The Graduate School has appointed Student Programme Leaders in order to give doctoral students the opportunity to engage with our Professional Development Programme and shape its design and delivery.
In our new ‘Two Minutes with….’ series we will be introducing you to our current SPLs and finding out their thoughts so far on the role!
Name: Humera Ansari
Department: Chemical Engineering
Introduce your research: I study adsorption in shales for the purpose of enhanced recovery and carbon sequestration.
Student Programme Leader: Research Communication Programme
Why did you choose to apply for this particular SPL role?
Communicating research well is an essential skill for any researcher, and I have personally benefited significantly from attending these courses, so I felt that this area was where I could contribute the most.
Three things you’ve found interesting:
- Analysing the student feedback
- Reviewing course materials and coming up with ideas for improvement
- As a student, placing myself in the shoes of the teacher and thinking about not only what I want to learn as a student but also what is deliverable within the required time-frame of the course.
Three things you’ve enjoyed most:
- Working closely with the course leader; Elena is a lot of fun to work with!
- Having the ability to make changes to courses and my advice being taken on board
- Looking back on my own experiences of attending these courses, publishing research and presenting at conferences to focus on what will benefit a student the most while attending these courses.
What impact have you had on the programme?
I have been able to suggest changes to course materials and give recommendations to the course leader for delivering the courses. I have also been involved with testing a new MasterClass and providing feedback for the course.
What advice would you give to other students thinking of applying for the SPL role in future?
Use your own experiences of attending conferences, presenting your work and writing papers etc. to really understand how the courses could improve and the knowledge the students will gain from these courses.
Why do you think professional development training is important?
Gaining professional skills is essential to succeeding in any career as they enable you to work effectively with others, learn more about yourself as an individual, present your work in the best possible way, and measure the impact of your work.