Organisational and Professional Development, 9 October 2017

OPD Training Opportunities Available to Research Staff - October/November

The following Organisational and Professional Development (OPD) workshops, taking place October/November 2017, for Research Staff have places available. For further information, please follow the links provided after the workshop descriptors below, and make a booking by signing into your OPD account.

Workshops for which there is information below include:

• Responsible and Ethical Practice in Research and Publication - Staff
• One-to-One Careers Advisory Session [VARIOUS SESSIONS]
• Introduction to Research Statistics for BioScience Research Staff and Postgraduate Researchers
• Good Laboratory Practice
• First Steps to Supervision
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship NEW
• Practical Presentation Guidance for Researchers NEW
• Build a Research Website in Under Three Hours
• Spectacular Images and Visualising Information
• Introduction to Project Management For Researchers
• Finding Humour in Your Research - Bright Club
• Research Data Management at the University of Dundee
• Lecturing Skills NEW
• Finding and Harnessing Your Motivation NEW

Sessions are provided free of change. If you have any issues, please contact OPD@dundee.ac.uk.

Please note: We require sufficient notice of cancellation and non-attendance to allow others the opportunity to attend these workshops, or to allow the workshops to be cancelled if insufficient places are filled. Our Terms and Conditions are available to read on our website.

Responsible and Ethical Practice in Research and Publication

25/10/2017 9:30 12:00

Researchers have an obligation to act responsibly and ethically when carrying out research and publishing their work. Breaches in research integrity and publication ethics are damaging not only to the individuals and their institutions, but also to public trust. It isn’t, however, always clear to researchers what the accepted principles are and they may unwittingly breach these. Awareness will be raised of problems that can arise for research groups as well as individual researchers, whatever their career stage, and advice given on how to avoid these.

The following topics will be discussed: Responsible conduct of research (RCR), mentoring responsibilities; Concept of research integrity; Conflicts of interest; Plagiarism; Authorship, including in the digital age and avoiding/minimising disputes; Peer review; Collaborative research; Data ownership, management and integrity; Digital images - inappropriate manipulation; Research misconduct and questionable research practice.

For more information and to book.

One-to-One Careers Advisory Session

Various Sessions

Careers guidance is the process that enables you to make well-informed, realistic decisions about
the next steps towards your future career. You do not need to know what you want to do before you come to see us – we see people at all different stages of their plans.

Previous enquiries have included: Understanding the academic career path; Alternative career options; Improving applications, CV and covering letters; Mock interview practice; Marketing transferable skills to employers.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Research Statistics for BioScience Research Staff and Postgraduate Researchers

02/11/2017 9:30 16:30

This two-day workshop introduces statistical analysis using the freeware program R and its
associated graphical user interface RStudio.

The following topics will be covered in the
order given: the use of RStudio to import data from Excel, and to explore its properties using
graphics; using descriptive statistics to understand data structures; the use of keyboard shortcuts in R; checking assumptions – normality and constancy of variance in model residuals; analysis of variance (function aov); model simplification and model checking; transforming the response variable; multiple comparisons in analysis of variance; correlation, first and second
order partial correlation; regression using lm (linear model); the independence of significance
and explanatory power; analysis of covariance, the blending of analysis of variance and
regression; model specification and model simplification – the minimum sufficient model.

For more information and to book.

Good Laboratory Practice

01/11/2017 13:30 16:30

The workshop will enhance understanding of Good Laboratory Practice and the reasons behind the initiation of a set of standards whereby preclinical studies are conducted from initiation to completion, and will conclude with a discussion of archiving and a Q&A session.

We will discuss: the roles and responsibilities of management, the responsible scientist, all
study staff and also QA; the conduct of the study will be discussed – i.e. the need for study plans and study plan amendments, SOPs, how to record raw data – whether using a lab book or a computer – and training records; the suitability of facilities, whether they are fit for the job; equipment maintenance and calibration will be discussed and the appropriate labelling of chemicals and reagents; test/reference substances will be looked at, and the validation of computer systems; test systems, be they biological, chemical or physical; concluding the study and the dos and don’ts for reporting the study.

For more information and to book.

First Steps to Supervision

09/11/2017 9:30 12:30

Many researchers take on supervisory responsibilities for research students and undergraduates on projects.

This workshop is aimed at research staff who are managing the day to day supervision of students. Using a PhD as a model, we will look at the roles and responsibilities of supervisor and student, consider the development of the relationship between them over the period of research, look at mechanisms for effective delegation, feedback and monitoring of progress.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship

10/11/2017 13:30 16:30

Learn how to model an outline business idea using the business model canvas and then deliver a polished pitch using a tried and tested pitch structure. You will also learn about the extensive support and funding available to potential entrepreneurs.

Learn about the Centre of Entrepreneurship service within the university including the Enterprise Challenge and the new business idea competition 'Venture 2018' which had a prize fund of £25,000 in the last academic year.

This workshop is designed to help anyone at the university who may be thinking about exploring a business idea in the future and those who can come with an outline business idea will benefit most from the workshop.

For more information and to book.

Practical Presentation Guidance for Researchers

16/11/2017 9:30 16:30

In this highly interactive workshop, participants hone their skills in preparing for, and delivering memorable presentations in a manner which will
inspire and motivate their audience.

A variety of short presentations will be made during the day for practice and a brief presentation (less than 5 minutes) will be filmed at the end for feedback and personal study.

For more information and to book.

Build a Research Website in Under Three Hours

22/11/2017 9:30 12:30

You can use your website to explain your research, list your publications, point out your collaborations, blog, link to social media and note your awards and achievements and provides
increased visibility. A researcher can use their own website to publish a preprint of their
research article (depending on the copyright policies of the journal), allowing them to prepublish their research in one place.

This workshop requires no coding skills or programming experience. Participants will be
introduced to the principles of web design, usability and a few different platforms for
building websites free of charge. The workshop will focus on the free Wordpress platform and
participants will be taken through the website building process; by the end they will each have
a functional research website that they can update and manage themselves.

For more information and to book.

Spectacular Images and Visualising Information

22/11/2017 13:30 16:30

Displaying information in a visual format is an excellent way for researchers to communicate
their work. You can enhance your research papers, thesis, conference posters, presentations
and public engagement activities with accurate and clear visual representations. This workshop
is designed to introduce participants to various types of visual formats including standard
graphs, information visualisations and graphics for publication.

Data and information visualisation is a vast and rapidly growing field. Building excellent graphics and summary figures takes time, practice and a willingness to learn the appropriate software. This workshop will provide an overview of tools and further resources for participants to explore in their own time.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Project Management For Researchers

24/11/2017 9:30 16:30

An introduction to the process of managing projects and the tools to assist in planning and tracking progress. This course is aimed at all staff and is intended to be immediately applicable to planning and managing academic and commercial projects. It covers the theory and principles of project management within the context of the Project Management Institute.

For more information and to book.

Finding Humour in Your Research - Bright Club

27/11/2017 17:00 21:00

With the help of a Bright Club organiser and stand-up comedian, participants during this
workshop will get a taste of how humour and creativity helps participants build their confidence in public speaking, teaching and as effective communicators. It is a lively, fun and participative workshop.

Bright Club is a stand-up comedy show that collides worlds of comedy and research. We hope that each participant will take part in one of our Bright Club comedy shows but there is much more to finding humour in your work. It’s useful when speaking to any audience including funders, collaborators and the general public. More importantly it breeds confidence and makes you more memorable, which supports

career progression and media work.

For more information and to book.

Research Data Management at the University of Dundee

29/11/2017 9:30 12:30

This workshop will explain the terminology around data management and the importance
of adopting good practice at the start of a project. In practice this will make it easier for
you and others to work with and build upon your data. It will also help bring your data to a wider
audience and potentially increase citations. Good practice is straightforward and easy to put in place and will save you and others time and work. Various research funders have specific mandated requirements of grant holders and their institutions with regard to the data they
create to ensure that it is managed correctly and, where possible, shared. Some academic journals require that authors provide access to the datasets underpinning conclusions drawn in their published findings. The University has systems and support in place to help researchers fulfill these criteria.

For more information and to book.

Lecturing Skills

29/11/2017 13:30 16:30

There is no one correct way to lecture. Different subjects have different styles, different disciplines have different  requirements and different audiences have different demands. So, the essence of effective lecturing is to find a style that works for you, your material and your audience.

In this short workshop, we’ll examine the essential elements of how to lecture to and
teach large groups of students. Specifically, we’ll consider issues around: Continuity – ensuring your material fits to a larger syllabus; Clarity – ensuring that your material is clear both structurally and intellectually; Content – ensuring that your efforts achieve the objectives you set; Quantity – ensuring appropriate pace and avoiding overload; Delivery – ensuring your style
is engaging and fresh; Improvement – ensuring your students actually benefit, that there are feedback mechanisms in place and that you improve each week.

For more information and to book.

Finding and Harnessing Your Motivation

30/11/2017 9:30 12:30

In times of difficulty, and in challenging environments, perhaps the most important character trait is our ability to stay motivated and to keep going. In this short, interactive workshop we'll examine the factors around both finding and then using your motivation to achieve your goals. Specifically, we'll look at the motivational effects of self-efficacy and confidence, building motivating environments and setting focussed goals.

For more information and to book.

Research Leader's Impact Toolkit

This Toolkit is designed to help higher education institutions, research leaders and individual researchers to maximise the impact of their research.

Careers Fair

Tuesday 10th October, 10.30am - 2.30pm, Bonar Hall, Park Place

Looking for an internship or graduate job? Explore your future today - meet employers looking to recruit and discover what you can do with your degree.

All student and graduates are welcome!

Peer review: The Nuts and Bolts - Glasgow Caledonian University

Friday 20th October, 2pm - 6pm

Workshop to be held at Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcadden Road, Glasgow.

Peer review: the nuts and bolts is a free half-day workshop for early career researchers and will explore how peer review works, how to get involved, the challenges to the system, and the role of peer review in helping the public to evaluate research claims.
Should peer review detect plagiarism, bias or fraud? What does peer review do for science and what does the scientific community want it to do for them? Should reviewers remain anonymous? Does it illuminate good ideas or shut them down?
To apply to attend this workshop, please fill out the application form by 5pm, Monday 2 October.
More information.