have on offer and why it is vital for you to engage with them.

We look forward to you joining us at the event, further details are below.

Book via Inkpath using your Imperial Single-Sign-On

Doctoral Student Welcome 2025

Date: Wednesday 15 October 2025

Location: Lecture Theatre 200, City and Guilds Building, South Kensington Campus.

Schedule:

  • 13:00-13:05 – Welcome and Introduction from Professor George Constantinides (Director of the Early Career Researcher Institute)
  • 13:05-13:15 – Welcome from the Provost, Professor Peter Haynes
  • 13:15-13:20 Welcome from Imperial Union – ICU President
  • 13:20-13:30 Information about the Early Career Researcher Institutes Provision from Dr Magdalena Jara (Head of Pedagogy, Early Career Researcher Institute)
  • 13:30-13:45 – Q&A panel with current Doctoral students
  • 13:45-14:45 – Refreshments and opportunity to talk to: Support Services, Representatives at stands

13:45-14:45 – Tea, Coffee and Cakes will be available!

*Please note that this is event is open to Postgraduate Doctoral students only.

 

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 2025Presentation 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)

Great Exhibition Road Festival 2026 – Open for your ideas! (deadline: 03 Nov)

Do you want to engage thousands of people with your research? Develop your communication skills, have fun, and help create something truly inspiring? Then be part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2026!

We’re delighted to announce that the Great Exhibition Road Festival – our flagship public event – will return on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June 2026. And from today Imperial staff and students are invited to submit ideas for this weekend celebration of art, science, and innovation.

The 2025 Festival welcomed over 55,000 visitors to South Kensington to enjoy a vibrant programme of imaginative workshops, live experiments, hands-on demonstrations, and artistic performances—brought to life by around 1,000 Imperial contributors. In 2026, we aim to go even further and reach 60,000 visitors, making this our most ambitious and impactful Festival yet.

This year’s Festival coincides with a landmark moment: the 175th anniversary of the opening of the Great Exhibition of 1851. We’ll be marking this anniversary throughout the weekend, and we especially welcome proposals that explore stories connected to the Great Exhibition itself, or the 175 years of science, culture, and innovation that have shaped South Kensington since.

More details for teams interested in contributing to this theme can be found in the 2026 Festival guidance document, which also outlines what we’re looking for in proposals, the support available to contributors, the audiences we aim to attract, and the kind of experience we hope to create—for both visitors and participants.

To help shape your ideas, we also recommend attending our online advice session on 20 October, where you’ll hear directly from the Festival organisers, learn more about the proposals process, and receive feedback on your concepts and any logistical questions.

🗓️ Proposal deadline: End of day, Monday 3 November 2025

📩 Submit your proposal

📚 Guidance document

📚 Advice session registration

We recognise that online forms can present barriers for some contributors—for example, due to language or neurodiversity. If this applies to you, we’re happy to receive your ideas via email, phone, or in-person meeting. Please contact James Romero, Public Engagement Programmes Manager at j.romero@imperial.ac.uk to arrange an alternative submission method.

Great Exhibition Road Festival Team

Imperial College London

Horizon Europe 2026/2027 Work Programmes – Internal Events Series

Horizon Europe is the European Commission’s ninth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.

To help ensure that those working at Imperial are able to fully capitalise on the opportunities, we will be running a series of short sessions to go through the various opportunities on offer within Horizon Europe Pillar 2. These sessions will provide a general overview of the available funding according to the different areas within Pillar 2 with more bespoke sessions on specific themes to be run from January. 2026.

Cluster 1: Health, 5 November 14:00-15:30 in ASL 5.07 – SALC 7 

Cluster 1 aims to improve and protect the health and well-being of citizens of all ages by generating new knowledge, developing innovative solutions and integrating where relevant a gender perspective to prevent, diagnose, monitor, treat and cure diseases. Cluster 1 also aims to develop health technologies, mitigate health risks, protect populations and promote good health and well-being in general and at work. Funding opportunities include but are not limited to: health throughout the life course, environmental and social health determinants, and non-communicable and rare diseases.

Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society, 10 November 10:00-11:00 in ASL 5.05 – SALC 5

Cluster 3 aims to protect, prevent and ensure preparedness for a wide range of threats, including natural, accidental and human-made disaster, leading to a safer, prepared and more secure Europe. Funding opportunities include but are not limited to preventing and protecting against crime and terrorism, border management, infrastructure security, cybersecurity and improving disaster resilience.

Cluster 4: Digital, Industry and Space, 13 November 10:00-11:00 in ASL 5.07 SALC 7

Cluster 4 aims to advance manufacturing technologies, with a focus on energy-intensive industrial sectors, to support their transformation towards net-zero emissions. Funding opportunities include but are not limited to fostering leadership in digital and key enabling technologies, such as quantum, photonics, cybersecurity, robotics, virtual worlds, space technologies, and AI, as well as reducing dependencies on critical raw materials. Funding calls also cover developing and using space based secure communication, navigation and Earth observation services and applications.

Cluster 5:  Climate, Energy and Mobility, 19 November 14:00-15:00 in ASL 5.09 SALC 9 

Cluster 5 aims to enable the necessary shift in the energy and mobility sectors and capitalises on the digital transformation to accelerate climate neutrality by 2050. The funding calls aim to close major knowledge gaps related to climate change, improve energy storage technologies (including batteries) and supply chains, develop more efficient use of energy in buildings and industry, and develop clean mobility solutions.

Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, 26 November 14:00-15:00 in ASL 5.06 – SALC 6

Cluster 6 aims to reduce environmental degradation, halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity on land, inland waters and sea and better manage natural resources through transformative changes of the economy and society in both urban and rural areas. It will ensure food and nutrition security for all within planetary boundaries through knowledge, innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture and food systems and steer and accelerate the transition to a low carbon, resource efficient circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy, including forestry. Funding opportunities include but are not limited to: environmental observation, biodiversity and natural resources, and agriculture, forestry and rural areas.

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

Friday Forum (24 October 2025)

All early career researchers are warmly invited to the next Friday Forum, on October 24, which is titled ‘What is Socially-Responsible Science? What is Science for Humanity’. Friday Forums are in-person only, with lunch included, and are excellent opportunities to meet colleagues from across the College. Venue SAFB 122.

All early career researchers wish their work to be valuable to society, and this Friday Forum explores how in fact we can know the worth of our research. We have a great panel, consisting of Professor Dot Griffiths, Professor Stephen Curry, Professor Marisa Miraldo and Viv Kuh. Come with your ideas, ready to discuss the ethics of science. Friday Forums are a VPRE-led initiative and are funded by Research England.

Find out more & Register

October Focus Groups for Sustainability Strategy

You are invited to register for a focus group to discuss the proposed Sustainability Strategy 2026-2031.

Sign up via the link here. The list of dates/times/locations are as follows:

  • Monday 6 October 10:00-10:45, SALC 7 (access through Sherfield building), South Kensington
  • Monday 6 October 14:00-14:45, Online
  • Tuesday 7 October 10:00-10:45, Lynne Cox Boardroom Mediaworks, White City
  • Tuesday 7 October 12:00-12:45, G41 The Invention Rooms, White City
  • Thursday 9 October 10:00-10:45, Grantham Institute Boardroom, South Kensington

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available!

Climate Literacy Training (Oct 2025 to July 2026 dates available)

Climate change is one of the biggest problems our society is facing today. Sustainable Imperial is on a mission to help staff and students understand climate change: why it’s happening, it’s impacts on our planet and what we can all do about it.

The Climate Literacy Training sessions and Climate Fresk workshops are scheduled throughout the year and are now open for registration for staff and postgraduate students. You can also register your interest in organising a bespoke session for your team.

Climate Literacy Training

Climate Literacy Training is a half-day, action-packed course comprised of lecture, discussions and group quiz sections – teams can even win prizes!

Climate Fresk

Climate Fresk workshops are interactive, hands-on workshops where participants puzzle together the pieces of climate change’s causes and effects.

Register here!

Open-source Jam: First step into open-source (22 Oct)

Wednesday 22 October 2025, 14.00-16.00, South Kensington

On the 22 October Imperial’s Research Software Engineering community will be hosting Open-Source Jam, a hands-on in-person event for MSc students, PhD researchers, and postdoctoral staff who want to take their first steps into open-source contributions.

The event will be free but registration is required.

Funded Grantham Institute PhD internships with start-ups working with algae – The Grantham Institute (Apply by Sunday 12 October)

The Grantham Institute is funding three paid internships focused on algae research, due to a donation for work in this area. The work will be with one of the companies that completed The Greenhouse accelerator programme, based at Undaunted. Please see the attached for further info. To note, the deadline to apply is Sunday 12 October.

Link for further information and how to apply: GI_PhD Algae Internships_ Sep 2025 (003)