Tag: Research Staff

Summer Term Day and Evening Classes: Arts, Humanities & Languages

Join us in South Kensington this summer on one of our exciting day and evening classes in the arts, humanities and languages.

From Introductory French to Beginners Watercolours and British Sign Language to Discovering Art Therapy, we have a wide range of courses designed to educate, inform and entertain.

No previous experience is needed in any subject, so whether you fancy taking up printmaking as a hobby, starting that novel you know you have inside you, or you’ve always wanted to know the secrets of modern art, you’ll find a course here for you.

Enrolling now – for full details visit http://www.imperial.ac.uk/adult-ed

Volunteer at Bugs, Birds & Beasts Day (deadline: 16 May 2025)

Every summer we hold a nature activity day for all the family, Bugs, Birds & Beasts Day, hosted outdoors at our beautiful rural campus in Silwood Park, Ascot. Visitors find out how bugs, birds and beasts enrich our lives: watching live bird eggs develop and hatch, marvelling at falconry displays, taking part and discovering wonderful facts about the creatures all around us on bug hunts. There’s something for everyone, from pond-dipping to Jurassic Lab exhibits.

In recent years we’ve welcomed over 600 visitors to Silwood for the event, inspiring the scientists of tomorrow and enhancing their interest in nature. Each year the event becomes more and more popular, so this year we are branching out, expanding our exhibitions and stalls so that we can welcome even more visitors to our campus to find out about the fascination of science!

We can only run the event with the help of our amazing cohort of volunteers down at Silwood Park – and this year we are opening up the volunteer opportunity to ALL Imperial staff and students! It’s a great way to try something new, gain experience and enjoy an unforgettable summer’s day out in the countryside. There are roles from meeting and greeting, signposting, getting volunteers to and from the shuttle bus and helping our exhibitors with their stalls.

Volunteers will get a funky Bugs Day branded T-shirt, a delicious BBQ lunch and coach transport whizzing them to and from Silwood from South Kensington/White City. They will also get time to explore the festival and a special thank you gift.

“Bugs, Birds & Beasts Day is one of my favourite days of the academic year. It’s really rewarding and fun to share my love of science and interact with local people” – Professor James Rosindell

Want more information on what to expect?

Take a look at our promotional film

Check out the Imperial Volunteering FAQs.

Sign up to register your interest now!

Don’t miss the deadline of Friday 16 May – the earlier you sign up the more choice you’ll have in where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing; you can also volunteer with a friend by selecting the same type of shift when you sign up!

Scaling Science: Learn from Imperial’s Entrepreneur Elite (23 April 2025)

You’re invited to an exclusive gathering of scientific minds and market disruptors on Tuesday, 23rd April 2025. In collaboration with Giant Ventures, we’re bringing together some of Imperial’s most groundbreaking entrepreneurs for an evening that promises to inspire your own research-to-market venture building journey.

Featured Speakers Who’ve Walked Your Path:

Enjoy a thought-provoking fireside chat featuring Professor Terry Rudolph – who transformed his Imperial quantum physics research into PsiQuantum, now a $6 billion Silicon Valley powerhouse. This candid discussion will focus on the practical journey from lab to market – including challenges of transitioning from academia to startups, building world-class teams, and translating complex science into viable businesses.

The conversation will be led by Georgia Ritter of Giant Ventures, an accomplished podcast host featured in Esquire & GQ.

Panel Discussion on Scaling Science-Driven Ventures:

Following the fireside chat, join us for a dynamic panel discussion chaired by Jia Lin Yong, Investor at Giant Ventures and former Chief of Staff at Babylon Health.

The panel will feature early and growth-stage founders, including:

  • Anna Luisa Schaffgotsch – Founder & CEO of Impli, whose innovative implantable biosensors for at-home hormone monitoring recently secured a partnership with pharmaceutical giant Bayer
  • Glen Gowers – Co-founder of Basecamp Research, who has raised over £65m since 2020 building what’s being called the “GPT of biology” – the world’s largest AI-driven biodiversity database

Why This Matters to Your Research Career:

Rather than diving into technical specifics, this event focuses on the human and practical aspects of turning research into real-world impact. You’ll gain valuable insights on navigating the founder journey, building teams, raising investment and creating high-impact ventures.

Expect bold ideas, candid stories, and tangible advice on scaling science-driven ventures.

Following the panel, join our curated networking session where you’ll connect with potential collaborators, investors specifically interested in early-stage deep tech, and fellow researchers who’ve successfully commercialized their work.

📅 Date: 23 April 2025
⏰ Time: From 5 PM
📍 Location: Imperial College London

Spaces are limited—secure your spot now!

REGISTER

Neurodiversity Week (05-09 May 2025)

Join us for Neurodiversity Week (5-9 May), a week of celebrations of neurodiversity across Imperial. Hosted by the Faculty of Natural Sciences but open to all staff and students, the week includes talks, games, panel discussions and community events focused on inclusion, lived experience and practical strategies for supporting neurodivergent people in STEM.

Highlights include a keynote by theoretical physicist Professor Heather Logan on navigating academia as an autistic person, a hands-on puzzle challenge to explore alternative forms of learning from Imperial’s Playful Learning Group, a student-staff Q&A panel on thriving at Imperial, and a Neurodiversity Café with stalls, refreshments and space to connect.

Whether you’re neurodivergent yourself, an ally, or just curious to learn more, all are welcome. You can view the full programme of events for the week and register for them here

Employer Insight session: Environment Agency (23 April 2025)

During this fireside chat-style session, Emily Fallon, National Framework Water Resources Modelling Lead (and former postdoc), and Pam Reynolds, Training and Skills Senior Advisor, will provide an insight into day-to-day work at the Environmental Agency, with a particular focus on Water Resources. They’ll cover the value which skills developed through academic research add to their organisation – and how you can showcase these in non-academic job applications. They’ll also be talking about the transition from academia into industry, top tips for preparing for this transition and the practicalities of a career with the EA.

There will also be opportunity to ask your own questions by submitting them in advance or using the chat during the session.

Wednesday 23rd April, online, 12-12.45pm

For more info and to register: https://bit.ly/41H1Z14

Make graduation magical – Volunteer on 02 June & 03 June 2025

We are excited to invite you to volunteer for Graduation Days 2025 which will take place on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 June 2025.

We are inviting over 7,000 graduands and their guests to one of five ceremonies across the two days and we are looking for some fabulous volunteers to help the Graduation Events team deliver this exciting and special occasion.

Our mission is to create powerful, happy memories for our graduands after all the hard work they have put into their degree. The question is, can you help us achieve this?

Key Information

  • Registration is open from Friday 7 March – Friday 16 May 2025
  • Read more about becoming a volunteer on our website
  • Click on this link to find out more about shift times
  • Both staff and students are welcome to volunteer
  • Full briefings are provided prior to the event 
  • BENEFITS
    • Free lunch, free drink, and free snacks on the day
    • A Volunteer Thank You event with refreshments on Wednesday 11 June 2025
    • Every volunteer who signs-up and attends their shift will be automatically entered into a prize draw. Volunteer for both days and double your chances of winning!

Whether you can help for a full day or just a few hours, we would love to hear from you! So please sign up to support us by filling in the Registration Form.

If you have any queries at all, please contact us at graduationvolunteers@imperial.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to help.

Come and be the magic behind the moment, we can’t wait to have you on board!

Inclusivity in the field: workshopping challenges & solutions – Department of Life Sciences (30 April 2025)

Join us for a workshop exploring the barriers to inclusive fieldwork and practical strategies to overcome them. Open to Imperial and external university staff and PGR students across the life sciences, ecology, geosciences, and beyond.

🗓️ Morning: World café discussion on key inclusivity challenges
🗣️ Afternoon: 10-minute presentations from attendees sharing experiences and best practice

We welcome diverse voices, disciplines, and fieldwork contexts — from local day trips to international residentials, teaching and research alike. We are also looking for a range of presenters so if you’d like to share your experiences then please sign-up to present!

📍Booking and details here: https://outlook.office365.com/book/LifeSciencesCommunityEventsBookings@ImperialLondon.onmicrosoft.com/s/XDA5xBOUOk6YFZ1pYyX_qg2

PhD student satisfaction – Does being a good PhD supervisor matter?

PhD student satisfaction – Does being a good PhD supervisor matter?

An Online Discussion from the UKCGE Research Supervisors’ Network – Thursday 1 May. 13.00-14.00

Led by the UKCGE Research Supervisors’ Network, this event will explore the role of supervisors’ supportiveness, rather than their academic ability, as a key driver of PhD student satisfaction.

Studies have consistently shown that the very high PhD student attrition rate of 40–50% across all disciplines is due directly or indirectly to the level and quality of support that PhD students receive from their School/​Department/​University and their supervisory team. This may be unsurprising, as the bespoke, individualised nature of PhD study renders the kinds of common teaching and learning approaches and strategies developed for UG or PGT programmes largely ineffective.

There is now an impetus for supervisors to look at how PhD students can be supported at an individual-level, and what Schools/​Universities can strategically do to improve the overall experience of PhD students. Based on Dr Phua’s research into the importance of the overall departmental environment in PhD student satisfaction, this event will explore the role of supervisors’ supportiveness, rather than their academic ability, as a key driver of PhD student satisfaction.

The event will involve a presentation by Dr Phua, followed by an ​‘Action Learning Set’ structure to discuss key challenges related to PhD student satisfaction.

Imperial are members, so this is free. More info:

https://ukcge.ac.uk/events/research-supervisors-may25#book-tickets

Human and Artificial Intelligence School of Convergence Science

Co-creation workshops for the Human and Artificial Intelligence School of Convergence Science

These workshops will bring together ideas from across the university to identify key research themes and explore emerging trends in AI. Through interactive activities and discussions, we will collaborate to shape the development of the School of Human and Artificial Intelligence while fostering a strong, connected community. Each session will also include dedicated networking time, offering attendees the chance to connect and share insights with one another.

Registration: To register for these workshops, please complete the following MS Forms survey: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=B3WJK4zudUWDC0-CZ8PTB0xvPFptAaNDj-inLWxSBthUQ1paSldPOTUyUVU2QjJWTzJHWVBSNllLTy4u&route=shorturl

Further information will be provided upon registration. There are only 30 spots available for these events. Registrations will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Secure your spot before they fill up.

  • Workshop 1 – Interfacing with intelligence – Date: Thu 3 April, 9-12pm – Location: White City (I-Hub, I-X, Level 6, LTR 608)
  • Workshop 2 – Augmented Intelligence for future society and wellbeing – Date: Thu 3, April 2.30-5.30pm – Location: White City (I-Hub, I-X, Level 6, LTR 608)
  • Workshop 3 – Embodied intelligence – Date: Fri 4 April, 9-12pm – Location: South Kensington (SKEM 315)
  • Workshop 4 – Science of Intelligence – Fri 4 April, 1-4pm – Location: South Kensington (Room 315, Huxley)

Shaping the School of Convergence Science – Sustainability Workshops

Join us for an interactive workshop to help shape the future of the School of Convergence – Sustainability through engaging discussions and collaborative activities. Connect with colleagues, share insights, and explore emerging sustainability trends.

Workshop dates:

Don’t miss this opportunity—register now!

Please note this event is for Imperial Staff members (professional services staff and academic staff).