Research and Generic Skills Training

Training Courses

The Graduate School and several other sections of the university offer training sessions that give you the opportunity to acquire and develop personal, transferable generic skills for your studies and subsequent career.

The Skills for Research Excellence programme is designed to provide support for you to maximise your personal and career development during your time at Aberdeen. Our skills training programmes are timed to support your research cycle to ensure you develop skills appropriate to where you are in your study plan.  The skills you gain will help you to focus the learning opportunities your research studies present to you, thereby providing a skill base for life beyond your postgraduate work.  Please select your courses from the Skills for Research Excellence online booking system.

If you cannot attend for any reason, you must cancel your registration via the online booking system.

The College of Life Sciences & Medicine training courses are designed to take you progressively through your research degree with key courses at different stages and a focus on more specific research and generic skills for Life Sciences & Medicine research students.

The training programme contains essential and optional elements depending on your field of study. 'Compulsory' means that there is an absolute legal requirement to attend the training course. For example, students undertaking laboratory based projects must attend the University of Aberdeen safety courses and those working with radioisotopes must attend the radiation protection training course. This requirement applies even if the student has undertaken similar courses elsewhere. 'Essential' refers to those elements of generic skills which each student should have. Some students may come from backgrounds where they have already acquired these skills. The decision whether or not a student needs to attend a specific course, therefore, should be made in consultation with the supervisor, and links into the philosophy of the PDP.

Courses on offer throughout the year are:

  • Academic Writing Skills (throughout the year)
  • An Introduction to R/Advanced Statistical Methods (January)
  • Communicating Science (March)
  • Getting Started (October)
  • Induction for New Research Students (October/February)
  • Laboratory Safety Training (October)
  • Nine-Month Assessment Workshop (March)
  • Radiation Protection (November)
  • Second Year Postgraduate Research Training Event (SBS - April)
  • Small Group Teaching (October/February)
  • Thesis and Viva Workshop (March)
  • Writing and Defending your PhD Thesis (SBS - February)
  • Writing for Publication (March)

 

If you are a part-time or MPhil/MSc (research) student, a personal training programme can be arranged to cover your needs over your period of study. Clinicians undertaking an MD are welcome to attend training courses. If you have any queries about the training programme, contact your Graduate School Co-ordinator.

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