Training

All newly appointed postdocs have written in their contract that 10 days a year should be dedicated to professional development/training activities. You should plan with your PI how you intend to use these days and we advise you to also keep a record of your career and personal development activities. Some examples of what you could use your training days for include attendance on courses, training events, engagement activities etc.

Organisational Development and Professional Learning (OD&PL) run a range of courses that our postdoctoral researchers can attend. Courses are run periodically throughout the year covering a range of topics, including getting funding, grant writing, engaging with the UK parliament, project management, resilience, CV crafting, introduction to research impact, your rights as a researcher, strength finding, and time management. Have a look at the OD&PL website and book to attend a course today!

As a member of staff at the University, you have free access to LinkedIn Learning and can take advantage of the courses that they offer including specialist software skills, data analysis, presentation and communication skills, leadership, teamwork, and more. There are more than 14,000 courses available to take. You do not need to be a member of LinkedIn, simply log in with your university credentials.

For more specialised courses covering a range of topics, we highly advise postdocs to explore Coursera and edX as examples of online platforms for learning from some of the world's top institutes. There are courses that may relate directly to your area of research, but these websites are also great sources of learning for specialist software skills, data analysis skills, communication skills, and more. Courses are free to audit without certificate.