24 September 2025

CaRST eNewsletter

Science Communication Courses for Researchers

Do you need some help designing your scientific poster? Would you like to learn to draw scientific graphics and figures in Adobe Illustrator? Are you interested in creating your own captivating scientific video? Are you a researcher feeling like you're lost at sea when it comes to AI?

CaRST has partnered with science communication agency Animate your Science to bring you 4 incredible courses around these four themes!

• How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Poster
• Learn to draw in Adobe Illustrator: by scientists for scientists
• Lights, Camera, Impact: How to Produce Captivating Science Videos
• AI for Researchers:  Unlocking New Potentials and Avoiding Pitfalls

CaRST is sponsoring licences for a limited number of researchers to enrol in these courses. These are online, self-paced courses and eligible for CaRST credit. Selected students will be enrolled into the courses from June and have 12 months of access. To register your interest, please complete and submit the online expression of interest form.

Please note students will only be selected for a single course during each round, and due to limited capacity students in their second and third year of HDR will be prioritised during the selection process.

Training & Development Events

Before registering for CaRST events, please review our no-show policy.

Stylish Academic Writing for Postgrads

When: 25 September 2025, 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

This workshop will cover some of the basics of Stylish Academic Writing and introduce to participants several ways that their writing can be more cohesive and creative. The participants will be invited to examine examples of academic writing that is punchy, witty, and insightful. Academic writing does not need to be boring or bland but can still contain creative elements that entice the reader. This workshop is designed for all disciplines and will showcase a variety of academic articles, books, and strategies to assist with thesis and publication writing. Register here.

Time Management: Survive and Thrive in your HDR

When: 2 October 2025, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain B
Delivery mode: In person

Feeling behind or overwhelmed? This interactive session is designed specifically for PhD students juggling all things research, and life. Discover practical, sustainable approaches to managing your time, energy, and priorities—without the guilt. Learn tools like task chunking, time blocking, and digital hygiene, and hear how others have made it work. Register here.

Early Career Research Funding – maximising your chance of success

When: 7 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:30pm
Credits: 1.5 credits, Domain C
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

This webinar will provide early career researchers with practical advice on developing their track record and preparing to apply for research funding opportunities. Join us to hear from successful early career researchers regarding their career journey and experience. Register here.

Understanding Skills

When: 9 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

Are you aware of the skills you are developing throughout your research degree and how they relate to employability in both academic and non-academic environments? Do you know how to articulate your skills and how they will be a benefit to employers? This webinar focusses on building skills awareness and how to let employers know about your skill set. Register here.

Responding to selection criteria

When: 14 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

Does the idea of responding to selection criteria daunt you? Are you aware of what to look for in selection criteria so that you can highlight your skills and abilities? This webinar provides an overview of how to develop effective responses to selection criteria, including understanding selection criteria and different response methods, recognising key requirements, writing a focused response. Register here.

Juggling Skills for Researchers

When: 15 October 2025, 10:00am - 11:00am
Credits: 1 credit, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

Rarely does anyone do one activity in isolation and your research degree is no exception. Your research program comprises a number of activities that may compete for your attention while you are also juggling other commitments, such as family or work. This webinar focusses on enabling you to develop strategies to help you manage the multiple demands of your research degree and life in general. Register here.

Question Time: Handling questions at a conference presentation

When: 16 October 2025, 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Credits: 1.5 credit, Domain D
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

No matter how well you prepare for your presentation, the part that freaks out most researchers is question time. What if there are no questions? What do I do if I don’t know the answer? Fortunately, you can prepare for question time. You can predict and get ready for most of the obvious questions. And you can learn strategies to deal with the others. Register here.

Stress survival kit

When: 21 October 2025, 1:30pm - 2:30pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

Do you find that stress derails your research progression? This webinar explores what stress is, the unique stressors researchers face, and how it can be managed effectively. With a focus on developing daily stress protection strategies, it will provide practical approaches to maintaining psychological wellbeing, and navigating particularly challenging times. Register here.

Pitch Perfection

When: 22 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain D
Delivery mode: Zoom Webinar

A pitch is about engaging, enticing and moving people to action. Learn the 3 important elements you must communicate in every pitch and how to think on your feet. Register here.

Other Training & Events

Grey Literature for Systematic Reviews

This workshop will provide an introduction to finding grey literature for systematic reviews, with a focus on specific tools and approaches that can be utilised to find appropriate material. You can record this session for 1 credit in Domain A for CaRST. 30 September 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm. Register here.

Longitudinal Trials with REDCap

This course is for researchers who are familiar with the basics of REDCap and need to learn more advanced features for running longitudinal studies. It will cover topics like managing multiple events, using smart variables and building a longitudinal project. You can record this session for 3 credits in Domain A for CaRST. 1 October 2025 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Register here.

Introduction to Strategic Journal Publishing

Are you looking at where to publish your next paper? Join your liaison librarians for an engaging introduction to strategically selecting journals for your publications. We will provide guidance on finding journals in different disciplines and assessing journal quality (including rankings and impact factor) using tools such as Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Scopus and Scimago (SJR). Learn how to evaluate predatory journals, assess open access opportunities, and select the best option to maximise the impact of your research! You can record this session for 1 credit in Domain D for CaRST. 9 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm. Register here.

Understanding Predatory Publishing

Lurking within the vast research landscape are what are known as predatory publishers – publishers (or conference organisers) who engage in unprofessional or unethical practices. They will often target researchers with direct invitations to contribute. Identifying predatory publishers is important as publishing your work with them can damage your research impact and professional reputation. This workshop will help you to understand how to assess a journal or conference to identify whether it is legitimate, or might be predatory. You can record this session for 1 credit in Domain D for CaRST. 16 October 2025, 11:00am - 12:00pm. Register here.

Learn to program: Python

Python has deservedly become a popular language for scientific computing and among researchers, but getting started can be challenging, especially if you have never programmed before. That's where this introductory live coding workshop comes in, where we will use Jupyter notebooks to write programs and produce results. You can record this session for 6 credits in Domain A for CaRST. 16 October 2025 and 17 October 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Register here.

Unix Shell and Command Line Basics

The Unix environment is incredibly powerful but quite daunting to the newcomer. Command line confidence unlocks powerful computing resources beyond the desktop, including virtual machines and High Performance Computing. This training will help demystify Unix as you get to work running programs and writing scripts on the command line. You can record this session for 3 credits in Domain A for CaRST. 24 October 2025 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Register here.

Getting started with HPC using Slurm

High-performance computing allows you to accomplish your analysis faster by using many parallel CPUs and huge amounts of memory simultaneously. This online training provides a hands-on introduction to running software on HPC infrastructure using Slurm. You can record this session for 6 credits in Domain A for CaRST. 30 October and 31 October 2025 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Register here.

This course assumes basic familiarity with the Bash command line environment found on GNU/Linux and other Unix-like environments. To come up to speed, consider taking the Unix Shell and Command Line Basics course.

About CaRST

Located within the Adelaide Graduate Research School, CaRST is a specialised training and development program for HDR students at The University of Adelaide. For further information on CaRST visit the CaRST website.