Facilitator Profiles

Biography

Mimo Caenepeel is the founder and director of Research Communication Scotland, a consultancy which trains postgraduate students and researchers in developing effective writing and communication skills. Drawing on extensive research as well as time-tested principles, Mimo offers lectures, workshops, editorial services and coaching at universities across Scotland. She has a PhD in Applied Linguistics (University of Edinburgh) and has worked as a researcher in the US, Canada and France as well as in the UK. She has also been commissioning/executive editor of several magazines and journals in the field of human communication.

Workshops Provided

• The Writing Process: Getting Started 
• Writing a Literature Review 
• Critical Thinking Workshop for PGR's
• Beating Writer's Block 
• Is My Writing Academic Enough? 
• Writing for Publication
• Writing Well: Language and Style
• Writing freely: blogging about your research
• Academic Writer:  Creative Writer
• Collaborative Writing and Publishing
• First Year PhD Writing Workshop

Biography

Iain is an experienced teacher and trainer who runs his own micro-business, 'seeing stone consulting'.

He has worked as a facilitator with IAD for many years and helps Edinburgh postgraduates build their core strengths in presentation skills, public speaking, personal management and visual communication (academic posters).

Iain is a fellow of the higher education academy and a qualified teacher (university of Sheffield). He holds bachelor and master’s degrees from the universities of Northumbria and York. In addition he is a qualified sports and exercise coach and in 2005 became a European Mountain Leader (now IML) after a gruelling six day exam in the Swiss Alps. Iain's work has taken him throughout Europe (he worked for several years in the Czech Republic and later in Spain) and his former employers have included GlaxoSmithkline Plc, Charles University in Prague, University of Cambridge, British Council and UK Civil Service.

Workshops Provided

• Presenting Your Poster: School of Physics and Astronomy
• Managing your work 1: your time, your energy and your goals
• Managing your work 2: working with other people 1:1 and in teams
• Three Minute Thesis Competition Preparation
• Writing and Designing Your Academic Posters: School of Engineering
• How to Design an Effective Conference Poster - School of Biological Sciences
• Presentation Skills Workshop – School of GeoSciences

Biography

Dr Dave Filipović-Carter runs his own higher education training company, designing and delivering training courses and facilitating events for researchers and academics across the UK and internationally. He has a research background in public international law and conflict resolution, and is an associate lecturer in the Open University Law School, where he also works on online and distance education. Dave’s training experience covers many areas of the research process and research careers, as well as individual effectiveness in various roles. It addresses broader skills including: successfully completing a doctorate, collaborative research, achieving impact, negotiation and assertiveness, inter-cultural communication, and team development and group dynamics. He has led projects for the British Council, Vitae, the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) and the Social Research Association, as well as having a client list covering Universities and research organisations right across the UK and the wider Europe. He is currently lead facilitator for a major Research England funded, multi-institution research sandpit series for the C-DICE postdoctoral development programme. Dave also writes on many of these topics, including co-authoring ‘Enhancing the Doctoral Experience: A guide for supervisors and their international students’ (Gower, 2014) & contributing to Daley et al ’53 Ways to Enhance Researcher Development’ (Frontinus, 2017), and consulting on ‘How to Manage International Multidisciplinary Research Projects’ (Edward Elgar, 2023).

Dave’s background includes teaching law and conflict resolution subjects at the Universities of Southampton (UK) and Varna (Bulgaria), and working in the higher education not-for-profit sector in eastern Europe, living and working in a number of countries in that region. He continues his broad education obsession in his role as a Trustee at a local grammar school, as well as by providing training to school governors for his local county council.

Qualifications:

• LLB in Law (Exeter)
• MA in International Conflict Analysis (Kent)
• PhD in Public International Law (Southampton)
• Diploma in Computing (Oxford)
• PGCE in Online and Distance Education (Open)  

Workshops Provided

• How to Be an Effective Researcher
• EastChem Thesis Workshop
• Second Year PhD Skills  

Biography

Dr Robin Henderson is a higher education consultant with a strong track record in delivering leadership and management development, and in supporting change-management initiatives within research-intensive universities. He works with a wide spectrum of staff within HEIs, including academic staff (from PhD students to senior professors) and professional service staff. He has worked with over 30 research-intensive universities within the UK and Europe. Within this work he brings a detailed understanding of the HE sector combined with direct experience of both academic and professional service roles.  In the researcher development space he delivers a range of development including:

• Delivery of research leadership programmes for new PIs to support them effectively build and lead teams / research groups
• Support on project management of research at a range of levels – from PhD students looking to manage their research projects to those leading large collaborative bids.
• Interpersonal skills development including work focussing on assertive communication and having challenging conversations.
• 1:1 coaching with academics and post-doctoral researchers

Throughout the work he undertakes with researchers he brings an understanding of a broad range of methodologies, the broad research context, and current practice in research leadership.

Credentials:

• MEng PhD (engineering) MBA
• Professional member of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development, Association for Project Management, Association of Coaching  

Workshops Provided

• Managing Your Research Project
• Research Leader Programme: New and Aspiring PIs

Biography

A creative and dynamic coach, trainer, facilitator and author – Steve specialises in the areas of Leadership, Personal Impact and Professional Effectiveness. He works internationally with a range of sectors from corporate to education and not for profit – but since he began as an academic researcher (PhD in Behavioural Ecology) he has greatest insight into the challenges of thriving in a University environment.

Workshops Provided

• Assertive Communication Strategies
• BANish - Big Audience Nervousness 
• Be A Better Writer 
• Being an Effective Remote Researcher
• Creative Problem Solving for Researchers
• Handling Presentation Difficulties (PGR)
• It's About Time...Managing Time Personal Efficiency and Effectiveness (PGR)
• Presentation Skills for the Terrified  (PGR)
• Presenting Your Research Virtually - Best Practice for Online (and Live) Presenting
• Research Posters – an Engaging Graphical Research Story (PGR)
• Speed Reading
• Survive and Thrive as a Part Time PhD Researcher
• Team Building and Leadership Fundamentals 
• The Inner Game - Exploring Stress, Balance, Resilience and Self-Belief
• Think Strategically Respond Rapidly
• Assertive Communication Strategies

Biography

David is an entomologist and ecologist. After getting his PhD from Reading University he did four postdoc contracts at the Natural History Museum in London, Imperial College London and overseas. He is now a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, and teaches on an MSc course at Imperial. In recent years David has been collaborating on several NERC-funded research projects. He has written or co-authored 55 journal papers and book chapters.

For the last ten years David has also been spending half of his time running his own training company. He delivers workshops to researchers at 19 universities in the UK and overseas. The workshops cover a range of topics including how to write research papers, how to peer review manuscripts for journals, and presentation skills.

Workshops Provided

• Writing Your First Papers For Journals

Biography

Hugh Kearns is recognised internationally as a public speaker, educator and researcher. He regularly lectures at universities across the world including lectures at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, ETH Zurich and the Max Planck Group.

His areas of expertise include self-management, positive psychology, work-life balance, learning and creativity.  He has coached individuals, teams and executives in a wide range of organisations in the public and private sectors.

Hugh lectures and researches at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. He is widely recognised for his ability to take the latest research in psychology and education and apply it to high-performing people and groups. As a co-author with Maria Gardiner, he has published twelve books which are in high demand both in Australia and internationally and has had several articles published in the prestigious journal Nature.

Workshops Provided

• Presenting your Research with Confidence
• Question Time - Handling questions at a conference presentation
• Seven Secrets of a Highly Successful Research Student 
• Staying Well and Being Productive during your PhD
• The Imposter Syndrome: Why successful people often feel like frauds 

Biography

Dr Nathan Ryder loves interesting challenges and helping PGRs. He's an independent researcher-developer with over a decade of experience helping PhD candidates prepare for the viva. He has delivered more than 400 viva preparation workshops to 7500+ candidates all over the UK. Nathan writes and shares the Viva Survivors daily blog, and has done so since April 2017: daily thoughts, advice, ideas and practical tips for the viva.

Workshops Provided

• Final Year Focus
• Viva Survivor
• 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva 

Biography

Mel Sherwood is a multi award-winning speaker, author, trainer and creator of The RED Effect™. Specialising in communication skills, Mel has helped thousands of ambitious entrepreneurs, business leaders and teams to maximise their influence and impact by pitching and presenting with confidence. Clients include Global and UK Companies, Government Organisations, Universities and SMEs in a wide variety of industries. Mel’s first book The Authority Guide to Pitching Your Business: How to make an impact and be remembered… in under a minute! was a ‘Business Book of the Year’ Finalist and she is currently working on her second book. An Australian who now calls Scotland home, Mel combines over 25 years’ experience in business with a background as an actor, presenter and singer to help her clients transform their personal and professional lives through improved communication skills.

Workshops Provided

• Voice and Presentation Skills Workshop
• Advanced Presentation Skills Masterclass

Biography

Jo is the Director of Electv Training, which specialises in professional development training for researchers. She delivers workshops and courses at universities all around the UK & Europe both on campus and online in subjects such as networking, applying for fellowships, publishing, presentation skills, data visualisation and careers. Electv Training also offers asynchronous online courses that researchers can login to and complete in their own time.

Jo obtained her BSc, MSc and PhD from the University of Edinburgh. After completing her PhD at the School of Informatics, she continued as a postdoctoral research associate at the University for a further three years, publishing in a variety of international journals. While undertaking her research, Jo also consulted for three biotechnology spin out companies from the Informatics Department. She was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship in 2010 but chose to turn it down to start her company, Electv Training, 2011.  

Workshops Provided

• Pitch Perfect: Public Speaking, Networking and Engaging
• Social media for impact: strategy, connecting & metrics
• Figures, Images and Visualising Information
• Thesis Writing Bootcamp: Planning, Finishing and Avoiding Pitfalls
• Conference and Event Organising
• Navigating the Peer Review Process