Graduate training
The Department offers a wide variety of training for all graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, to support your research work, help you develop a range of academic skills, and increase your employability.
They are given by all the Department's core teaching officers and are supported by a range of resources on this page. The Graduate Training Officer welcomes suggestions for additions and improvements.
Most workshops are held on Friday lunchtimes. Feel free to bring food and eat as you work.
Overview
Training seminars, schemes and workshops for all graduate students and postdocs
4pm, Thursday 6 and 13 October: Research Topics and Resources I & II (Simon Schaffer, Anna Alexandrova)
HPS encompasses a bewildering range of topics. These seminars cannot hope to give you a complete overview of the field and how to research it, but they will introduce you to some basic topics and methodologies, stimulate you with lively examples of work by fellow graduate students and postdocs, and inspire you to carry out original and insightful work of your own. These seminars are complemented by an online guide.
Session 1 (chaired by Simon Schaffer):
Matthew Lane: Research skills training offered by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Jenny Bangham: Researching the history of twentieth-century biology
Katharina Kraus: Philosophy of science
Josh Nall: Researching in the Whipple Museum
Session 2 (chaired by Anna Alexandrova):
Nick Jardine: Introduction to research resources in HPS
Patricia Fara: Scientific images
Rohan Deb Roy: Empire and insects
Caitlin Wylie: Interviewing scientists for sociological research
1pm, Friday 21 October: How to research HPS online (Tim Eggington)
Today's electronic resources expand research possibilities to an almost unimaginable degree. These resources are however only useful if you know how to use them and if you know they are there! This session will introduce you to a range of crucial HPS-relevant electronic resources, helping you to exploit them in both conception and execution of your research projects.
Presentation: electronic resources in HPS
1pm, Friday 4 November: How to use HPS-related rare book and manuscript collections in Cambridge (Tim Eggington, Nick Jardine and Paul White)
Cambridge University's libraries contain a staggering wealth of rare book and manuscript collections, many of them little known. This workshop will provide an introduction to Cambridge's HPS-relevant collections and show some of the ways in which collections-based study can present an enriching and stimulating avenue for research. Part of the session will be devoted to the Charles Darwin and other manuscript collections at Cambridge University Library.
Directory of HPS-related special collections in the University of Cambridge
1pm, Friday 25 November: How to give a research talk and chair a session (Nick Hopwood)
Most of us in HPS are much more skilled at research and writing than we are at talking about our work in public. So we spend a lot of time giving and listening to research seminars that could easily be much better. Here is a chance to share ideas about how to give a good talk. This workshop will help you reflect on the ingredients of a good presentation, from planning the content and preparing visual aids to delivering a clear, engaging performance and handling awkward questions with aplomb. It will also cover how to chair a conference or workshop session.
1pm, Friday 3 and 10 February: How to use printed books as original sources (Jim Secord and Roger Gaskell)
You think you know how to use books because they are so familiar. In fact we all subconsciously mediate texts, interpreting a text message in a different way to a newspaper article or academic textbook, for example. For printed books from earlier periods, we do not automatically possess the required knowledge for a full interpretation and must make a conscious effort to understand the context in which they were manufactured and used. This pair of workshops uses books from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries in the Whipple Library to show how physical evidence in printed books can be used for an historically informed reading of the text. Topics will include format, typography, illustration, binding, provenance, annotation and other marks made by former owners.
NEW: 1pm, Friday 2 March: How to make the most of conferences (Liba Taub)
Attending a conference for the first time can be a daunting and exhaustive experience. This workshop will help you choose which sessions to attend (you don't have to go to them all!), how to introduce yourself to useful and interesting people, and how to get maximum benefit from the ideas and information presented and discussed.
1pm, Friday 27 April: How to get a job in academia (John Forrester)
Student life can't last forever... This workshop will give you lots of practical advice on how to make yourself employable; where to look for suitable jobs and fellowships; how to prepare job applications and cover letters; how to find referees; and how to plan interview and job-talk tactics.
1pm, Friday 11 May: How to publish an article (Nick Jardine and Marina Frasca-Spada)
Your supervisor or examiners may have suggested that an essay of yours might be a good basis for a published article. What better way to spend your summer? This workshop, led by two journal editors, will talk you through the reasons for publishing; where and when to publish; how to transform a good MPhil essay or PhD chapter into a publishable article; how to respond to editors' queries and referees' reports; and how to submit the final version and deal with page proofs.
Graduate training workshops particularly for Part III and MPhil students
1pm, Friday 14 October: How to research and write a Part III/MPhil essay (Hasok Chang)
As you embark on your first piece of coursework, you probably will have a plethora of questions to ask; most people do. What's my supervisor for, and how do I make the most of her? Where I do find the resources I need? How much can I say in 5000 words? What are the parameters of good academic style? How do I manage my time so that I'm not still writing a draft 24 hours before submission? How do I cite my sources? An experienced Part III/MPhil supervisor will reveal the secrets of how to get an excellent essay in on time without too much loss of sleep or fingernails.
How to plan and write up research
NEW: 10am, Thursday 20 October onwards (6 sessions): Histories of the sciences (Nick Jardine)
This series of workshops discusses the history, aims, methods and problems of the history of science. The first sessions are on the various purposes for which histories of the sciences have been written and on the formation of history of science as a discipline. We then deal with issues of historical interpretation, explanation and narration. Finally, we reflect on current problems and exciting new approaches in the history of the sciences.
1pm, Friday 11 November: How to apply for a PhD (Simon Schaffer)
Whether you are considering applying for a PhD place in Cambridge or elsewhere, deadlines will soon be looming. Prepare yourself by coming to this workshop, run by the Director of Graduate Studies. It will cover topics such as choosing a workable topic; writing a convincing proposal; looking for sources of funding; and the Department's PhD admissions requirements and process.
1pm, Friday 24 February: How to prepare a Part III/MPhil dissertation (Hasok Chang)
Although your final submission date is still months away, now is a good time to start planning what your finished dissertation will look like. In this session the MPhil/Part III Manager will take you through the qualities that examiners typically look for in a high-quality piece of work and – equally importantly – the sure fire ways to lose marks too. It will also cover formalities such as word counts, appendices and bibliographical style.
Graduate training workshops particularly for PhD students
1pm, Friday 20 January: How to get a PhD (Tim Lewens)
As a PhD student at the end of your first term, you're beginning to find your way around the Department and your research topic. Now it's time to start thinking ahead. This session will describe the formal requirements for your PhD, help you plan your work, explain what to expect at your Annual Review, and advise you how to make the most of your PhD log book.
1pm, Friday 9 March: How to beat the mid-PhD slump (John Forrester)
It's the tail-end of winter, you haven't seen the sun in months, and you want to throw your half-finished PhD out of the window... Believe it or not, this is absolutely normal. Come and share your woes, and find out how to get motivated again, in this workshop packed with practical advice on keeping your research and writing moving along.
1pm, Friday 18 May: How to finish your PhD (Vanessa Heggie)
Come along to this workshop to discuss your experiences of PhD research so far, and to find ways to manage the last stages of your project. Topics will include reviewing work done so far, assessing and prioritising remaining work, realistic time management, and the formal requirements for PhD submission. It's never too early to start finishing!
Graduate training workshops for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers
1pm, Friday 7 October: How supervisions work (Nick Hopwood)
All PhD students and postdocs are encouraged to supervise undergraduates in HPS. If you have never supervised before, this workshop is an essential prerequisite. It will explain the relationship between lectures and supervisions, Department and College, and cover practical topics such managing reports and payments through CamCORS.
1pm, Friday 14 October: How to supervise coursework (for postdocs only; Jim Secord)
Supervising a piece of research work over several weeks or months takes a rather different set of skills to supervising undergraduate essays. In this workshop a senior UTO will lead discussion on helping students to: choose viable and worthwhile topics; find and utilise appropriate resources; plan and carry out their research and writing; manage the constraints of deadlines and word limits. We will also consider strategies for coping with various problem scenarios: how and when to ask for help; questions of confidentiality; and how not to end up doing all the work yourself! Whether you've been supervising MPhil essays and Part II dissertations for years, or are likely to be taking on research students for the first time this year, do come along to share your experiences, concerns and questions. This workshop is only for postdoctoral members and affiliates of the Department.
1pm, Friday 28 October, repeated 27 January: How to supervise essays (Nicky Reeves and others)
This workshop builds on the session 'How supervisions work' but is also useful for more experienced supervisors. It will cover more theoretical issues such as the pedagogical functions of supervisions and effective ways to plan and deliver them. There will be a particular focus on how to mark and comment on essays, based on real-life examples.
1pm, Friday 17 February: How to write a book proposal (Jim Secord)
So you want to transform your PhD into a book. Or you want to write something completely different. How do you persuade a publisher to offer you a contract? This workshop will discuss good strategies for approaching publishers, how to present your proposal effectively, and what to expect in return from the publisher.
1pm, Friday 4 May: How to apply for a research grant (Tim Lewens)
Research fellowships and postdoctoral grants are not prizes for writing a splendid PhD. How do you convince a college, university or funding body that your proposed research is worth funding – and that you are the person that should be funded to do it? This workshop will give you lots of practical tips on writing a succinct, engaging and convincing research grant application.
How to apply for a research grant
Events and resources for everyone, every term
HPS History Workshop and HPS Philosophy Workshop (alternating Wednesdays, 1pm)
The HPS History Workshop is a seminar group, run by and for graduate students and postdocs, devoted to peer discussion of work in progress on the history and historiography of science, for example PhD chapters, dissertations, articles intended for publication or conference papers. The seminar aims to provide an informal arena for the exchange of ideas among students of the history of science in HPS and elsewhere, but philosophers, sociologists etc. are very welcome too.
The HPS Philosophy Workshop is a fortnightly peer group seminar devoted to the discussion of on-going work by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in philosophy. Short papers will normally be circulated by email one week in advance of each meeting, where the author will give a brief synopsis. The aim of the seminar is to provide a forum for informal, constructive interaction amongst those currently engaged in philosophical research.
NEW: 11am on Fridays, from 4 November: Supervisors’ coffee mornings (Liba Taub, Caitlin Wylie and Ruth Horry)
Once your formal supervisor training is over, who do you turn to for continued support? Your fellow supervisors, of course! The College Liaison Officer can also be very helpful when disciplinary matters arise. Come and chat over coffee to other Department supervisors about how it's going, share the pleasures successes of good supervisions and seek advice over trickier issues. The College Liaison Officer will not attend every week, but will field queries by phone or email.
Language training
The Greek Therapy and Latin Therapy groups each offer informal weekly sessions, led by an expert tutor, to help you improve your reading skills in these languages.
English language support
If English is not your first language and you find yourself struggling to read, write and communicate effectively in an academic environment, come and talk in confidence to the MPhil/Part III Manager or Director of Graduate Studies. The Department can offer a range of 1-1 support for you, tailored to your needs.
Externally provided courses and resources
All graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are encouraged to attend relevant training courses offered by other bodies, most of which are free to members of the University:
- School of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Joint Schools Research Methods in Social Sciences
- Careers Service resources for arts, humanities and social sciences postdocs
- Computing Service
- Language Centre
- Centre for Personal and Professional Development
- Disability Resource Centre
The University's website on transferable skills for graduates also lists a lot of useful courses and resources.
Skills Portal
The University's Skills Portal is a searchable online resource that holds information on opportunities for postgraduate and research staff to develop a broad skill set that will serve them in both their current vocation and their future endeavours. It lists events from a large array of sources within the University.
Tiny travel grants
A small number of grants for travel to conferences is available for graduate students giving papers at conferences (not for attendance only). Ask the Department Administrator for details.
Tiny training grants
If you have a particular training need that is not catered for here, the Department may be able give you financial assistance towards it. Ask the Department Administrator for details.