Graduate Professional Development
The aims of graduate training are to:
- equip students with the necessary skills to complete their postgraduate research
- enable them to develop new transferable skills
- increase their employability at the conclusion of their PhD or MSc.
A wide range of transferable skills development sessions are provided centrally by the Researcher Development Training unit (RDT) whereas science-specific training sessions are provided by the Physics department.
This academic year the Physics department is offering 17 skills activities. These include a course explaining how to design and defend a poster which culminates in the postgraduate poster evening. Other physics based sessions introduce students to web page creation, Linux, and LaTeX software.
Students are also offered a workshop on interview training after which they are able to take part in mock interviews for academic, public, or private sector employment.
As part of the Postgraduates Who Teach (PGWT) induction process the Physics department graduate training team offers sessions on improving demonstrating skills, developing effective teaching methods, and scenario training to cover recognised challenges in laboratory environments. Other physics courses develop public speaking skills providing feedback using video recording. These operate in addition to a weekly lunchtime seminar series called SIESTA in which postgraduates present topics connected to their research interests to a general audience. Full details can be found by connecting to the Physics Graduate Professional Development website on the VLE.
For more information contact: Graduate Training Officer: Phil Lightfoot, P/A015 phil.lightfoot@york.ac.uk