The Month Ahead
Events and initiatives coming up in the month ahead
Researcher Development Programme
We have been reviewing our attendance figures and feedback for the autumn term, and are thrilled to see an increase in the number of doctoral researchers attending our workshops, and using our online modules. From the 298 feedback forms we received last term, we can see that 96% of attendees would recommend our workshops to other doctoral researchers, and 83% of our workshops have been rated as excellent or very good. We are always keen to receive feedback, and to act upon your suggestions for refining sessions or covering new areas, so please do continue to let us know what you think.
Laura Chapman and myself manage the programme from within the Doctoral School, and are lucky to work with tutors from within the professional services and research community across Sussex. If you have teaching experience, and a particular skill or expertise that you think other doctoral researchers would benefit from learning about, do get in touch with us.
Workshops coming up in February are listed below
6th Feb- Writing articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals- fully booked/waiting list in place
6th Feb- Writing your thesis- social sciences
9th Feb- Finding dissertations and theses- limited spaces
10th Feb- Using Scrivener to write your thesis- fully booked/waiting list in place
11th Feb- Designing engaging presentations- limited spaces
16th Feb- Effective researcher- for new doctoral researchers
17th Feb- Introduction to Research Professional (for finding funding sources)- limited spaces
18th Feb- Getting ethical approval
19th Feb- Finding audio-visual resources for your research
20th Feb- Media skills training for researchers- fully booked/waiting list in place
20th Feb- Preparing for your viva (for lifesciences/BSMS)
25th Feb- Writing your thesis- arts and humanities
25th Feb- Podcasting & promoting your research
26th Feb- LUNCHTIME WEBINAR: Building your academic web presence with social media
Places for our workshops can be booked via our listing. If you have just started your doctorate please see our pages for new doctoral researchers for further guidance on the workshops and support we provide.
Helen Hampson, Researcher Development Officer, Doctoral School
Researcher-development@sussex.ac.uk
Doctoral School Forum and the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES)
On the 12th Feb 2015, 2.00-3.30pm, we will be holding our first Doctoral School Forum which all doctoral researchers are invited to attend. The forum is an opportunity for you to raise issues regarding your doctoral experience at Sussex, provide feedback to senior staff within the Doctoral School, or to ask any important questions.
Professor Vicky Lebeau (Director of Doctoral Education), Dr Camilla Briault (Head of Research Student Administration Office), and Paul Roberts (Assistant Director of the Doctoral School) look forward to welcoming you and facilitating the forum. This takes place in advance of the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) which will launch in early March, and which aims to capture your experiences of supervision, resources, research community, progress and assessment, skills and professional development.
Book your place to attend the forum at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/doctoralschool/internal/researcherdev/events/date
Hugh Kearns Workshops - Thursday 5th March
Back by popular demand, internationally recognised public speaker, educator and researcher will be returning to Sussex on Thursday 5th March.
We listened to the feedback of doctoral researchers who attended Hugh's workshops last year, and are pleased to announce that even more researchers will be able to benefit from this years' visit. Find out more about the workshops 'Defeating Self-sabotage' and 'Turbocharge your writing' and book your place to attend at: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/doctoralschool/internal/researcherdev/events/date
Sussex Research Hive Seminars 2015
The Sussex Research Hive Seminar series returns for its sixth year. The popular series brings together the Sussex community to discuss current issues in research. These lunchtime events, funded by SAGE, are hosted by the Library and open to everyone engaged in, or supporting, the research process at Sussex. This year seminars include:
Developing a sustainable approach to managing digital research outputs, Thursday 26th February, 12-2, Library Meeting Room
Speakers: Neil Grindley - Head of Resource Discovery, Jisc; Chris Warne - Lecturer in French History, ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë; Chaired by Rachel Thomson - Professor of Childhood & Youth Studies, ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë
Book Sprints and Big Data: new methods of collaborative research in the humanities, Thursday 12th March, 12-2, Library Meeting Room
Speakers: Dave Berry - Reader in Media & Communication, ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë; Jane Winters - Professor of Digital History and Head of Publications, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Moving towards an Open Access future, Thursday 26th March, 12-2, Library Meeting Room
Speakers: Ben Johnson - Higher Education Policy Adviser (Research), HEFCE; Chaired by Ian Carter - Director of Research and Enterprise, ÈÕº«ÎÞÂë
Please book to reserve a place, a light lunch will be provided.
Insomnia session for postgraduates
Do you worry about your sleep, struggle to get to sleep, feel tired all the time? Do you feel like you’re hanging with too little rest? Sleep is key to good physical and mental health. Sleeping difficulties can cause poor mental health and mental health difficulties can cause poor sleep. However - sleep problems can also come out of nowhere.
Want to do something about it? Want to sleep more by trying less hard?
University Counselling Services run a regular two hour workshop on insomnia on a Wednesday afternoon, to book a place email insomnia@sussex.ac.uk. Find out more about services for postgraduates provided by the University Counselling Service.
Social Enterprises- What are they and how do I start one?
As part of the Start Up Sussex programme of events, our Careers and Employability Centre are organising a session on Tues 24th Feb (13.00-14.30) on the topic of social enterprises. The session will be led by Student Hubs, an organisation supporting students in driving innovative, self-sustaining projects that create real impact. Book your place via the Careers and Employability Centre
The Centre offers a full programme of events- including two March events specifically for doctoral researchers on career development (12th March, 1-12), and CVs (17th March, 10-12).