Workshops

January 2019

“How to get the most out of your Personal Development Review (PDR)” workshop 

The Biochemistry Postdoc Committee co-runs, with the Professional and Support Staff Committee, a workshop for staff entitled “How to get the most from your PDR” in association with the Oxford Learning Institute. This enables reviewees to maximise that gained from the process of completing the mandatory annual PDR each February. This is useful to those new to the process and for those that wish to ensure their PDR is fruitful. PDR is one practical means to ensuring you progress in your career development. 
What topics will the workshop cover?

  • What the PDR process is meant to do, versus what it can sometimes end up doing
  • A quick reminder of the fundamentals and what these are meant to contribute
  • Things that get in the way and what to do about them
  • How, and what, to prepare and why
  • Identifying areas to develop that you may not have thought of

When will the workshop run?
The 2019 sessions of this workshop have passed. 
Registration: now closed

April 2019

“The art of job applications beyond academia: Job search, CVs, Cover Letters and Interviews” workshop

This workshop, to be co-hosted with the Careers Service, will allow postdocs to explore career options outside of academia and provide concrete tips on how to go about finding your next job, how to structure your CV and application and how to perform well in interviews. This workshop will focus on non-academic job applications, although more academically-inclined postdocs may also benefit. 
What topics will the workshop cover?
Topics will include how to best present your CV, how to approach employers, how to write cover letters, and developing interview skills. We aim to make this workshop hands on, therefore you might want to bring your CV with you.

When will the workshop run?
The 2019 session of this workshop has passed. 
Registration: now closed

Summer 2019

“How to write a successful Fellowship application” workshop

In collaboration with the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, our in-house Research Facilitator, Deepa Nath, will be hosting a 2-day fellowship writing workshop open to all postdocs in Trinity term. 
What topics will the workshop cover?
The workshop will cover the following activities and topics: 
Day 1 (2-3 hrs)

  • An introduction to fellowship writing highlighting the structure and common features of fellowship and early career applications.
  • A group discussion reviewing successful and unsuccessful applications.
  • Completion of a mock application prior to attending (a template will be provided covering the core features of most fellowship applications). This will be mandatory for all attendees. This may be based on your current project as a means to practice or, ideally, your own fellowship idea under development.

Day 2 (1 week later) (2-3 hrs)

  • A focused writing session to build upon the mock application written for Day 1. This will not focus on the science but instead: language, structure, outreach, impact statements, translation to industry etc.
  • Guidance on what the next stage is (e.g. finance and proofreading)

When will the workshop run?
The 2019 session of this workshop has passed. 
Registration: now closed

Autumn 2019

“How to ace academic position interviews” workshop

This workshop will prepare postdocs for the interview process of early career researcher positions. 
What topics will the workshop cover?
Topics will include… 
When will the workshop run?
TBC.
Where will the workshop take place?
TBC. 
Registration: Full registration will open Summer 2019. 

Please contact the Postdoc Committee (postdoccommittee@bioch.ox.ac.uk) if you have any ideas about what you would like to see in future workshops.