Tuesday 16 December 2025

• 17:15 - Biology Christmas Lecture 2025 - Seismic Senses: from Spiders to Elephants - IN PERSON
  Dr Beth Mortimer (University of Oxford)
• 17:15 - Biology Christmas Lecture 2025 - Seismic Senses: from Spiders to Elephants - ONLINE
  Dr Beth Mortimer (University of Oxford)

Friday 19 December 2025

• 17:00 - MPLS Researcher Conference: AI & Ethics - January 15th 2026
  The deadline to register for this conference is 5pm on the 19th December 2025 - The conference will take place on Thursday 15th January 2026 from 9.30am at The Mathematical Institute.
  Professor Tom Stoneham (University of York), Dr Heloise Stevance (Schmidt AI in Science Fellow, University of Oxford), Professor Gemma Derrick (AI, Ethics & Research Culture, University of Bristol.), Dr Caroline Green (AI & Ethics Institute, Oxford.)

Monday 12 January 2025

• 17:00 - From Flatland to Cannonballs – designing historical lessons and workshops for secondary school pupils & their teachers
  Snezana Lawrence (Independent Scholar)
  History of Mathematics Seminar

Wednesday 14 January 2025

• 09:00 - Oxford Photonics Day 2026
  Prof. Alina Karabchevsky, (Lancaster University), Prof. Tim Morris (Durham University), Prof. Kevin Francis Macdonald (University of Southampton)

Wednesday 21 January 2025

• 09:30 - Scientific Writing - Core Skills (in-person)
  This one day course provides a sound grounding in the core skills needed to produce accurate and effective scientific writing.
  Dr David Jones (Dr David Jones)

Thursday 22 January 2025

• 09:30 - Interviewing for podcasts
  You are behind the mic, ready to record your first podcast ... but wait! What do you ask? This hands-on training session helps you navigate the world of podcast interviews.
  Emily Elias (Podcast Producer)
• 14:00 - Sociality, heterogeneity, organisation and leadership in animal groups
  Prof Andrew King (Swansea University)

Friday 23 January 2025

• 11:00 - To be announced
  Prof Marie-Therese Wolfram (University of Warwick)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Monday 26 January 2025

• 09:30 - Responsible Research and Innovation
  The aim of the course is to enable researchers to adopt a responsible approach when considering the positive and negative aspects of their research, including the moral, ethical and societal impacts of it. The course is a follow up to the online Research Integrity course developed by Research Services, which is a pre-requisite for this face to face course.
  Sarah Callaghan (Research Practice Group, University of Oxford), Sally Charles (University of Oxford)

Tuesday 27 January 2025

• 09:30 - Advanced presentation skills (in-person)
  This session is for people who have experience of presentations and want to hone their skills.
  Dr David Jones (Dr David Jones)

Wednesday 28 January 2025

• 09:30 - Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Training Session (in-person)
  A 50,000 word thesis would take 7 hours to present; how about in just 3 minutes with the aid of a single slide?
  Dr Catherine Seed (University of Oxford)

Thursday 29 January 2025

• 09:30 - Podcast your science (in-person)
  From inception to publication this practical session delivered by Emily Elias, journalist and producer of the Oxford Sparks podcast series, is a whirlwind tour through the basics of how to share your research in an engaging manner through podcasting.
  Emily Elias (Podcast Producer)
• 09:30 - Managing difficult situations
  The aim of the course is to provide participants with an awareness of what causes difficult situations / behaviour, a set of skills for managing them, and opportunities to practice the skills.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division), Alison Trinder (University of Oxford)
• 15:30 - A Collectivist, Economic Perspective on AI
  Professor Michael I. Jordan (Inria Paris and University of California, Berkeley)
  Annual: The David Blackwell Lectures

Friday 30 January 2025

• 11:00 - To be announced
  TBA
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Monday 2 February 2025

• 13:30 - Is the bacterial accessory genome adaptive?
  Dr John Lees (Welcome Genome Campus Hinxton)

Tuesday 3 February 2025

• 15:00 - Strachey Lecture with Professor Ion Stoica: An AI stack: from scaling AI workloads to evaluating LLMs
  Professor Ion Stoica (UC Berkeley)
  The Strachey Lectures in Computer Science

Wednesday 4 February 2025

• 09:30 - Get that grant (in-person)
  Learn the art of writing compelling research proposals, uncover potential pitfalls to avoid, and discover what reviewers look for in a proposal.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Friday 6 February 2025

• 11:00 - Phase transition in collective dynamics
  Prof Sara Merino-Aceituno (Universitat Wien)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Wednesday 11 February 2025

• 09:30 - How to do a Career Development Review, for reviewers (in-person)
  Regular meaningful Career Development Reviews are an important part of developing a positive research culture.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Thursday 12 February 2025

• 13:00 - Engaging with controversial and sensitive topics
  Engaging with sensitive or controversial topics in research requires a thoughtful and strategic approach, especially when communicating with diverse audience groups.
  Hana Ayoob (Hana Ayoob)

Friday 13 February 2025

• 11:00 - To be announced
  Dr Leonard Dekens (Francis Crick Institute)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Wednesday 18 February 2025

• 09:30 - Negotiation & Influencing Skills
  This workshop aims to help build confidence and skills for those who wish to influence and achieve mutually beneficial goals with their peers, managers and stakeholders.
  Anne Gallagher (Leapfrog Training & Development)

Thursday 19 February 2025

• 08:30 - How to prepare for a Career Development Review, for reviewees (in-person)
  A positive Career Development Review conversation can play a really positive role in your professional development.
  Jarlath Brine (University of Oxford)
• 09:30 - Project management: the essentials
  The focus of this course is to provide a practical ‘project management toolbox’ that you can use in your daily work.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Friday 20 February 2025

• 11:00 - The rogue within: uncovering hidden heterogeneity in heart cell networks
  Dr Noemi Picco (Swansea University)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Wednesday 25 February 2025

• 09:30 - Get that job
  An interactive workshop for researchers on making successful job applications.
  Suzi Black (University of Oxford)
• 10:00 - You and your Supervisor
  This course provides information and introduces strategies to enable DPhil students to develop an effective working relationship with their supervisor.
  Dr Molly Grace (University of Oxford)

Thursday 26 February 2025

• 10:00 - Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Training Session (in-person)
  A 50,000 word thesis would take 7 hours to present; how about in just 3 minutes with the aid of a single slide?
  Dr Catherine Seed (University of Oxford)

Friday 27 February 2025

• 11:00 - To be announced
  Dr Robert Van Gorder (University of Otago)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Monday 2 March 2025

• 13:30 - Developing Sustainable Public Health Policy Through and Beyond Mathematical Modelling
  Joaquin Prada (University of Surrey)

Tuesday 3 March 2025

• 09:30 - Scientific Writing - Core Skills (in-person)
  This one day course provides a sound grounding in the core skills needed to produce accurate and effective scientific writing.
  Dr David Jones (Dr David Jones)

Thursday 5 March 2025

• 14:00 - Getting Started in Public & Community Engagement with Research (online)
  Dr Catherine Seed (University of Oxford)

Friday 6 March 2025

• 11:00 - Identifiability of Stochastic and Spatial Models in Mathematical Biology
  Alex Browning (University of Melbourne)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Tuesday 10 March 2025

• 10:00 - Thriving in Research: core strategic skills and mindsets for research impact (in-person)
  Natacha Wilson (Director Cambridge Insights)

Wednesday 11 March 2025

• 09:30 - Get that fellowship (in-person)
  This session will help you to understand the dos and don’ts of a fellowship application. It will guide you through the process and explain the support that is available. A holder of a research fellowship will discuss their application experience.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Friday 13 March 2025

• 11:00 - Stop abusing Turing
  Dr Thomas Woolley (Cardiff University)
  Mathematical Biology and Ecology

Tuesday 17 March 2025

• 14:00 - How to peer review journal papers (in-person)
  Dr David Jones (Dr David Jones)

Wednesday 18 March 2025

• 10:00 - Time Management
  Being able to manage time effectively will help you to be more successful in all aspects of your life.
  Dr Catherine Seed (University of Oxford), James Cunning (University of Oxford)

Thursday 19 March 2025

• 10:00 - Telling stories that matter: communicating your research through story
  Discover more about how to craft and apply storytelling skills to communicate your research.
  Robert Holtom (Narrative Coach)
• 10:00 - Viva practice and preparation (in-person)
  Tailored for third and fourth-year doctoral students, gain insights into viva rules, proactive preparation, and the examiner's perspective. Sharpen your skills through practical exercises for a confident viva experience.
  Dr Molly Grace (University of Oxford)

Wednesday 25 March 2025

• 09:30 - Coaching Skills for Leaders
  This workshop will provide an introduction to key coaching concepts, approaches and skills. We will explore when and how coaching skills can be used to support effective leadership and management practice. Participants will take part in a practice coaching conversation using real-life examples, topics and challenges.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division), Louisa Trevail (University of Oxford)

Thursday 26 March 2025

• 09:30 - Completing Your DPhil (in-person)
  If you are nearing the end of your DPhil, this workshop will help you develop a plan for completing your DPhil and prepare for the viva.
  Professor Dimitra Rigopoulou (University of Oxford), Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Thursday 7 May 2025

• 16:00 - Exploring the link between microsctructure, order and toughness in bioinspired composites
  Dr Florian Bouville (Imperial College London)
  Materials Departmental Colloquia

Wednesday 27 May 2025

• 09:30 - Project management: the essentials
  The focus of this course is to provide a practical ‘project management toolbox’ that you can use in your daily work.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Wednesday 3 June 2025

• 08:30 - Get that job
  An interactive workshop for researchers on making successful job applications.
  Suzi Black (University of Oxford)

Thursday 4 June 2025

• 09:30 - How to prepare for a Career Development Review, for reviewees (in-person)
  A positive Career Development Review conversation can play a really positive role in your professional development.
  Jarlath Brine (University of Oxford)

Tuesday 23 June 2025

• 09:30 - Advanced presentation skills (in-person)
  This session is for people who have experience of presentations and want to hone their skills.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division)

Wednesday 24 June 2025

• 09:30 - Coaching Skills for Leaders
  This workshop will provide an introduction to key coaching concepts, approaches and skills. We will explore when and how coaching skills can be used to support effective leadership and management practice. Participants will take part in a practice coaching conversation using real-life examples, topics and challenges.
  Dr Justin Hutchence (MPLS Division), Louisa Trevail (University of Oxford)