Researcher Training

Our Researcher Development and Training Programme is a comprehensive programme of events, opportunities, workshops and resources to support and develop Humanities researchers at all stages of their career from postgraduate level upwards. Some of these opportunities are bespoke and developed in-house; others are provided through external partners, student support services or in partnership with faculties. All workshops and events are free and open to Master's and DPhil students and postdoctoral researchers (including teaching-only and college-only appointments).

New for 2023-24: some of our courses now require payment of a £20 deposit to secure your place. This will be refunded after you have completed the course, or if you cancel your place up to 72 hours before the course begins. If you do not attend the course, or cancel with less than 72 hours' notice, you will not receive a refund. If you have a disability, health condition or any additional needs or requirements that impact your ability to give 72 hours' notice of cancellation, please email us: training@humanities.ox.ac.uk. You can read our full terms and conditions here.

Our programme is organised via 'training pathways', designed to foster virtuous circles between research and personal development. Pathways give participants the flexibility to construct their own training programmes by combining several pathways over the course of their time at Oxford. The pathways are flexible, with multiple points of entry, intersection and exit, and open up further opportunities across and beyond the University.

The pathways are: 

• Preparation for Academic Practice: resources to support all aspects of your development as a researcher, from writing book proposals to preparing for the DPhil viva, and from fellowship applications to academic CVs.
• Heritage: lectures, workshops and site visits led by expert practitioners, providing researchers with the skills, knowledge and confidence to engage effectively with partners in the heritage, museums and cultural sector, whether through research collaborations or as a career choice. This pathway is delivered by the Heritage Partnerships Team. Heritage Pathway is also open to undergraduates and visiting students.
• Teaching: courses and workshops on all aspects of teaching, from pedagogy to teaching philosophies. This pathway is delivered in partnership with the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the University Engagement Programme at the Ashmolean Museum.
• Public Engagement with Research: skills and tools to enable researchers to communicate, collaborate and inspire beyond the academy. Workshops include podcasting, storytelling, and a termly introductory session for researchers wishing to write for The Conversation.
• Career Confidence: designed and delivered in partnership with the University of Oxford Careers Service, this pathway provides resources and opportunities tailored to the interests, skills and preferred career destinations of Humanities researchers.

We also provide signposting and information about events and opportunities from other training providers across the University, such as:

• EnSpire (Oxford's hub for entrepreneurship)
• The Creative Industries programme run by TORCH
• Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN)
• The Researcher Hub
• The IT Learning Centre
• The Language Centre
• The Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Bodleian Libraries
• The Careers Service and Internship Office

Updates and event listings are shared via a weekly newsletter during term-time, circulated to all matriculated, enrolled MSt, MPhil and DPhil students in the Humanities Division and its faculties. Postdoctoral and fixed-term researchers in the Humanities at Oxford are welcome to subscribe to the newsletter by sending a blank email to humanitiestrainingnewsletter-subscribe@maillist.admin.ox.ac.uk. 

If you have any queries or would like to get in touch, please contact Laura and Caroline via: training@humanities.ox.ac.uk