Activities and resources from the Centre for Doctoral Studies to help you build collaborative, inclusive and ethical research cultures.

Culture, Ethics and Community is one of our eight key doctoral development themes, designed to help postgraduate research students across King’s navigate the support on offer.

For guidance on booking live workshops and registering for on-demand services, see How to Access our Courses.

Building a Research Collaboration (CRSD85)

In this workshop you will learn how to put together a research collaboration by considering what you need in place to maximise the value of the partnership, whether it is an internal or external collaboration. This will include considering why a potential collaborator might want to work with you, and how to manage a successful research collaboration.

Collaboration Essentials to Solve Complex Problems (CRSD105)

Learning how to collaborate effectively and exchange knowledge with external partners, especially those from industry, technical roles, or different types of partners in the Global South, can help to boost the impact of your research. This workshop will help researchers to identify and integrate knowledge exchange principles into research planning and to understand how to work with partners collaboratively and effectively.

Cooperative Leadership: How to get People On-Side (PGR323)

Explore what leadership means within a research context. This course will be an opportunity to reflect on your own leadership style and identify opportunities to develop your leadership skills further.

Developing your Leadership in Multicultural Teams (CRSD90)

Being part of a multicultural organisation can be a rewarding experience; it is an opportunity to work closely with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and develop personal and professional growth. However, working with a team of genuinely different people also comes with several challenges that can be overcome to create a productive work environment. In this course, we aim to help participants develop new insights about themselves and others and practical skills to improve how to work in multicultural teams.

How to Develop Emotional Agility for the Research Environment (PGR268)

In this programme we look at how the research environment can trigger strong emotional reactions and better understand how we can work alone and with others by developing emotional agility. Emotional agility moves us beyond expressing or suppressing your emotions, so that you feel clearer, more present and better able to respond proactively to the challenges you face.

How to Understand Yourself and Others in Research Groups (PGR275)

Diverse teams produce the best work together, yet we also know it can be difficult to work with people who think and work very differently from us. In this session, you will have the opportunity to self-assess your own personality preferences and become more conscious of how you tend to gain energy, take in information, make decisions and approach planning. You will see how your own preferences affect the type of work you enjoy doing, how you like to communicate and how others see you and we'll co-create ways of working more effectively in diverse groups.

Interdisciplinary Teams and Productive Collaborations (CRSD88)

Interdisciplinarity and collaboration are words that set the tone for the current academic research climate. They are words that combine within a broader definition of “teamworking” and research collaboration is sometimes described as an endeavor you are undertaking with a partner who shares your interests but has other interests too. But what are the barriers to interdisciplinary working? What are the rules of engagement and how can we ensure that all parties get benefit and value from the endeavour? What does it take to ensure that the activity is productive?

Masterclass in Team Dynamics (PGR335)

In this masterclass, participants will learn how to work in effective and diverse groups that foster innovative thinking and behaviour. You will learn the hallmarks of high performing teams, the importance of shared vision and how to manage constructive conflict. This masterclass will equip you with crucial skills in fostering psychological safety, honing your assertiveness, as well as active listening, to enable seamless communication and unlocking the true potential of your collaborative endeavours.

Research Integrity: The Fundamentals of Research Excellence at King’s (RGEI1)

This short, introductory workshop is designed to strengthen participants’ understanding of research integrity, its application to their research, and its significance within a wider national and international context.

To find out more about our on-demand platforms and how to access them, see How to Access our Courses. 

King's Resources

Cultural Competency Kickstarter (KEATS)

How do our backgrounds influence our reactions to the world? What's the value in communicating across cultures, communities, identities, and disciplines? Find out in our Cultural Competency Kickstarter! Cultural competency is about seeing the world through the lens of other people, in all their diversity. Actively developing culturally competent mindsets and attitudes is core to your education and the experiences you will have at King's. 

Professional Skills for a Globalised World (KEATS)

In the modern globalised work environment, it is crucial that we are able to work effectively with people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives. This self-paced course, designed in consultation with King's students, gives you the tools to help you create and sustain inclusive environments. 

Introduction to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion for King's Staff and PGRs

This introductory e-learning module covers understanding how we support and deliver Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) objectives and strategy at King's, what to do if you witness or experience discrimination, and how to get involved with EDI initiatives at King's. 

LGBTQ+ Allyship Toolkit

Here you will find a range of guidance and information that can help you become a better Ally to LGBTQ+ staff and students at King's. 

Elsevier Researcher Academy

• Inclusivity and Diversity for Researchers Series

According to recent data, diversity in academia leads to more impactful scientific research. Therefore, creating an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed is critical to the advancement of science. But how does one go about this? In this e-learning section, various experts will introduce inclusion and diversity in publishing, discuss allyship and being minorities in research, and reflect on making an inclusive research environment.

Nature Masterclasses

• Effective Collaboration in Research

This 2.5-hour e-module provides a useful introduction to research collaboration, as well as valuable context and advice about the pros and cons of collaborative projects and how they can help you reach your goals. The module is suitable for researchers in any discipline. 

King’s Community Networks

A wide range of community networks operate across King’s, providing support to staff and postgraduate research students with particular protected characteristics and helping them to develop a sense of community, particularly through shared experience. They are also a great way to make friends and to participate in key decision-making and strategic-level processes.

• Proudly King's, the King's College London LGBTQ+ Staff Network
• Elevate, the King's Gender Equality Network
• The Race Equality Network (REN) at King’s
• NEST, the (N)etwork to (E)ngage, (S)upport & bring (T)ogether Parents and Carers @ King's
• Access King's, the King’s disability inclusion network for PGRs and staff

You can find out more about King's Community Networks. 

Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity

The department of Research Governance, Ethics and Integrity (RGEI) is committed to enabling researchers to achieve research excellence. We support the King’s research community to ensure that all research conducted is safe, lawful, and of the highest standards of integrity and rigour. The Department is responsible for developing and monitoring relevant College policies. We also provide further guidance and training to all researchers across the university in governance, ethics, and integrity matters. Please contact the relevant team for further details or to discuss your specific training requirements. See: www.kcl.ac.uk/rgei

Diversity & Inclusion

King’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion aims to embed equality within everything King’s does, and has a range of resources and guidance that students may find helpful. You can take ‘Diversity Matters’ training to learn more about embedding inclusion in your learning or workplace – just search for it on Skillsforge. The ‘It Stops Here’ campaign is aimed at ensuring that King's has safe and welcoming campuses for everyone. The online ‘Consent Matters’ course is available to all students on KEATS. See: www.kcl.ac.uk/diversity

RIOT Science Club

A seminar series to raise awareness and provide training in Reproducible, Interpretable, Open, & Transparent Science. Putting the R.I.O.T into science! Weekly talks, workshops and tutorials on open science and more! Email riotscienceclub@kcl.ac.uk and follow @riotscienceclub riotscienceclub@kcl.ac.uk