Higher Education Leadership Training

Effective workshops are not just day events, they are learning journeys: from understanding needs, creating focus, building engagement, and allowing conversations, to energising reflections and new ways of thinking and doing.

We will work together to create interactive and experiential higher education leadership training that shifts perspectives and brings transformation to your research teams, networks and research leaders.

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You are a programme manager in need of a helping hand to deliver researcher development support

You are stretched for time in having the headspace to prepare new professional development programmes or workshops.

I know what it is like, having spent 15 years working as a researcher developer; sometimes you just need a bit of creative external input to make your life easier.

You can’t do everything, so let me take something off your plate and work with you to create an engaging programme.

You are an academic who is writing a funding application for a PhD training or network programme

Applications for PhD studentships funding require a programme of professional development for researchers.

You know how to build the network and how to write the research part of the application, but you are a bit at a loss when it comes to proposing professional development support.

I will help you integrate into your proposal a programme that will enrich professional and transferable competencies/ skills of cohorts.

You are an HR manager building a programme of professional development for your academics

You have been tasked with establishing development programmes for research leaders in your institution.

You have no experience of research yourself and would welcome external perspectives and insights in building your programme to ensure effective engagement.

I bring expertise to help you engage with your academic and research staff through listening and co-creation.

Let’s have a conversation to see how I can help you develop and deliver higher education leadership training.

What is my training ethos?

Doing and reflecting

Professional development happens through actions. I create safe spaces for researchers & research leaders to experiment doing things differently and to review approaches.

 

Collaborating with you

I do not believe in stand-alone workshops, but instead, I work closely with you to develop bespoke programmes and workshops that will best meet the needs of your researchers. 

Connecting

The power of workshops is in the conversations that participants have with each other. I guide the conversation process, so researchers learn from each other and open to new insights.

 

Sessions with a Creative Twist

I bring a creative twist to all my workshops to allow participants to become playful in opening up to new ways of thinking about themselves and their interactions with others.

Multi- modal engagement

Virtual live, face-to-face or online programmes, or a mix of methodologies depending on your context and the goals for your researchers and your stakeholders.

 

Engaging Beyond the Sessions

I engage participants within and beyond the sessions to embed new practices. My coaching and facilitative approach keeps researchers engaged towards actions.

Group of PhD researchers during a Doctoral training programme.
Cartoon illustration drawn by PhD researchers during a workshop on Research Ethics and Integrity.
Mindmap of goals during the women development Springboard for Women. Mindmap using the Ketso kit.
Image of the Business Model You template with post-it notes used during a workshop about reviewing professional skills and articulating value proposition to potential employers.
Flipchart drawing during a research communication masterclass for PhD training. Illustrating the concept of the audience's journey when delivering a presentation.
Picture from a group I coached during a Doctoral Training Programme. Photo taken in a lovely garden in the ground where the event took place.
Group of women who took part in the Springboard for Women programme I ran at the University of Sheffield.

Workshops in themselves are no use if they are not anchored in the needs of individuals and if they are not linked to doing, connecting and reflecting.

How do we proceed to work together?

  • Well, it all starts with a conversation between us!

  • You may be interested only in the design of an event or programme, or you may want the full spectrum of support (design, delivery and evaluation)

  • Depending on what you need, I can propose to you different options.

  • I can deliver face-to-face or virtually, as well as nationally or internationally.

  • I can build online programmes as an added support to your face-to-face or virtual live events.

  • What matters to me most is to make it easy for you to offer a transformational experience to your researchers that will build their skills and confidence, whilst supporting exchanges and conversations between them.

  • Meeting the professional development needs of researchers anchors my approach to developing programmes.

Why work with me?

  • I have 15 years experience of developing, delivering and evaluating training programmes in the research environment.

  • I was a founding member and instrumental contributor of the Think Ahead team, which won a UK national award, the 2014 Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding support for early career researchers.

  • I have a track record of supporting academics to develop successfully funded programmes.

I would be delighted to start a conversation with you to see how I can help.

Examples of training I have provided:

  • Preparing managers of researchers for researchers annual reviews

  • Supporting research staff through their annual reviews

  • Implicit bias in the research environment

  • Collaboration Masterclasses (e.g. Crucible programme)

  • Academic Career boot camp

  • Research visibility and networks

  • Establishing a research niche

  • Women Development Programmes

  • Springboard for Women

  • Research ethics and integrity

  • Getting ready for your research fellowship

  • Social media strategies for researchers

  • Resilience in research lives

  • Working well with research supervisors

  • Making the most of your research contract

  • Developing effective writing habits

  • Research communication and engagement

This is not an exhaustive list, just a flavour of what I do!

Workshop participants taking part in a small group discussion. Photo taken from above. Colourful post-it notes and markers on the table.

What do participants say about my workshops?

Featured

I took many useful messages away from today, including the need to avoid negative self-talk, the requirement for regular time slots to devote to looking for funding and the need to provide adequate justification as to why my research competes with the rest of the agenda of a funding body or government.

- UKRMP workshop participant

The strengths of the session on implicit bias is that it was interactive and rich of advice and helpful information that helped me to understand more issues associated with implicit bias and to become more mindful of it. Also it gave me insight to be a member for change to mitigate implicit bias. What I learned from the implicit bias session is that we have to accept our biases and to pay attention to our biases when we are taking decisions, because by this we can develop ideas to reduce it.

- Retrace ITN workshop participant

I have said yes to a lot of professional opportunities I would normally feel too scared to do -these "risks" have paid off (applying for a placement, agreeing to review a paper, going on a training course). At the same time, I have had the confidence to say no to a lot of opportunities which felt like extra work that would not have paid off.

- Springboard for Women participant

Your presentations were so enlightening and so comprehensive. I like the way you look at things. I benefited from them all. Thank you. We had an exceptionally useful interaction. The discussion in the groups was extremely useful and mind stimulating. Listening to the way ladies are coping during this period was enlightening. The challenges discussed were cutting across many of the women.

- Women in research network in Uganda

Liked most about workshop: I really enjoyed the advice given about the CV, interviews and LinkedIn. This helped me to think of these more as tools to present myself instead of simply forms to fill in order to apply for a job.

- 4 Photon ITN programme participant

Liked most about workshop: Personalised feedback on CV and advices, mock interviews, interactive workshop with lots of chances to discuss with peers, very clear delivery.

- 4 Photon ITN programme participant