European Doctoral Summer School
The annual European Doctoral Summer School will take place online this year on Monday 14 to Thursday 17 June 2021.
Organised by the University of York, University of Munster and Maastricht University, the School offers doctoral candidates and postdocs an opportunity to work with colleagues from different institutions, culture and values, in sessions that will enable you to consider how to maximise your strengths, skills, career prospects and self confidence.
Contact us
Personal and professional development
The theme for 2021 is Growth: personal, professional and in practice.
Focussing on the positive lessons learnt from the pandemic, we know that, more than ever, there is a need for researchers to communicate, collaborate, to be creative and to have the confidence and self belief to proceed as circumstances change.
The Summer School is free of charge. If you register, please make every effort to participate as numbers are capped for each session.
Programme
Book your free place at the workshops of your choice by 4pm (BST) on Friday 21 May.
Enquiries: events.gc
See the full European Doctoral Summer School 2021 programme (PDF 
, 8,241kb)
Monday 14 June
Join us if you are keen to talk about self-discovery and things that make life good and successful. Share what you’ve learnt about yourself and talk about changes you’ve made to enhance your life. Inspire and encourage others to make their life even better through your story.
Whose ideas do you admire and want to borrow? Which small step will you take to further grow and improve your life?
Open to 15 participants from University of York.
Effective project management is a critical skill in research. This workshop is designed to give you an insight into the fundamentals of successful research project management. It includes practical tips on how to adapt, adjust and mitigate risk to your research.
Open to 15 participants from University of York.
Tuesday 15 June
Most large organisations, universities and many fellowship schemes include mentoring and opportunities to network. This session explores the power of mentoring and relationship building in helping you develop and enhance your career as a researcher.
Together we will explore the basic principles of mentoring, the value for both parties (mentors and mentees) and the added bonus of having someone ‘on your bench’ who will actively and selflessly identify opportunities that will enable you to grow. The session will include input from researchers about their experiences.
Open to 20 participants from University of York.
Communication is strongly influenced by the setting where it takes place. In hierarchical environments, one communication partner might feel intimidated by the other person's status and "power". Understanding the interpersonal dynamics and finding appropriate tools for successful communication are two keys to avoiding misunderstanding and conflicts.
Open to 10 participants from University of York.
Wednesday 16 June
Social media and online networking are fast becoming essential academic tools. In this session we will help you to develop your online presence and learn how to leverage online tools to support your research career and promote your work.
Open to 15 participants from University of York.
Searching for jobs quite often focuses on job description and maybe on the offering company/institution. To perceive a job as satisfying in the long run it might be more relevant to take a closer look at the general environment. Are you a person seeking routine and reliability? Or do you prefer to work in a changing and flexible setting? Or is it most
satisfying for you to have room for creativity to develop your own ideas?
In this workshop we will explore the profiles of different fields and create a link to you and your personality.
Open to 10 participants from University of York.
Thursday 17 June
Your CV shows who you are and is your business card. With a good CV you can impress a future employer and increase the chance of being invited for an interview. What is a good CV both in - and outside of - academia? And how do you express your experience and qualities in an authentic way?
In this CV check, you will actively get started with your own CV. Having provided you with information about drawing up a CV beforehand and during the workshop, we will look at your CV together.
Please note: You will need to share your CV with other participants in this workshop so please only register if you are comfortable doing so.
Open to 8 participants from University of York.
These days, very few aspects of science are done in isolation. Many projects are conducted in collaboration with researchers in other disciplines, and new ideas are frequently sparked by conversations with other scientists. Moreover, finding a job in academia is often helped by knowing people who have a position to fill, or who can point you to those who do.
Meeting people who can give you valuable information about how to enter a new work sector is crucial. Good networking requires a genuine conversation about your interests, those of the other person, and how they may benefit each other. Getting to the point where networking is a pleasure instead of a chore, however, may not be easy. It often takes skill, and practice, to start enjoying and reaping the benefits of networking.
Open to 20 participants from University of York.
In this session, Daniel Roy Connelly will provide hints and tips about how to give impactful presentations at online conferences. Daniel will explore the (dis)contents surrounding the use of Zoom (and other online platforms) and provide advice about public speaking in general using this medium. There will also be an opportunity for some breakout discussions and practice.
Open to 20 participants from University of York.
Global Research Conversations
Share research ideas, skills and practice
Join fortnightly online sessions for researchers to come together and discuss themes related to various aspects of research. Facilitated by the University of York’s Centre for Global Programmes, the sessions are an opportunity to share research ideas, skills and practice as well as promote cross-cultural conversations between early career researchers from all over the globe.