Training & Events

Training Events During 2024/25 Semester Two: 

Session Overview 

Date  & Time

Writing Your Personal Development Plan

This pre-recorded session is open to all.

This session features an online recording by Katherine Rowlands, available starting February 25th.

Writing a personal development plan is crucial when completing your PhD or embarking on your research journey. A personal development plan allows you to reflect on your progress and identify the skills and resources you need to achieve your research goals. This session will provide valuable tips for creating an effective and realistic plan to succeed in your research journey.

Booking: This is a pre-recording so does not require booking. Access to pre-recording available here from 25 February 2025.

Pre-recording available

Tuesday

25 February 2025

Effective Supervision Feedback and Procedures

This session is for current PGR supervisors at Wrexham University

This training session led by Professor Mandy Robbins relates to MPhil/PhD supervision at Wrexham University. What paperwork do you need to ensure is completed by you and your PGR student throughout the course of their journey? Why do we have to complete RDC5s, Annual reviews etc? This is about making the procedures work for you and your PGR students to ensure the feedback they need is documented.

Booking: All PGR supervisors should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Thursday

27 February 2025. 14:00-14:30

Online: Teams

Impact for PIs: Making your Research Matter the Re-Run

This session will recap what research ‘impact’ is and how the REF (Research Excellence Framework) measures it. We will look at how to start your impact planning journey, what tools you may need, and how to evidence your impact. We’ll close with an interactive session to equip you with some ideas to apply to your impact planning.

Booking: Please book

Wednesday

5 March 2025

14:00-15:00

In-person session:

Mold Rd Campus

Room B14

Reflective & Resilience Practice

This session is open to all.

Join Dr Karen Heald and Dr Julian Ayres for a training session that focuses on how reflective and resilient practices can influence your research journey. This session will cover the significance of self-reflection and resilience in research. You will learn about reflective techniques to develop and explore your research ideas, understand the theoretical foundations of reflective practice, and find ways to enhance your performance and achieve research excellence.

Booking: Please book

Thursday

6 March 2025

11:00-12:00

In-person session:

Mold Rd Campus

Room B24

PGR Students: Understanding Formal Requirements

This session is exclusively for registered MPhil/PhD students at Wrexham University. Professor Mandy Robbins will lead the session. What paperwork do you need to ensure is completed by you and your supervisor throughout the course of your PGR journey? Why do you have to complete RDC5s, Annual reviews etc? This is about making the procedures work for you and you.

Booking: All students should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Thursday

13 March 2025

11:00-12:00

Online: Teams

Networking for Researchers

This session is delivered by Professor Alec Shepley and Hayley Dennis and will focus on the significance of networking and how to approach it in ways that play to your strengths without pushing you too far out of your comfort zone. Everyone has a unique style so networking will look different for everyone. Regardless of how you choose to network, the primary goals are to share your work and interests, gain insights into others' work and interests, build connections within your field and beyond, and make your name and face known. Remember that networking involves both giving and receiving. Lastly, always follow up your networking activities with some kind of action.

Booking: Please book

Wednesday

19 March 2025

15:00-16:00

In-person session

Mold Rd Campus:

Room B14

New PGR Supervisor Training

This session is open to all staff members who are interested in developing their skills to become research supervisors. The first step in this process at Wrexham University is to attend a Supervisor Training session led by Professor Mandy Robbins. To be a supervisor, individuals should have relevant research experience and typically hold a doctoral-level qualification. Please note that applications to become a registered PGR supervisor will not be accepted without first attending this training.

Booking: All known eligible staff should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Wednesday

26 March 2025

15:00-16:00

Online: Teams

PGR Students: Preparing for your upgrade

This session is exclusively for registered MPhil/PhD students at Wrexham University who have not completed the transfer upgrade. The upgrade is a significant milestone in your MPhil/PhD journey. This session will help support you to prepare the documentation you need to submit to your upgrade panel, go through what happens on the day, and discusses all the potential outcomes and how you might respond to those. Remember the panel are there to ensure that you will have an original contribution(s) to knowledge, that your timeline is realistic and that you are working at the right level.

Booking: All PGR students should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Thursday

10 April 2025

10:00-11:00

Online: Teams

Project Manage your Research Degree

This session is open to all

Do you often feel like there are never enough hours in the day to finish your research project? This session, led by Paula Wood, aims to share tools and techniques to effectively manage your time and research projects. It will cover how to develop a clear and detailed scope for your research, manage yourself and your time, and monitor and track progress during your PhD. Paula will also share tried and tested ways of effective communication with research supervisors and other project partners to get the most out of your research.

Booking: All PGR students should have received an outlook invitation to this training.

For staff: Please book

Wednesday

30 April 2025

13:00-14:00

Online: Teams

Writing your Research Proposal

This session, delivered by Professor Wulf Livingston, will provide you with the understanding of considerations and techniques needed to construct a strong research proposal. You will learn about the significance of research proposals and the contribution they make to research projects. The session will guide you on how to effectively construct a proposal and articulate your research, exploring topics such as research questions, design, methodology, methods, language and proposal audiences.

Booking: Please book

Wednesday

7 May 2025

13:00-14:00

Hybrid: Teams / Room B14

Impact for Principal Investigators (PIs): Impact in Practice

Designed for Principal Investigators seeking to enhance their Research Impact with their team. Participants will gain practical insights into impact planning best practices, identifying pathways, strategies for measuring impact and top tips to help ensure your research has the desired impact.

Booking: Please book

Wednesday

14 May 2025

14:00-15:00

Mold Rd Campus:

Room B17

PGR Students: Preparing for your Viva

This session is exclusively for registered MPhil/PhD students at Wrexham University. This session is aimed at preparing you for viva and covers three mains areas. First, what you can do before your viva to prepare. Second, what to expect on the day. Third, the possible outcomes and what happens after the viva. Your viva is the culmination of many years of study and it is important that you know what will happen on the day so that you can be prepared. This is an informal session which provides the opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the process.

Booking: All students should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Wednesday

28th May 2025

13:00-14:00

Online Session

New PGR Supervisor Training

Booking: All known eligible staff should have received an outlook invitation to this training. Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Friday

20 June 2025

09:00-10:00

Online Session

Booking: Please book

Please contact researchoffice@wrexham.ac.uk if you need to receive the outlook/Teams link.

Research Office Training Semester 1

Open to all staff (including Visiting Researchers and Sessional Lecturers where applicable) and postgraduate researchers.

Semester 1

Session	Date & Time	Delivery
Postgraduate Research (PGR) Supervisor Training – Prospective Supervisors We are offering an introductory training session for prospective supervisors which will cover the regulatory framework across the PGR journey and provide an overview of different supervisory styles. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions along the way as you develop a practical understanding of the process. If you have your PhD/Professional Doctorate and are not currently on the Supervisory Register, then please come along and find out more about being a PGR supervisor.	02.10.24 2-3pm	Teams
Bridging Innovation and Commercialisation  This session will provide an introductory overview of methodologies and institutional resources available to create commercial and societal impact of your area of practice. Beneficial to academics, staff and post-doctoral researchers within STEM, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts department, you will learn about topics such as Intellectual Property, Patents, Spinouts, Licensing, Angel Investors and other terminologies used in the field. This session will also provide real-case examples of Wrexham University members who are currently in the innovation to commercialisation journey – en route to make a tangible impact beyond their academic sphere.	09.10.24 2-3.30pm	Hybrid B103 and Teams
Embedding Impact into your research grant application  Join the Development Managers and Research Impact Managers to understand why and how you should integrate impact into your funding bids. Increase your chances of success by producing a competitive research funding proposal that shows you have considered the real-world impact of your work.	24.10.24 10-11am	Room B07
How to improve our paper citations and other research metrics  What is an "H Index", what is a "good" journal choice, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) what differentiates a 2* or 3* paper from a 4* paper? The answers to these questions can vary depending on which H Index system is used, what the objective is for publishing the paper, and the opinions and beliefs of individual paper reviewers. The objective of this session is to consider how we, as a team, can support each other to make our publishing more effective, both for individual benefit, and for the team as a whole. Small changes in the way we approach writing a paper, and in supporting each other in pre-review before sending it to a publisher, has the potential to increase the chances of publication success, fewer peer review criticisms to address, and a published paper that attracts more citations and is scored higher in the REF.	07.11.24 1-2pm	Teams
Nurturing Ethical Engagement: Prioritising Wellbeing in Emotionally Distressing Research  The session will first focus on ‘looking out’ - focus will be on how researchers can apply a trauma-informed lens using 10 principles to avoid re-traumatisation and ensure the research process considers the impact trauma may have. The second half of the session will focus on ‘looking in’ - exploring the researcher’s own wellbeing when researching potentially emotionally distressing and sensitive research.	14.11.24 11am - 12.30pm	Room C114
Academic Writing Month: Pomodoro Writing Space  To celebrate Academic Writing month the Research Office has organised a quiet study space for academic writing, over the course of 2 days (Friday 15th & 22nd November 2024, 0900 – 1700). Bring your own laptop and join peers in an environment free from distractions for focused, individual writing time.	15.11.24 22.11.24 9am - 5pm	Room C114
EDI in Research  This session will explore a range of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations that all researchers should be mindful of in their various approaches. It will cover three broad areas; (i) the EDI frameworks, responsibilities, policies and literature that researchers need to pay attention to, (ii) how these might affect individuals - researcher, colleagues and data respondents and (iii) what this might imply for research practices, in particular ethics applications, recruitment and data collection. The session will be supported by the use of illustrative applied examples.	04.12.24	Room B123
PGR Methodology Clinic Come and ask our panel of expert researchers about any niggling methodological questions you may have.	11.12.24 11-12:30	Room B21
Intellectual Property for Researchers and Practitioners Intellectual Property is an important topic for academic researchers and practitioners, but for the uninitiated, it can seem complex and contradictory. In this short session attendees will learn about what Intellectual Property is, and how it can be used, acknowledged, and protected. Some different types of Intellectual Property will be described, and the circumstances in which they are likely to be encountered by academics will be outlined. The patent process will be described, including the concept of a "patent" as opposed to a patent application, what the key features of a patent are, and the role of the UK Patent Office in the process.	12.12.24 11am - 12pm	Teams

Session

Date & Time

Delivery

Postgraduate Research (PGR) Supervisor Training – Prospective Supervisors

We are offering an introductory training session for prospective supervisors which will cover the regulatory framework across the PGR journey and provide an overview of different supervisory styles. There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions along the way as you develop a practical understanding of the process.

If you have your PhD/Professional Doctorate and are not currently on the Supervisory Register, then please come along and find out more about being a PGR supervisor.

02.10.24

2-3pm

Teams

Bridging Innovation and Commercialisation 

This session will provide an introductory overview of methodologies and institutional resources available to create commercial and societal impact of your area of practice. Beneficial to academics, staff and post-doctoral researchers within STEM, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts department, you will learn about topics such as Intellectual Property, Patents, Spinouts, Licensing, Angel Investors and other terminologies used in the field. This session will also provide real-case examples of Wrexham University members who are currently in the innovation to commercialisation journey – en route to make a tangible impact beyond their academic sphere. 

09.10.24

2-3.30pm

Hybrid B103 and Teams

Embedding Impact into your research grant application 

Join the Development Managers and Research Impact Managers to understand why and how you should integrate impact into your funding bids. Increase your chances of success by producing a competitive research funding proposal that shows you have considered the real-world impact of your work. 

24.10.24

10-11am

Room B07

How to improve our paper citations and other research metrics 

What is an "H Index", what is a "good" journal choice, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) what differentiates a 2* or 3* paper from a 4* paper?

The answers to these questions can vary depending on which H Index system is used, what the objective is for publishing the paper, and the opinions and beliefs of individual paper reviewers.

The objective of this session is to consider how we, as a team, can support each other to make our publishing more effective, both for individual benefit, and for the team as a whole. Small changes in the way we approach writing a paper, and in supporting each other in pre-review before sending it to a publisher, has the potential to increase the chances of publication success, fewer peer review criticisms to address, and a published paper that attracts more citations and is scored higher in the REF.

07.11.24

1-2pm

Teams

Nurturing Ethical Engagement: Prioritising Wellbeing in Emotionally Distressing Research 

The session will first focus on ‘looking out’ - focus will be on how researchers can apply a trauma-informed lens using 10 principles to avoid re-traumatisation and ensure the research process considers the impact trauma may have. The second half of the session will focus on ‘looking in’ - exploring the researcher’s own wellbeing when researching potentially emotionally distressing and sensitive research. 

14.11.24

11am - 12.30pm

Room C114

Academic Writing Month: Pomodoro Writing Space 

To celebrate Academic Writing month the Research Office has organised a quiet study space for academic writing, over the course of 2 days (Friday 15th & 22nd November 2024, 0900 – 1700). Bring your own laptop and join peers in an environment free from distractions for focused, individual writing time. 

15.11.24

22.11.24

9am - 5pm

Room C114

EDI in Research 

This session will explore a range of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations that all researchers should be mindful of in their various approaches. It will cover three broad areas; (i) the EDI frameworks, responsibilities, policies and literature that researchers need to pay attention to, (ii) how these might affect individuals - researcher, colleagues and data respondents and (iii) what this might imply for research practices, in particular ethics applications, recruitment and data collection. The session will be supported by the use of illustrative applied examples. 

04.12.24

Room B123

PGR Methodology Clinic

Come and ask our panel of expert researchers about any niggling methodological questions you may have.

11.12.24

11-12:30

Room B21

Intellectual Property for Researchers and Practitioners

Intellectual Property is an important topic for academic researchers and practitioners, but for the uninitiated, it can seem complex and contradictory. In this short session attendees will learn about what Intellectual Property is, and how it can be used, acknowledged, and protected. Some different types of Intellectual Property will be described, and the circumstances in which they are likely to be encountered by academics will be outlined. The patent process will be described, including the concept of a "patent" as opposed to a patent application, what the key features of a patent are, and the role of the UK Patent Office in the process.

12.12.24

11am - 12pm

Teams