27 August 2025

CaRST eNewsletter

Career Control for Researchers Program - apply now!

Do you want to know what your career options are, how to make career choices that are right for you and create strategies for pursuing them? Career Control for Researchers will give you the tools, guidance and confidence to take charge of your career direction, determine your own priorities and accelerate your progress. CaRST is pleased to sponsor participation in this program for a limited number of eligible applicants. 

Program duration: 8 week program (1 - 1.5 hours per week)
Upcoming dates: 7 October - 28 November 2025
Delivery method: Self-paced online modules
CaRST Credits: Eligible for 13 credits in Domain B

Places are strictly limited. Priority will be given to students who are in their second year and beyond of their HDR and have not previously completed Take charge of your career.

To express your interest, please complete and submit the online Expression of Interest form by 12^th September 2025. You will be advised by 17^th September 2025 if you are successful in gaining a place in the program.

Three Minute Thesis University Final

The Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition showcases the innovative research of our talented Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students.

We were thrilled to witness outstanding presentations across all three faculties and extend our gratitude to everyone who participated. Congratulations to all!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 3MT Faculty Finals, who will represent their faculties at the University Final:

Date: Tuesday 9 September
Time: 5.30pm – 7pm
Venue: The Braggs Lecture Theatre, University of Adelaide

Training & Development Events

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

Negotiating for Positive Outcomes

When: 2 September 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: Online

The ability to negotiate is consistently rated as one of the most critical skills for being successful – but not many people ever learn how to do it well. In reality, negotiation is a process that incorporates a number of specific skills which can be improved with practice. In this workshop we will look at a flexible model of negotiation that can be applied to a range of different situations, from the short and quick “corridor” negotiation to more formal business negotiations. Register here.

Working with your Supervisor (Faculty of HMS)

When: 17 September 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: In person

This version of the Working with Your Supervisor workshop is intended for the Faculty of HMS. Additional in-person workshops for the other Faculties will be held later this year. Follow the registration link below for more information.

The relationship you have with your supervisor is crucial in determining your PhD experience. They are your primary source of guidance as you undertake an individual research project and even the best student/supervisor relationships can experience periods of strain through the ups and downs of research. Undertaking a PhD is also very different from other types of study so it can be difficult to know what to expect from the supervisory relationship. In this workshop you will learn what you can do to establish a positive working relationship with your supervisor and ultimately get the most out of your HDR experience. Register here.

Working with your Supervisor (Faculty of ABLE)

When: 22 September 2025, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: In person

This version of the Working with Your Supervisor workshop is intended for the Faculty of ABLE. Additional in-person workshops for the other Faculties will be held later this year. Follow the registration link below for more information.

The relationship you have with your supervisor is crucial in determining your PhD experience. They are your primary source of guidance as you undertake an individual research project and even the best student/supervisor relationships can experience periods of strain through the ups and downs of research. Undertaking a PhD is also very different from other types of study so it can be difficult to know what to expect from the supervisory relationship. In this workshop you will learn what you can do to establish a positive working relationship with your supervisor and ultimately get the most out of your HDR experience. Register here.

Ten steps to academic writing success: Finally finish and submit your journal articles and thesis

When: 18 September 2025, 9:30am - 11am
Credits: 1.5 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: In person

Are you drowning in half-finished manuscripts? Staring at your screen for hours with nothing to show for it? Avoiding writing your thesis altogether because it just feels too hard? You’re not alone. Most academics have no deadlines for their journal articles, which means they get pushed aside, sometimes for years. And while the thesis has a deadline, it can seem so far away that it’s tempting to put it off until ‘later’. In this  workshop, I give you my proven ten-step framework to write, submit and publish, without the stress. I’ll show you how to get clear on what you want to say, break the work into bite-sized pieces and actually enjoy the writing process. By the end of this workshop, you’ll: -have a clear, repeatable process that gets you to a first draft fast -know how to use short bursts of time to make real progress -be able to edit strategically instead of endlessly tinkering -know how to work efficiently and effectively with your supervisor -feel more confident to hit ‘submit’. Register here.

Learn 5 storytelling / presentation techniques from a pitch expert

When: 23 September 2025, 9:30am -12:30pm
Credits: 3 credits, Domain D
Delivery mode: In person, limited places

Why is it that good speakers can take average content and make it work? Yet, average speakers can take a great idea and make it boring? In this interactive workshop, you will be practicing 5 techniques that make your content more engaging. The presenter (Tom Hendrick from Talent Academy, ThincLab’s in-house pitch consultant) will also be sharing 5 free online tools to improve your presentations. This multidisciplinary workshop is suitable for all HDR students who want to improve the presentation quality of their research. Register here

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.

Other Training & Events

Data Manipulation and Visualisation in R

Want to level up your skills in R? In this workshop, you will learn how to use popular packages to manipulate, explore and get insights from your data, and how to visualise the results. You can record this session for 6 credits in Domain A for CaRST. 28-29 August, 2025. 9.30am-12.30pm. Register here.

Growing your Researcher Profile

Your UofA Researcher Profile is a valuable tool for maximising your visibility as a researcher and demonstrating your achievements and research impact. Join the Liaison Librarians for some tips and tricks for creating an effective and useful profile. Also covers ORCiD Profiles, and will touch upon Scopus Author Profiles, Web of Science ResearcherID and Google Scholar Profiles too. You can record this session for 1 credit in Domain D for CaRST. 4 September, 2025. 11.00am-12.00pm. Register here.

Advanced troubleshooting & translating searches for systematic reviews (HMS)

Are you conducting systematic database searches for your evidence synthesis project? This presentation will focus on tips for advanced troubleshooting, and for converting your initial systematic search strategy so that it will work in a variety of databases. You can record this session for 1 credit in Domain A for CaRST. 8 September, 2025. 11.00am-12.00pm. Register here.

This is an advanced-level course, if you are new to systematic searching, we recommend Introduction to Advanced Searching in MyUni.

Introduction to Machine Learning in R

In this live coding workshop series Intersect, we explain the fundamentals of Machine Learning (using R) and guide you on how to make better informed decisions on how to leverage Machine Learning in your research.

This 3-part series includes: 
Introduction & Linear Regression: Sept 9 & 10, 9.30am-12.30pm. Register here.
Classification: Sept 16 & 17, 9.30am-12.30pm. Register here.
SVM & Unsupervised Learning: Sept 24, 9.30am-12.30pm. Register here.

Please note the prerequisites for each course which are listed on the course page. 

Coding with Clarity: Making Sense of Qualitative Data

A 1-hour session exploring coding as a fundamental interpretive, conceptual practice in qualitative research. Ideal for PhD students, ECRs, supervisors, and research teams. Online: 10 September 2025, 10:30am, Register here

Defence Trailblazer Commercialisation & Collaboration Masterclass  

Delivered by university professional and academic staff alongside industry partners, the masterclass will focus on increasing participant’s understanding of university commercialisation pathways and industry engagement strategies through real-life case studies and a facilitated workshop. Open to university staff and PhD students, this session explores commercialisation options, industry perspectives, and strategies for effective collaboration. 24 September, 2025. 10.00am-1.00pm. Register here.

Self-recording activities that are automatically added by the system leads to duplicate entries, which will overestimate your overall CaRST credits. Be sure to check your record first to make sure activities have not already been credited.

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.