Tag: Research Staff

Distinguished Guest Lecture: Rethinking Research: The Role of Humans in Scientific Discovery in the Age of LLMs* (04 Feb 2026)

Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FRS, Vice-President (Research & Innovation) and ARM Professor of Computer Engineering at King’s College London

Wednesday 4th February | 16:00-18:00 | LT229 &  Level 2 Concourse, Blackett Building | South Kensington Campus

Please note that from 17:00-18:00 a drinks reception will be held on the Level 2 Concourse, Blackett Building, SK Campus

Complete the short online form to register your place. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) are rapidly reshaping the landscape of scientific discovery. These technologies demonstrate the enormous potential of AI to accelerate research. Yet, they also signal a profound change in how research is conceived, conducted, and communicated, along with how doctoral students and researchers are supervised and intellectually developed.

This evolving landscape demands a re-examination of the human role in research. The human–AI relationship in research must rest on mutual critique, trust, and collaboration. Researchers should rigorously assess AI-generated outputs through their own expertise, while using LLMs to test, challenge, and refine their arguments and hypotheses. This reciprocal ensures that AI acts as an augmentative partner rather than a replacement in the pursuit of scientific knowledge.

Rather than offering definitive conclusions, this talk aims to stimulate dialogue, question assumptions, and inspire new ways of collective thinking about the future of scientific research and PhD training in an AI-driven world.

*This presentation was prepared by human, augmented by LLMs

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Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi is a distinguished Professor of Engineering, academic leader, and entrepreneur. He has served as Vice President for Research & Innovation at King’s College London since 2022 and holds the Arm Professorship of Computer Engineering (since 2007). His work in hardware–software co-design and energy-efficient computing has shaped modern digital technologies, with innovations used in billions of smartphones worldwide.

Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Sir Bashir is a highly cited researcher with 400 publications, eight books, and 52 supervised PhDs. His honours include the IET Faraday Medal (2020) and the IEEE–HKN Asad M. Madni Award (2025). He was knighted by HM King Charles III in 2025 and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

Enquiries

For any further enquiries regarding this guest lecture, please email the Early Career Researcher Institute (ECRI).

Complete the short online form to register your place. 

Courses in STATA, SPSS, R and MATLAB from Statistical Advisory Service (January 2026)

Discounted registration fees for Imperial College members. Registration fees are further reduced for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Registration can be done using the links below. Alternatively, you can register using grant/project code using internal journal transfer.

Contact us on stathelp@imperial.ac.uk for any queries.

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Course Outline: No previous knowledge of STATA is required to attend this course. This is a half-day practical PC-based course which will go through basics to get started with STATA.

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7WzOMLSEn9W9wJE

 

Course Outline: No previous knowledge of SPSS is required to attend this course. This is a half-day practical PC-based course which will go through basics to get started with SPSS.

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cTpefYc2g6439ky

 

Course Outline: A command-based workshop which will go through basics of R with further emphasis on data management and manipulation. Firstly, introducing participants with R, a command-driven language for statistical analysis, then progressing from data entry to data management and manipulation using the widely popular “tidyverse” package, finally, visualisation of data using the “ggplot2” package.

Entry requirements: No previous knowledge of R is required to attend the course.

CPD Credits: 12 Credits

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8HX9pwD9tTvJoyi

 

Course Outline: Based on one-day Introduction to Statistics using SPSS and two-days Data Management and Statistical Analysis using SPSS courses, this VLE course will give one-month unlimited access to all materials plus Tutor support. The guided walkthroughs explain how certain tasks can be done in the SPSS software while going through the theory.

Register via link: https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_795G5Gfpicb8Wyy

 

Course Outline: A half-day command-based workshop will go through basics of R. The course will focus on the essentials required to get started with R.

Entry requirements: No previous knowledge of R is required to attend the course.

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aYpjYTehI4zY5Wm

 

Course Outline: Not related to any specific area of research, this course is aimed for first-time users. This practical PC based course, will introduce you to some of the many useful MATLAB features, focusing on the one’s which are most useful for programming.

Entry requirements: No previous knowledge of MATLAB is required to attend the course.

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1AmImiYYpj0dv4G

 

Course Outline: A two-days practical PC-based workshop, which will go through basic statistical methods with further emphasis on data management. Firstly, familiarising participants with STATA, and progressing from data entry and presentation to 1 and 2 sample tests, one-way ANOVA and simple regression.

Entry requirements: No previous knowledge of STATA is required to attend the course.

CPD Credits: 12 Credits

Register via link : https://imperial.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bNFL4TsGhT1DvdY

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Statistical Advisory Service, Imperial College London provides statistical advice via one-to-one consultations. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/stats-advice-service/consult/

For information about all courses offered by us, please visit our website https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/stats-advice-service/courses/

Help shape Open Research training at Imperial and beyond

Can you help address challenges like the reproducibility crisis and publish-or-perish culture? Complete a short survey on awareness and use of Open Research practices – it takes less than five minutes.

We’re sharing this opportunity on behalf of Dr Hamid Khan, Imperial’s Open Research Manager and Local Network Lead (LNL) for the UK Reproducibility Network. The survey is being conducted along with LNLs across the country to identify areas for initiatives and training across institutions.

To take part, you can be a researcher in any discipline or career stage, including academic staff, research staff and doctoral students. Any researcher can take part, even if you are completely unaware of Open Research/Open Science – this is intended to help identify gaps in knowledge.

Click here to take part in the survey

The study has received approval from the Brunel Research Ethics Office (30088-A-Jan/2025- 53666-1). Responses will be anonymous and confidential.

To explore how Open Research can benefit you, your research and wider society, get in touch with Hamid in Library Services. He and his team can equip you with the confidence, skills and tools to embed transparency, equity, accessibility and reliability at every stage of your research.

Volunteer as a Judge for Speaking for Tomorrow 2026 (deadline: 23 Jan)

Speaking for Tomorrow is happening on 7 February 2026 at Imperial. Secondary and sixth form students will present their ideas on global sustainability challenges across subjects like Engineering, Medicine, Computer Science, and Economics. The team are looking for staff volunteers to serve as judges and help guide these young innovators. Flexible time slots are available throughout the day. Why not get involved to spark change, connect with industry leaders, and inspire the next generation!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/aqZZwEHRQvmjXrj6A (closes 23 January)

For questions, contact: sustainapod@gmail.com. You can also see a recap of last year’s event on LinkedIn.

NIHR Career Development Event: Thriving in Transition: 29 January

The third NIHR career development hybrid event for post-doctoral researchers titled “Thriving in Transition”, will be held between 10am and 4.00pm on Thursday 29th January in Central Manchester.

The event will cover:

  • A panel talking about navigating transition
  • Breakouts covering research identity and visibility
  • Talks on transitioning knowledge to change
  • The chance to meet and network with others at a similar career stage

Planned by a group at this career stage, the day-long hybrid conference will support post-doctoral researchers from all fields of health and social care research to successfully navigate this pivotal, and sometimes challenging, stage of their career.

The event will be open to any researchers at a postdoctoral career stage or in the final year of their PhD interested in pursuing their career with NIHR. If the event is oversubscribed, in-person places will be selected to achieve a balance of attendees.

To register for both in person and virtual places, please complete the registration form via the link below. It also includes further details about the day.

The registration form for the event is open via this link

Please note that in-person registrations are scheduled to close on 14th January; however, we encourage registrations before the Christmas break where possible so that we can confirm your place and you can make travel arrangements. Virtual registration will stay open until the day before the event.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Manchester. Any questions, please make contact via ICBS@nihr.ac.uk.

The Post Doctoral Event Planning Committee

Grantham Institute Climate Research Showcase 2026 (submission deadline: 04 Feb)

The Grantham Institute’s Climate Research Showcase returns on Wednesday 4 March 2026, bringing together Imperial’s world-leading climate research and innovation community to exchange ideas, foster collaboration and accelerate action on climate.

Submissions are now open to take part in the Showcase!

Present your research poster, host a participatory workshop and connect with climate experts from across college working to advance multidisciplinary science and solutions.

Find out more about how to take part and register to attend here.

 

Mindful Scientific Writing workshop (21 Jan 2026)

Feeling stressed about writing?
Finding it hard to focus?
Interruptions and deadlines getting in the way?

You’re not alone!

Writing is the currency of academia. It is how we communicate ideas, secure funding, build careers, and create impact. Yet, for most researchers, writing can seem like a side task – unintuitive, draining, and something that’s often pushed to the bottom of the list. It is rarely taught as a skill to be practiced mindfully or sustainably; more often it’s something we dread, delay, or approach under stress. This can lead to burnout, reduced productivity, and poor mental health.

This workshop aims to change that narrative. Designed for all Early Career Researchers at Imperial College London, the Mindful Scientific Writing Workshop will offer practical strategies for building a sustainable writing practice rooted in focus, self-compassion, and clarity.

Participants will learn how to manage time, energy, and cognitive load while still making tangible progress on their most important writing projects without sacrificing their well-being.

The workshop will combine a 1-hour live-streamed ‘Mindful scientific writing and productivity for scientists’ session by the wonderful Ana Pineda (ifocusandwrite.com) with a 2-hour group writing session to reflect, plan, and work on your own writing without distraction.

Wednesday, 21st January 2026
Workshop: 13:00-14:00 PM
Writing Club: 14:00 – 16:00 PM

Join us in-person or online

Silwood Park, Hamilton Birch/Oak
South Kensington, TBC

Link: DoLS Write Club | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

If you have any questions, please contact Vivienne – vgroner@ic.ac.uk

The workshop is supported by ECR Community Fund.

Take part in the UK Reproducibility Network’s Open Research Survey!

Dear colleagues

I am Imperial College London’s Local Network Lead (LNL) for the UK Reproducibility Network, and I would like to invite you to complete a short survey to identify current awareness and use of Open Research practices. This will take less than 5 minutes.

This survey is being conducted along with LNLs across the country to identify areas for initiatives and training across UK institutions. To take part, you can be a researcher in any discipline or career stage, including academic staff, research staff and doctoral students. We would like to hear from any researcher, even if you are completely unaware of Open Research/Open Science – this is intended to help us identify where there are gaps in knowledge.

Click here to take part in the survey

The study has received approval from the Brunel Research Ethics Office (30088-A-Jan/2025- 53666-1), and all responses will be anonymous and confidential.

Thank you in advance for taking part.

To discuss how you can embed Open Research into your research in a meaningful way – to address challenges like the reproducibility crisis, publication bias, research waste and publish-or-perish culture – get in touch with me via the details in my signature.

Best wishes

Hamid

Dr Hamid Khan

Open Research Manager, Imperial College London

Local Network Lead, UK Reproducibility Network

 

Library Services

Imperial College London

South Kensington Campus

Abdus Salam Library

London SW7 2AZ

E  hamid.khan@imperial.ac.uk

Call for Participants: PhD research on intersectionality of neurodivergence and gender in teamworking environments

My PhD research explores the intersectionality of neurodivergence and gender in teamworking environments, focusing on research teams within UK academia. I am currently looking for people interested to participate in my main study. This involves a semi-structured interview of approx. 60 minutes and a short pre-interview questionnaire. All gender identities are welcome, this research is trans and non-binary inclusive and values diverse perspectives and experiences. You do not need to have disclosed your neurodivergence to anyone in your team.

Criteria to participate:

  1. You work in an academic research team in the UK
  2. AND you identify as neurodivergent (incl. autism, ADHD, Tourette’s Syndrome, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia). Medical and self-diagnosis welcome.

How do you benefit from participating?

  • you take an active role in knowledge building on neurodivergence and gender
  • you contribute to identifying ways to make research more inclusive
  • it is an opportunity to openly talk about your experiences, good and bad, in an anonymised way!

How to take part:

If you are interested in participating, are not sure if you meet the criteria, or would like to find out more, please get in touch with me via email: L.Biermann@hw.ac.uk

Department of Mechanical Engineering Research Showcase (11 Feb 2026)

The Department of Mechanical Engineering Research Showcase 2026 is taking place on 11 February and the guest speaker will be Alan Newby, Director of Research & Technology at Rolls-Royce plc.

Schedule

15:00 – Lecture Theatre 200, City & Guilds Building: Mechanical Engineering research topics

Talks to be given by Mechanical Engineering staff:

  • Dr Sina Stapelfeldt- “Aeroelastic phenomena in aircraft engines“
  • Dr Paul Hooper– “From data deluge to actionable insights: Enabling Real-Time Quality Assurance in Metal Additive Manufacturing”
  • Dr Matt Eaton– “Nuclear future”

16:00 – Level 2 Concourse, City & Guilds Building : Tea/Coffee and Poster presentations

17:30 – CAGB LT 200: Invited lecture with Alan Newby

18:00 – CAGB Level 2 Concourse: Refreshments

Find out more & Register