Workshops, training opportunities and professional development
Take advantage of workshops and events throughout the year. Our researcher development modules and workshops cover all stages of your thesis journey and help you to connect with Graduate Research School staff and fellow candidates.
Access the Graduate Research School (GRS) Blackboard site for online modules you can complete in your own time. You can also find slides and other resources from many of our workshops. Log in using your student username and password.
Find information for which workshops are available each month
PhD induction (GRS_RD1): Self-paced
Facilitators: Dr Nick Baker, Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith and invited guests.
This online course is designed for doctoral candidates to work through in their first year.
- Available through Blackboard (link)
- Self-paced
- 6 core modules
- Monthly Touchpoint sessions
Touchpoints are interactive, one-hour Zoom sessions that provide a deep dive into the online course modules. You will benefit most if you have already begun working through the material, but all are welcome.
No registration is necessary. Join by Zoom on the first Friday of each month at 1pm (no session 3 April).
Join Touchpoint via Zoom
Meeting ID: 943 7653 4994
Password: Touchpoint
PhD induction (GRS_RD2): Keep Calm and Carry On – Expected semester 2, 2026
This course supports doctoral candidates navigating the middle stage of candidature. It normalises common academic, emotional, and practical challenges, and provides evidence-informed strategies for sustaining progress, strengthening writing practices, and building academic resilience, wellbeing and confidence. The course also clarifies when and how to seek supervisory and institutional support.
Finishing your PhD (GRS_RD3)
This course supports final-year doctoral candidates through completing their thesis, preparing for examination and planning post-PhD pathways. Practical strategies, reflective tools, and flexible learning support candidates to finish confidently and efficiently.
Touchpoint sessions for this course are held on the third Friday of each month (February to November) at 1pm. No need to register. Join via the link below.
Join Touchpoint via Zoom
Meeting ID: 943 7653 4994
Password: Touchpoint
The A–Z of wrangling your thesis (1.5 hours)
This light-hearted session covers key considerations for completing a doctoral or master’s thesis.
Progress Reporting (2 hours)
This workshop explores progress reporting as a developmental process for graduate research candidates covering purpose, expectations and key components.
Research in Aotearoa (2 hours)
This workshop explores the responsibilities of conducting research in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ethical research practice, and culturally responsive approaches. The session also provides practical insight into building meaningful relationships with Māori researchers and communities – emphasising collaboration, respect, and reciprocity.
AI Literacy Sessions
Generative AI is now part of the research landscape, and every candidate needs the judgment to use it well. This series builds practical, principled AI literacy across your candidature – complemented by the Monthly AI Lab an ongoing space to develop your practice alongside your peers. (See Researcher development booklet p.6)
We strongly recommend that you do all three sessions; however, you can pick and choose the ones you need.
AI Literacy part one: Understanding generative AI in research
This session introduces generative AI for graduate research candidates. What these tools are, what they can and cannot do. Participants explore automation bias, AI hallucinations, over-trust and environmental impact, and develop strategies for calibrating their reliance on AI task-by-task.
AI Literacy part two: Practical AI skills for research
This hands-on session explores productive, principled AI use in graduate research, including the five roles AI can play in a research project experience and the user draft-first boundary that keeps your thinking your own. Participants develop their prompting and verification skills that they can apply immediately.
AI Literacy part three: Integrity, transparency, and your AI practice
This session addresses the responsible use of AI in thesis research workflow, disclosure expectations, and maintaining an audit trail of AI use. Participants begin a reflexive AI-use note and prompt library they can carry through their candidature.
Preparing for the Doctoral Examination
This two-part session provides a comprehensive look at the doctoral examination process at Otago, covering examiner selection, assessment criteria, and the qualities of a successful thesis. Participants will also gain practical strategies for the oral defence, learning how to present their research effectively and respond to examiner feedback with confidence.
Essential Skills and Knowledge for Graduate Success workshops (see below)
Facilitator: Dr Navé Wald
This group of four two-hour workshops aims to support the development of graduate research students’ scholarly skills and knowledge, and to contribute towards their ability to design, conduct, and write research that is rigorous, well-founded, and contributes meaningfully to academic knowledge. The topics covered in these workshops emphasise the importance of critical thinking, a thorough literature review, well-articulated research justification, and the construction of conceptual and theoretical frameworks.
There are some overlaps across the workshops, but each has its own central focus. This means that a certain topic may be briefly discussed in one session and more fully addressed in another. Students are encouraged to attend all four workshops, but one is not contingent on attending another. Which sessions to attend and in what order, depends on students’ time and preference.
Essential Skills 1. Writing a Literature Review (2 hours)
Your literature review has several purposes. It explains what has already been published on your research topic, identifies key debates and/or gaps in the existing literature, and demonstrates why your work is important. Rather than being a list of who said what, your literature review should offer a critical analysis and synthesis of published research. This allows you to justify your research and to show how it contributes something new.
In this workshop we cover what is meant by ‘the literature’ in your field(s), the purposes of the literature review, and a range of approaches and strategies.
Essential Skills 2. Critical thinking in the postgraduate research process (2 hours)
This workshop is designed for graduate research students in any discipline who wish to improve the quality of their academic work. It will address some specific areas in thesis writing and graduate research where critical thinking is required. In the workshop we will examine the application of critical thinking in different disciplines and look at a range of topics including gap statements and research questions, the literature review and claims about contributing to knowledge.
Essential Skills 3. Research justification in higher degrees and academic publishing (2 hours)
Research justification is important for demonstrating the value and significance of the research and is, therefore, fundamentally about choosing the right question to ask in the first place and then defending that choice to others. Such an undertaking may seem obvious or common sense, but it is one of the most difficult tasks facing a new researcher and it becomes even more challenging when a justification needs to be expressed in writing. In this workshop we will mainly focus on ‘gap statements’ as a common form of providing research justification across disciplines and discuss how to establish a strong research justification.
Essential Skills 4. Abstraction in the research process: Understanding conceptual and theoretical frameworks (2 hours)
What is the role of abstraction in the research process? What is a research framework? How does abstract thinking relate to conceptual and theoretical frameworks? What are the fundamental differences between these two frameworks? These are important questions for graduate research students as these essential constructs shape the type and quality of research outcomes. In this workshop we will explore these questions and constructs and will provide an opportunity to link them to participants’ research projects.
Including publications in your thesis (1 hour)
Facilitator: Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
The PhD with publications is an alternative to the traditional PhD by monograph approach.
In this workshop, we will discuss the Otago policy regarding how publications can be included in a thesis. We will focus on a ‘hybrid’ or ‘integrated’ thesis, in which publications can be included as chapters in a thesis providing certain guidelines are followed.
Publishing your first journal article (2 hours)
Facilitator: Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
This session demystifies the publishing process and supports candidates in preparing their first journal manuscript. Topics include selecting journals, structuring articles, responding to reviewers, and navigating peer review.
Writing Habits: five–part workshop series
In addition to our regular writing sessions where you can focus on your thesis (see below), GRS offers the Writing Habits series.. Drawing on Dr Nick Baker’s PhD research, these workshops have supported many candidates in strengthening their writing productivity, skills, and strategies – equipping them for success throughout their thesis journey and beyond.
Part 1: Writing fundamentals of research writing success for postgraduates (2 hours)
This two-hour workshop introduces core principles underpinning effective research writing, including clarity, structure, purpose, and audience. Participants explore strategies for productive writing, including considerations relating to AI and collaboration with supervisors.
Part 2: Writing mindset for successful postgraduate writing (90 minutes)
This session explores how mindset shapes writing confidence, motivation, and persistence throughout the postgraduate journey, drawing on the practices of researchers who describe writing as data-driven storytelling.
Part 3: Writing behaviours for successful postgraduate writing (2 hours)
This session explores collaborative writing approaches used by successful researchers, and the development of effective writing routines. Participants gain tools to strengthen their writing practice over time.
Part 4: Enabling behaviours for successful postgraduate writing (2 hours)
This session examines environmental factors that support effective research writing, including space, time, tools, and wellbeing, to enable long-term productivity.
Part 5: Feedback practices for successful postgraduate research writing (1 hour)
This workshop focuses on seeking, interpreting, and applying feedback effectively. Participants explore strategies for engaging with supervisors and peers, both as recipients and providers of feedback.
Reading practices of successful researchers (1 hour)
This workshop explores how successful researchers read and how candidates can strengthen their own reading practices to support research writing and thinking.
Regular writing sessions
GRS Writing with Power hours (Mondays 2pm–4pm)
Join us for these weekly online writing sessions, where we will apply the “shut up and write” model and the Pomodoro technique to write productivity together.
Ngā Rā Tuhituhi: Māori Writing Days (Whole day, 9am–3pm)
Māori postgraduate candidates enrolled in a thesis are invited to join us for regular Writing Days where we get together to write in a group setting. Many candidates find this process extremely useful.
Lunch is provided.
Piri'anga Toto: Pacific Island Postgraduate Writing Days (Whole day, 9am–3pm)
Pacific Island postgraduate candidates are invited to Writing Days for a chance for to write in a group setting with guidance and support from Inano Walter.
Morning tea and lunch are provided.
Graduate Research School Writing Days (8:45am–4pm)
Looking for an opportunity to write, write, write among a group of like-minded peers? Master’s and Doctoral candidates can come together in a quiet space for uninterrupted writing time. Bring your writing device and we will provide the venue, catered breaks, and drinks.
Do the mahi – get the treats (9am–11am)
Focused, Zoom-based writing sessions for Māori postgraduate candidates. Open to both distance and Dunedin-based students, these two-hour sessions begin with mihimihi and goal setting, followed by two Pomodoro writing blocks and a wrap-up. Candidates are welcome to stay online afterwards for kōrero about their writing and to ask pātai.
Building confidence through connection: networking for career success (1.5 hours)
Facilitators: Yvonne Gaut and Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
This session explores practical strategies for fostering authentic professional connections.
Preparing for an academic interview (1.5 hours)
Facilitators: Yvonne Gaut and Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
This session supports candidates applying for postdoctoral, lecturing, or research roles, offering practical strategies for approaching interviews with confidence.
Get your academic CV sorted (1.5 hours)
Facilitators: Yvonne Gaut and Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
This workshop introduces the key elements of a professional academic CV.
Hope in action: Managing your career with purpose (1.5 hours)
Facilitators: Yvonne Gaut and Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
This session introduces a framework to support candidates with their next steps within or beyond academia.
Identifying key support for your research journey (1 hour)
Facilitator: Dr Nick Baker
This workshop supports candidates to identify and strengthen their support communities.
Looking after you: Wellbeing skills for research candidates (1.5 hours)
Facilitator: Carolyn Walker, Student health
This interactive workshop focuses on building awareness and practical skills to support your wellbeing during postgraduate study.
Emerging Leaders Programme (1 hour)
Facilitators: Sze-En Watts and Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith
Are you a Master's or Doctoral candidate who's already leading, volunteering, or contributing to your community – inside or outside the lab or office? The Emerging Leaders Programme (ELP) is a flexible, self-paced way to gain formal recognition for the things you do beyond your research.
Individual Consultations (45 minutes)
Facilitator: Dr Navé Wald
Get comprehensive support to empower you as you navigate the complexities of your research journey.
Through personalised one-on-one or small group sessions, he offers guidance on essential skill development (writing, analysis, communication, critical thinking), and can assist in the development of effective strategies for planning, prioritising, and meeting deadlines.
Preparing for the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) – information session (1 hour)
Facilitator: Dr Nick Baker
The 3MT® competition is an opportunity to develop your public speaking skills by sharing your research with a non-specialist audience using one static slide and a time limit of 3 minutes. In this session you will learn about the rules and look at past presentations.
Practising for Success – 3MT® presentations (1 hour)
This is a drop-in session where you will have the opportunity to practice your 3MT® presentation and gain feedback. A member of the GRS staff will be present to give you authentic feedback and suggestions for your presentation before you compete in the Divisional heats.
Oral Communication of Research (2 hours)
Facilitator: Dr Navé Wald
This workshop examines effective ways to communicate research through public speaking.
Attending and Presenting at Conferences (2 hours)
Facilitator: Hon. Professor Vijay Mallan
Attending academic conferences is an integral part of the graduate research journey, which can be valuable for professional and academic growth. This workshop will equip candidates with knowledge and practical strategies for conference preparation, presenting your research, and getting the most out of the conference experience.
GRS Seminar Series
New in 2026, this GRS series offers lunchtime Zoom seminars on topics relevant to graduate education. No registration required.
2 June: 1:00–2:00pm Doctoral research impact
1 September: 1:00–2:00pm Reimagining doctoral assessment
1 November: 1:00–2:00pm Topics relating to doctoral education presented by PhD candidates
Zoom details: Meeting ID: 952 5535 9515 Password: 276810