About the Programme
The annual Researcher Development Programme is open to Graduate Students and Early Career Researchers at Robert Gordon University. It is designed to support you on your journey as a member of an inter-disciplinary researcher community. There are over eighty workshops, masterclasses, events and resources which supplement and expand on the PgCert Research Development courses and research retreats run by The Graduate School. The training programme draws on the expertise of RGU academics and external scholars, offering opportunities to broaden knowledge and skills, following the themes in the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) – the most comprehensive and nationally-recognised document establishing the desirable standards of practice for successful researchers.
Each session is mapped onto one of the RDF Domains:
A - KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLECTUAL ABILITIES
The knowledge , intellectual abilities and techniques to do research.
B - PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS
The personal qualities and approach to be an effective researcher.
C - RESEARCH GOVERNANCE AND ORGANISATION
The knowledge of the standards, requirements and professionalism to do research.
D - ENGAGEMENT, INFLUENCE AND IMPACT
The knowledge and skills to work with others and ensure the wider impact of research.
Workshops
Download the brochure for the latest workshop dates:
All events can be booked through the Researcher Development booking and resource hub available on Moodle:
Semester 1
- Why Research Culture Matters
- Time for Research
- The Publishing Trap
- Research Impact Training Programme: What is Research Impact?
- Working with Industry: Bridging Business and Research
- Introduction to Teaching and Demonstrating
- Developing your Policy Engagement
- Generative AI and the Researcher: Strategies, Insights and Practical Uses
- Open Access - Introduction/Refresher
- Getting Started with Worktribe
- Worktribe Outputs Training
- Narrative CVs
- Introduction to Public Engagement
- 7 Secrets of Successful Research Students
- Velvet Curtains and Cardboard Crowns
- Developing your Policy Engagement Practice - Practical Session with SPRE
- Writing and ThrivingL Writing as Thinking
- The Challenge of Impact
- Attracting Research Funding - Writing and Applying for Fellowships
- Stakeholder Mapping and Context Analysis
- Library Support
- How to Avoid Plagiarism and Maintain your Academic Integrity
- Shut Up and Write!
- Coffee and Blether
- SGSSS/SGSAH Spring Into Methods and Summer School
- ECRN Coffee Catch-up
Semester 2
- Targeted Approaches to Research Mobilisation RGU
- Pathways to Impact
- Impact Assessment
- Writing as Communicating
- Staying Well During your PHD
- Writing as Narrative: Structuring your Chapter or Thesis
- NVivo
- Writing as Editing: Redrafting your Writing for Submission
- Short Talk - Lasting Impression
- Writing as Critical Analysis
- Grant Writing Reimagined: Unlocking Success with AI Innovations
- Moral Underpinnings of Research Ethics
- Writing as Thesis Position
- Project Managing your PHD
- Design and Refine Research Questions
- An Introduction to Research Integrity at RGU
- Entrepreneurship - Why it Matters
- Finding Funding with Research Professional
- Figures, Images and Visualising Information
- 3 Minute Thesis Workshop
- Behind the Scenes of Research Funding
- Understanding Intellectual Property
- Early Career Researchers: Planning Career Progression Strategically
- Industry Pathways for PHD Holders - Expert Discussion Panel
- Voices in Public Engagement
- Viva!
- Our Friends in the Press
- ECR to Professor - Workshop
- Research Funding: How to Write a Good Lay Summary
- Introduction to SPSS
- Getting Social
- Research Funding: Preparing your Budget
- The Why and How of Research Commercialisation
- Fundamentals of Publication Success
- Fantastic Research-adjacent Jobs and Where to Find Them
- Three Minute Thesis Competition
- Covidence - Research Review Support
Further Training and Resources
- Dr. App: Video Support for Doctorate Students
- Careers After PHD: Commercial and Industry Opportunities
- Careers After PHD: Marketing Yourself to Employers
- Choosing your Qualitative Analysis: Qualitative Epistemologies: Coding
- Choosing your Qualitative Analysis: Grounded Theory
- Choosing your Qualitative Analysis: Phenomenology
- Choosing your Qualitative Analysis: Discourse Analysis
- Choosing your Qualitative Analysis: Participatory Action Research
- Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- The Science of Wellbeing
- Data Training
- Welcome to Postgraduate Study
- Project Managing your Dissertation
- Critical Reading
- Critical Writing
- Critical and Analytical Writing
- Writing your Literature Review
- Paraphrasing and Using Direct Quotes
- Using Word to Format Long Documents
- Structuring Longer Assignments
- Creating an Automatic Table of Contents
- Academic Writing: Sections of your Dissertation
- Editing and Proofreading your Work
- Quantitative Analysis, Introduction to SPSS
- Some Basics of Questionnaires, Sampling and Data Analysis
Contacts & Further Info
For further details, feedback and future workshop suggestions, please contact: