Leadership in action - free non-residential course!

The Vitae London hub are running a 3-day Leadership in Action course at the London School of Economics from 15th-17th December for research students and staff. This is a non-residential course, and is completely free to attend.

The course will allow you to explore and develop your leadership skills. You will have the opportunity to look at relevant theory, practice your leadership style and receive feedback.

This course offers you the opportunity to:

- explore leadership both in theory and in practice
- work with a team of experienced facilitators from a range of career backgrounds, who will ensure you get the most out of the 3 days
- meet researchers from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds and career stages
- develop your understanding of leadership theory and how to apply it in practice
- receive feedback on your leadership style and how you can develop it
- take a few days out from your research both physically and mentally, and have some space in which to consider yourself and your next steps.

If you are interested, there is more information here, and you can book a place by e-mailing londonhub@vitae.ac.uk. There are only 36 places, and they are being filled on a first-come-first-served basis, so make sure you get in quick if you do want to go!

Leadership in Action - Residential Course

From 8-11th June Vitae are running a residential Leadership course for PhD students in Bournemouth. This event was also run last year and was very successful, so if you're interested in attending book soon! Places are free, you just need to pay for your own transport.

More details can be found here. It sounds like a fantastic opportunity (and also a chance to spend a few days by the sea!).

Upcoming external events

Digital researcher: Managing your networks and building your profile

The British Library and Vitae are running a one day event on 15 March 2010 exploring the use of Web 2.0 in research, networks and building researchers own profiles. This is being held at the British Library and is free for all postgraduate researchers and research staff. It will include presentations and interactive sessions on subjects such as microblogging, RSS feeds, social networking and social citation sharing.
More information and booking can be found on the Vitae site.

Careers in focus: Careers in academia

This one-day event is being held in Manchester on the 30th March. It is free for all postgraduate researchers, but a refundable deposit of £25 is required to secure a place.

The day will provide participants with an insight into some of the areas that make up a career in academia.

Participants have the opportunity to:

• meet with current academics from a range of disciplines to hear about their experiences of an academic career and ask the questions you've always wanted to, but weren't sure who to ask
• explore how to market yourself for a career in academia, both within your department, and at interview
• look at how to write effective grant/paper applications
• discover what life is like as a postdoctoral researcher
• work with fellow researchers and share experiences with other participants

More details and booking on the Vitae site.

Leadership in action - free course!

Vitae are running a 3-day leadership skills course at the end of July in the Lake District. Places are free for PhD students from anywhere in the country, and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Click on the link for more information and booking details.

This sounds like an excellent course for anyone wishing to develop their leadership skills and style, gain confidence and identify how leadership skills can benefit them now and in the future. It is also a great opportunity to meet other researchers and spend a few days in a beautiful part of the country!

UK GRADschools

Information and booking now available for 2009 GRADschools

GRAD schools are three-day residential courses for PhD students run by Vitae. They are open to all PhD researchers in their 2nd year or above, although free places are only available to students with research-council funding. During the three days students take part in all kinds of activities designed to help them reflect on their skills and develop new ones. Much more information is available from the link above.

The website states that 'Our vision is to create an inspirational, challenging and experiential learning environment in which all participants will learn something new about themselves and take away skills, tools or information which will motivate them to complete their studies, further realise their potential, and enable them to make more informed choices about their future careers.'

This may sound a bit vague and "fluffy", but having been on one myself I can safely say that the courses do exactly what they say. While I was very sceptical at first about what a few days of "team-building" activities could possibly do for me, I came away with renewed enthusiasm for my research and also the knowledge that my PhD was helping me to develop a wide range of skills that I previously hadn't been aware of. I actually think my experience at the school helped lead me to my current job here, as it was such a sort of eureka-moment for me (wow - I am actually good at some things that don't involve being tied to a lab bench!) that I really want to help other people in similar situations. On top of all of that, I also made some lasting friendships with PhD students from other institutions that I would never otherwise have met.

If you like the sound of this but aren't eligible for a free place on a GRADschool, or don't fancy the residential aspect, then I will be running a non-residential 3-day skills school at Queen Mary in the summer. The dates are 22nd-24th June. Booking is already open through the ESD course site (see the link on the side-bar), but I will provide more information and reminders nearer the time.