Events and Training

The Graduate Research School organises a range of events and training sessions open to all HDR candidates. We also advertise relevant sessions from across the University.

If you have a question or need help, you can contact the event organiser or submit an enquiry.

January
Tue 21

HDR Orientation: Master of Philosophy and PhD Candidates

Join us at orientation to meet the Graduate Research School team, learn about opportunities and support for HDR candidates, and meet your colleagues.

February
Tue 04

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 13

Social Media for Researchers: Beginners' Workshop

This session is designed for researchers who have an online presence but lack confidence, are passive social media users looking to become more active, or have no social media experience and want to learn about these platforms.

Tue 18

Excel for Researchers (Intersect)

We will teach you how to use one of the most widespread data wrangling tools, Microsoft Excel, to import, sort, filter, copy, protect, transform, summarise, merge, and visualise research data.

Wed 19

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 20

HDR Identifiers: The IDs you need and why you need it (Library)

High Degree Researchers need to create some identifiers to ensure they meet their candidature milestones. These identifiers, ORCID and Google Scholar, can be complex to set up in the first instance, but are easy to maintain.

Thu 20

Social Media for Researchers: Advanced Workshop

This workshop is for researchers who are already active on social media and want to enhance their skills, continue sharing their work effectively, and gain advanced insights from a social media expert.

Fri 21

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Fri 28

Getting started with NVivo for Windows (Intersect)

Does your research see you working through unstructured and non-numerical data? With the ability to collect, store and analyse different data types in one location, NVivo is the tool of choice for many researchers.

March
Mon 03

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 06

Systematic and Complex Reviews: An Overview (Library)

This session is one of a two-part series in Complex Review training. Are you writing a Scoping, Rapid, Umbrella, Systematic, Integrative or Meta-Analysis review? Join us as we uncover what makes a good complex review.

Fri 07

Surveying with Qualtrics (Intersect)

Qualtrics in a powerful cloud-based survey tool, ideal for social scientists from all disciplines. This course will introduce the technical components of the whole research workflow from building a survey to analysing the results using Qualtrics.

Wed 12

Advanced Database Searching Techniques (Library)

This session will demonstrate advanced database searching techniques aimed at people undertaking traditional literature reviews and/or people who want to develop a robust and comprehensive search strategy.

Fri 14

Data Capture and Surveys with REDCap (Intersect)

Would you like to enable secure and reliable data collection forms and manage online surveys? Would your study benefit from web-based data entry? Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) might be for you.

Fri 14

Systematic and Complex Reviews: The nuts & bolts of systematic searching (Library)

This session is the second of a two-part series in Complex Review training, looking at using a framework to develop or deconstruct a research question, organising a concept table, and applying Boolean and complex search strings in subject-specific databases.

Tue 18

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Fri 21

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Fri 28

Researcher Productivity, Wellbeing and Values

Through presentations and discussions among participants, this workshop will explore what values are important to you, how are they reflected in your work and strategies for forming research support networks.

April
Thu 03

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: An overview (Library)

This session will provide an overview of the different review types and their purpose, including what ingredients make a good complex review and protocols, inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Thu 03 &
Fri 04

Learn to Program: R (Intersect)

R is quickly gaining popularity as a programming language of choice for statisticians, data scientists and researchers. But getting started with R can be challenging, particularly if you’ve never programmed before. That’s where this introductory course comes in.

Tue 08

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competitor Preparation Webinar

If you are interested in competing in the 3MT Competition, join us at this session to find out more about how to prepare a winning presentation and slide.

Fri 11

Research Essential Training: Advanced database searching techniques (Library)

This session will cover how to break down a research topic into searchable concepts, including using a logic grid to structure your search, searching tips and how to set alerts for newly published content.

Fri 11

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: The nuts and bolts of structured searching (Library)

This session will cover the steps to undertake a complex review, including using a framework to develop or deconstruct a research question, organising concepts, applying boolean and applying complex search strings in subject-specific databases.

Fri 11

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Tue 15

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Tue 15 &
Wed 16

Data Manipulation and Visualisation in R (Intersect)

Join us for a live coding workshop where we write programs that produce results, using the researcher-focused training modules from Intersect and the Software Carpentry Foundation.

Wed 16

HDR Orientation: Master of Philosophy and PhD Candidates

Join us at orientation to meet the Graduate Research School team, learn about opportunities and support for HDR candidates, and meet your colleagues.

Thu 17

The Writing Process: Structuring Your Research Paper

This session will cover strategies for structuring your research paper, including modes of writing, argument logic, paragraph structure, and how to write topic, supporting and conclusion sentences.

Mon 28

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Tue 29

Ethics Information Session (Research)

This session will run quarterly and is targeted to all HDR candidates commencing their second quarter (prior to their Confirmation of Candidature). The session will explore human ethics, animal ethics, biosafety and radiation safety and provide practical advice about preparing your ethics application.

Tue 29

Collaborative Research: Experiences, Tools and Strategies

By sharing experiences through real stories, discussions, and practical insights, we will explore strategies for building strong collaborations, navigating challenges, and leveraging tools for effective collaboration with fellow researchers and industry partners.

Tue 29 &
Wed 30

Learn to Program: Python (Intersect)

Learn about the fundamental concepts in programming using Python and apply them to analyse a sample research dataset.

May
Thu 01

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: An overview (Library)

This session will provide an overview of the different review types and their purpose, including what ingredients make a good complex review and protocols, inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Thu 01 &
Fri 02

Pre-flight Startup Pre-accelerator (Launch Pad)

This program will focus on 1) Developing base entrepreneurial capabilities; and 2) Focusing on ideation by helping new founders to explore and select the idea they want to commercialise.

Fri 02

HDR Identifiers and Why you Need Them (Library)

This session will help you creating verifiable research identifiers and understand their purpose, including ORCID and Google Scholar.

Tue 06 &
Wed 07

Data Manipulation and Visualisation in Python (Intersect)

Explore DataFrames in depth, and learn about Data Manipulation and Data Visualisation in Python using the pandas, matplotlib and seaborn libraries.

Wed 07

Creative Commons Licensing: Unlocking Open Knowledge

Do you want to expand the reach of your research, teaching materials, or publications? Join us for an engaging session on Creative Commons (CC)—the global standard for sharing work legally and openly.

Wed 07

Thesis Writing for English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) Candidates

This session will explore what constitutes good academic writing in English, including tips for writing good academic sentences, writing cohesive academic paragraphs and writing about the ideas of others using evidence and referencing.

Fri 09

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: The nuts and bolts of structured searching (Library)

This session will cover the steps to undertake a complex review, including using a framework to develop or deconstruct a research question, organising concepts, applying boolean and applying complex search strings in subject-specific databases.

Fri 09

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Mon 12

Develop a publishing plan: Strategic publishing for HDR Candidates (Library)

Developing a clear publishing plan can help you stay on track and boost your academic profile.

Wed 14

Discover Western Open Books: Open Access Publishing at Western (Library)

This session will showcase how Western Open Books supports academic authors in publishing free, peer-reviewed, globally visible scholarly texts and open textbooks, aligned with Western’s values of equity, excellence, and impact.

Fri 16

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Mon 19

Thesis Writing Circle (Library)

Are you keen to improve your thesis or publication writing skills? Or perhaps you want to improve the way you give feedback? Come along to our thesis writing circle where we will read and give feedback on new candidate writing samples each session.

Wed 21

Thesis Editing for Beginners (Library)

We will take a look at editing and proofreading, the different levels of editing, the role of feedback in editing, how to proofread, and the technicalities of editing.

Thu 22

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 22

Research Essential Training: Advanced database searching techniques (Library)

This session will cover how to break down a research topic into searchable concepts, including using a logic grid to structure your search, searching tips and how to set alerts for newly published content.

Fri 23

Surveying with Qualtrics (Intersect)

Qualtrics in a powerful cloud-based survey tool, ideal for social scientists from all disciplines. This course will introduce the technical components of the whole research workflow from building a survey to analysing the results using Qualtrics.

Fri 23

Fri 23

Fast Track to Funding Success

This session will focus on what funders look for in researchers and research projects, leading into tips on how to position yourself right from the start to increase your chances of getting grants.

Fri 23

Research Essentials: Scoping Reviews and structured searching (Library)

If you are new to scoping reviews, this presentation will help you understand how to define the characteristics of scoping reviews, structure your review, build a search strategy, and search subject specific databases.

Wed 28

The Power of Industry Engagement in Doctoral Research: Why It Matters and How to Start

Explore how doctoral researchers can build meaningful collaborations with industry partners, equip themselves with strategies to connect, communicate, and co-create knowledge with professionals.

Thu 29

Excel for Researchers (Intersect)

We will teach you how to use one of the most widespread data wrangling tools, Microsoft Excel, to import, sort, filter, copy, protect, transform, summarise, merge, and visualise research data.

June
Thu 05

Getting started with NVivo for Windows (Intersect)

Does your research see you working through unstructured and non-numerical data? With the ability to collect, store and analyse different data types in one location, NVivo is the tool of choice for many researchers.

Fri 06

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 12

Data Capture and Surveys with REDCap (Intersect)

Would you like to enable secure and reliable data collection forms and manage online surveys? Would your study benefit from web-based data entry? Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) might be for you.

Mon 16

Thesis Writing Circle (Library)

Are you keen to improve your thesis or publication writing skills? Or perhaps you want to improve the way you give feedback? Come along to our thesis writing circle where we will read and give feedback on new candidate writing samples each session.

Fri 20

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Fri 20

The ABCs of Impact (Research)

Understanding research impact is essential for HDR candidates looking to make meaningful contributions beyond academia. This workshop provides a foundational exploration of research impact—what it is, why it matters, and how to embed impact strategies throughout the research project.

Tue 24

Ethics Information Session (Research)

This session will run quarterly and is targeted to all HDR candidates commencing their second quarter (prior to their Confirmation of Candidature). The session will explore human ethics, animal ethics, biosafety and radiation safety and provide practical advice about preparing your ethics application.

Tue 24

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 26

Enhancing Research Skills with the New EBSCOhost Platform

EBSCOhost is an intuitive online research platform that provides quality databases and search features to help researchers find the information they need fast.

Fri 27

Research Essentials: Scoping Reviews and structured searching (Library)

If you are new to scoping reviews, this presentation will help you understand how to define the characteristics of scoping reviews, structure your review, build a search strategy, and search subject specific databases.

July
Wed 02

Selecting the Right Publishing Outlet and Crafting a Strong Research Paper

Practical advice about navigating the publication process, from identifying the right publishing outlet to writing a high-quality manuscript.

Thu 03

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: An overview (Library)

This session will provide an overview of the different review types and their purpose, including what ingredients make a good complex review and protocols, inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Thu 03 &
Fri 04

Learn to Program: R (Intersect)

R is quickly gaining popularity as a programming language of choice for statisticians, data scientists and researchers. But getting started with R can be challenging, particularly if you’ve never programmed before. That’s where this introductory course comes in.

Mon 07

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Tue 08

HDR Orientation: Master of Philosophy and PhD Candidates

Join us at orientation to meet the Graduate Research School team, learn about opportunities and support for HDR candidates, and meet your colleagues.

Wed 09

Surveying with Qualtrics (Intersect)

Qualtrics in a powerful cloud-based survey tool, ideal for social scientists from all disciplines. This course will introduce the technical components of the whole research workflow from building a survey to analysing the results using Qualtrics.

Thu 17

Research Essential Training: Systematic and complex reviews: The nuts and bolts of structured searching (Library)

This session will cover the steps to undertake a complex review, including using a framework to develop or deconstruct a research question, organising concepts, applying boolean and applying complex search strings in subject-specific databases.

Fri 18

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect)

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Mon 21

The Writing Process: Structuring Your Research Paper

This session will cover strategies for structuring your research paper, including modes of writing, argument logic, paragraph structure, and how to write topic, supporting and conclusion sentences.

Wed 23

HDR Congregate and Write (Library)

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Thu 24

Longitudinal Trials with REDCap (Intersect)

REDCap is a powerful application for managing longitudinal data collection activities. With features such as organising data collection instruments into predefined events, you can shepherd participants through complex surveys at various time points with very little configuration.

Fri 25

HDR Identifiers: The IDs you need and why you need it (Library)

High Degree Researchers need to create some identifiers to ensure they meet their candidature milestones. These identifiers, ORCID and Google Scholar, can be complex to set up in the first instance, but are easy to maintain.

Fri 25

Research Impact in Action

Research Impact in Action takes a look at non-academic impact, the different categories of impact and how to achieve them in different fields of research. It also covers the pathway to create impact, the elements of successful impact; as well as impact activities and how they relate to the impact types.

August
Mon 04

Thesis Writing for English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) Candidates

This session will explore what constitutes good academic writing in English, including tips for writing good academic sentences, writing cohesive academic paragraphs and writing about the ideas of others using evidence and referencing.

Tue 05

Systematic and Complex Reviews: An Overview (Library)

This session is one of a two-part series in Complex Review training. Are you writing a Scoping, Rapid, Umbrella, Systematic, Integrative or Meta-Analysis review? Join us as we uncover what makes a good complex review.

Wed 06

Unlocking Career Success with JobIQ

An interactive workshop with tailored resources and real-world insights, this session will help you identify transferable skills, explore diverse career opportunities, and build professional networks.

Thu 07

HDR Congregate and Write (Library).

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Tue 12

Thesis Writing Circle (Library).

Are you keen to improve your thesis or publication writing skills? Or perhaps you want to improve the way you give feedback? Come along to our thesis writing circle where we will read and give feedback on new candidate writing samples each session.

Thu 14

Systematic and Complex Reviews: The nuts & bolts of systematic searching (Library).

This session is the second of a two-part series in Complex Review training, looking at using a framework to develop or deconstruct a research question, organising a concept table, and applying Boolean and complex search strings in subject-specific databases.

Thu 14

Getting Started with NVivo for Windows (Intersect).

Does your research see you working through unstructured and non-numerical data? With the ability to collect, store and analyse different data types in one location, NVivo is the tool of choice for many researchers.

Mon 18

Systematic Review Technology: Now and for the future with Covidence (Library).

Find out more about the existing, new and upcoming features in Covidence that can maximise the efficiency of your literature review, including data extraction and reporting.

Tue 19

AI Skills - Bridging Research and Industry: A Forum for Researchers, Supervisors, and HDR Candidates.

This forum will bring together researchers, supervisors, industry professionals, and HDR candidates to discuss how AI competencies cultivated in research environments transfer to various career trajectories, emphasising the long-term value of these skills.

Wed 20

Presenting Your Research (Library).

This session will cover strategies for writing and delivering successful research presentations, including knowing your audience, creating good visuals and responding to questions.

Thu 21

Research Essentials: Scoping Reviews and Structured Searching (Library).

If you are new to scoping reviews, this presentation will help you understand how to define the characteristics of scoping reviews, structure your review, build a search strategy, and search subject specific databases.

Fri 22

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect).

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Fri 22

HDR Congregate and Write (Library).

Join us for fortnightly writing sessions using the Pomodoro technique to write in 25-minute concentrated blocks with breaks to chat with your colleagues.

Tue 26

Research Essentials: Gold standard searching for systematic reviews across multiple databases.

This session will solely focus on translating one search strategy across multiple database platforms.

Thu 28

Language for Literature Reviews (Library).

This session will cover the process of conducting a literature review, how to analyse and synthesise sources, how to structure your literature review and what type of language to use.

September
Tue 02

HDR Conference Day 2

Sustainable Development Goals Hackathon (registrations open soon)

Research Pulse: Candidate Presentations (schedule available soon)

Interview with an Early-Career Researcher

Keynote and Panel Discussion: Generative AI and the Impact on HDR

Thu 04 &
Fri 05

Excel for Researchers (Intersect).

We will teach you how to use one of the most widespread data wrangling tools, Microsoft Excel, to import, sort, filter, copy, protect, transform, summarise, merge, and visualise research data.

Wed 17

Enhancing Depth and Breadth of Research Discussion.

Explore strategies for deepening research discussions while broadening perspectives, ensuring a well-rounded and critically engaged approach to scholarly work. Learn how to critically engage with literature, synthesize diverse viewpoints, integrate interdisciplinary insights, and structure compelling discussions in your writing.

Fri 19

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect).

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Mon 29

HDR Orientation: Master of Philosophy and PhD Candidates.

Join us at orientation to meet the Graduate Research School team, learn about opportunities and support for HDR candidates, and meet your colleagues.

October
Fri 17

Introduction to Research Data Management (Intersect).

All HDR candidates are required to develop a Research Data Management Plan and this session will help you understand what you need to do and how to think proactively about your data.

Tue 21

Critical and Creative Thinking for HDR Success.

Explore how to integrate creative and critical thinking skills across the research lifecycle—from formulating compelling questions and navigating methodological challenges to analyzing data with depth and presenting findings in engaging ways.

Tue 21

Ethics Information Session (Research).

This session will run quarterly and is targeted to all HDR candidates commencing their second quarter (prior to their Confirmation of Candidature). The session will explore human ethics, animal ethics, biosafety and radiation safety and provide practical advice about preparing your ethics application.

November
TBA
TBA
December
TBA
TBA

Attendance

Events and training are free unless stated otherwise.

Only register for workshops that you are able to attend. There may be limited places available and they are in high demand.

If you cannot attend a session, please notify the organiser.

Ethics Consultations

The Research Ethics Team is available to provide online consultations for HDR candidates.