The Unit held its eighth annual Training & Careers Development Event on Wednesday 19th April. Unit members, together with colleagues from the University of Oxford, were treated to a range of enlightening presentations, each of which was followed by an engaging Q & A session.

Unit Director Professor Peter Magill started the Event by reiterating some key aspects of the Unit’s approach to training and career development. This was followed by an insightful joint presentation by Dr Laura Newell and Dr Benedicte Menn of Oxford University Innovation about ways and means of commercialising research, focusing on the protection of Intellectual Property and the creation of spinout companies. Ginny Matthews of the University’s Assurance Directorate and James Lee of NDCN’s professional services team then gave a joint presentation and some welcome practical advice on navigating the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation and best practice for compliant data sharing. Unit Administrator Vivienne Collins then concluded the general session by giving some well-received guidance on the do’s and don’ts of expenses claims.

In the first of two break-out workshops held after refreshments, Charlotte Houghton of the University’s Environmental Sustainability team led an interactive discussion about the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) scheme at Oxford. Unit postdoctoral researcher Dr Camille Loiseau then related her experiences of implementing LEAF at the Unit. In the second workshop, Dr Joanna Bagniewska of the University’s Department of Paediatrics offered some valuable recommendations on how to use social media to enhance career visibility for research.

Professor Charlotte Stagg, Chair of the Unit’s Training & Career Development Committee, commented “The provision of bespoke training and career support continues to be a priority for the Unit. We are most grateful to our expert speakers, and we look forward to acting on their great advice.”