GRASP

Professor Harlene Hayne
Vice Chancellor
Curtin University

Day one: Welcome and opening address: presentation iLecture [00:19:01]

Dr Katherine Firth
Academic Skills
University of Melbourne

Good writing can be challenging - it should be exciting but critical, generous but ethical, and elegant but accurate. Wellbeing is an integral part of this process to help support sustainable and efficient writing practices. This keynote draws from Katherine Firth’s new book, which integrates mindfulness, movement, writing tools and reflection into every stage of the writing cycle.

Writing Well and Being Well for Your PhD and Beyond: presentation iLecture [00:55:44]

Professor Julia Richardson
School of Management and Marketing
Faculty of Business & Law
Curtin University

Associate Professor Nick Timms
School of Earth & Planetary Sciences
Faculty of Science & Engineering
Curtin University

Professors from Curtin University share their research journey with us and invite questions from the audience.

Ask the Professor Anything: presentation iLecture [00:56:41]

Dr Kristen Seaman
Psychological and Counselling Services
Curtin University

Have you ever sat in front of your PhD during those tough times and wondered, “Why am I doing this?” You are not alone, and you will see for yourself by attending this workshop. During this workshop, Dr Seaman will share what was challenging for her during her PhD and how she found a way to keep moving forward. More importantly, she will invite you to reflect on your own challenges, connect with your peers over shared experiences, and find your reason for moving forward in your PhD.

The Bigger Picture: Finding Meaning in Your PhD: presentation handout [PDF, 2463kB]

Hugh Kearns
Flinders University and iThinkWell

Many graduate students cite getting and dealing with supervisor feedback as one of the most frustrating areas of their PhD. You can wait for ages, and when it arrives, it’s not what you want. Feedback is essential to help you progress and improve the quality of your outputs. So, what can you do to ensure you get the feedback you need? This presentation shares how to ask more specific questions and clarify the type of feedback you want.

Good Feedback: Asking for it, getting it, and responding to it: presentation iLecture [00:52:20] Curtin login required

Professor Loleen Berdahl
University of Saskatchewan

The beginning stage of research projects is defined by excitement and momentum, while the end stage is filled with accomplishment and satisfaction. But what about the long middle stage? The middle is incremental actions and small moves forward, rather than the big steps imagined at the beginning or the big achievements celebrated at the end. However, the middle is the part that really matters as it fulfils the promise of the beginning and creates the celebrations of the end. This session will discuss practical strategies to manage the middle stage and move your work forward to realise success.

Day two: How to manage the middle: Moving your work forward: presentation iLecture [00:47:08]

Curtin Library Staff
Research Services Team
Curtin University

Join us for this interactive session to learn more about the specialised services Curtin Library provides to help you towards your research success. Our Library staff will share stories of student challenges and how we have helped them overcome them. We will showcase our research specialities, expert guidance, and tailored support, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions.

PhD Powerhouse: How your Library can unlock your research potential: presentation iLecture [01:03:54]

PhD Powerhouse: How your Library can unlock your research potential: presentation slides [PDF, 1.24MB]

Dr Andrew Cameron
Student Assist Officer
Curtin University

A healthy relationship with your supervisor can mean your time as a HDR student is productive and rewarding, but a negative experience can lead to delays, discouragement, and stress. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities of working with your supervisor and how to make the most from the relationship.

Getting the best from your supervisor relationship: presentation iLecture [01:01:37]

Getting the best from your supervisor relationship: presentation slides [PDF, 294kB]

Kylie Percival
University Librarian

Reflective session and close: presentation iLecture [00:04:21]

We invited students attending Thesis Fest to submit a networking poster to our poster wall at the event. The aim of the posters is to help HDR students to connect with like-minded peers to establish or expand your network as well as to aid cross discipline collaboration in shared research areas. Check back when we have made these posters available online so you may continue to connect with each other to get the most out of this networking opportunity.

Dr Franca Jones
Director of Graduate Research
School of Molecular and Life Sciences
Faculty of Science & Engineering

Day one opening address: presentation iLecture [00:22:50]

Day one opening address: presentation slides [PDF, 1.46MB]

Jonathan O’Donnell
The Research Whisperer
University of Melbourne

Good networks in academia generally lead to more research collaborations, more career opportunities, and better profile for your work. But what happens when none of the traditional ways of networking appeal to you? In fact, what if those modes actively put you off getting out there and doing any networking at all? What if COVID has shut down many face to face events where you would have met people? This talk contrasts ‘networking’ with ‘community building’. It provides sound advice on how you can build a supportive community around you. It’s ideal for those of you who hear the word ‘networking’ and cringe.

Jonathan O’Donnell runs the Research Whisperer blog and @ResearchWhisper Twitter stream, about doing research in academia.

Building effective research networks and communities: presentation iLecture [01:02:50]

Building effective research networks and communities: presentation slides [PDF, 335kB]

Academic Networking Notes [PDF, 893kB]

Academic Networking Plan Template: activity Sheet [PDF, 187kB]

Role Within Networks: activity Sheet [PDF, 564kB]

Dr Andrew Cameron
Student Assist Officer
Curtin University

A healthy relationship with your supervisor can mean your time as a HDR student is productive and rewarding, but a negative experience can lead to delays, discouragement, and stress. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities of working with your supervisor and how to make the most from the relationship.

Getting the best from your supervisor relationship: presentation iLecture [01:01:50]

Getting the best from your supervisor relationship: presentation slides [PDF, 294kB]

Professor Amanda Salis
Senior Research Fellow
National Health and Medical Research Council

You’re sitting in front of your computer, you know something’s wrong with your writing, but you don’t know how to fix it. Sound familiar? Come to this 60-minute training with Prof. Amanda Salis and learn how to recognize writing that doesn’t flow, explain how to fix it, and write in a way that flows from the outset, using five writing techniques that promote flow. Bring something that you have written and that you would like to improve.

Make your writing flow like water: presentation iLecture [01:01:50]

Make your writing flow like water: presentation slides [PDF, 15.39MB]

Professor Christopher Reid
Dean, Graduate Studies
Curtin University

The pastoral role of the Thesis Chair: presentation iLecture [00:30:16]

Join us as two Professors from Curtin University open the floor up for questions from HDR students.

Professor Daniel Gucciardi
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences

Associate Professor Susanna Castleden
Acting Dean of Research
School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Enquiry
Faculty of Humanities

Ask the Professor anything: presentation iLecture [00:54:15]

Hannah Allan
Director Research Services and Systems
Curtin University

Day two opening address: presentation iLecture [00:25:47]

Associate Professor Narelle Lemon
The Wellbeing Whisperer
Swinburne University of Technology

Self-care is about proactive action to support your wellbeing. Self-care is often described as a process, an ability, and often as engagement with behaviours that have one engaging with different wellbeing science that promotes subjective wellbeing. Self-care also requires personal and professional negotiations. We place constant pressure on ourselves to navigate the expectations that is placed on us during undertaking a PhD. Finding a sense of belonging and valuing the pace of care and caring is forever being negotiated. In this presentation I’ll focus on how self-care is not a selfish act, and that it should not be a hidden part of who we are as PhD students, scholars, and academics. I’ll share my 5 dimensions of self-care framework and unlock the potential in all of us to grow, maintain and protect our wellbeing with some tools that can assist us all to flourish.

Wellbeing and self-care during your PhD: presentation iLecture [00:59:18]

View the online downloadable sources for Curtin students

Professor Julia Richardson
Head of School
School of Management & Marketing
Curtin University

Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Adventure metaphor and her own experience as a HDR student, supervisor and examiner Julia will discuss answering the ‘call’, confronting your own resistance, connecting with guardians and magical friends, making a commitment, engaging with deep change, changing identities and new beginnings. Metaphors are a powerful tool to explore the psychological challenges of undertaking and completing the HDR journey. The Hero’s Adventure metaphor is a powerful framework, inviting you to reflect on your own thought processes and capacity to learn and adjust to a different way of thinking/being.

The Hero’s Journey: presentation iLecture [01:00:52]

The Hero’s Journey: presentation slides [PDF, 1.24MB]

The Hero’s Journey: presentation handout [PDF, 434kB]

Professor Amanda Salis
Senior Research Fellow
National Health and Medical Research Council

When you only have a short amount of time in which to talk about your research, whether for an elevator pitch, a three-minute thesis competition, or a conference presentation, this 60-minute training will help you make every word count. Topics covered include but are not limited to: how to show the importance of your research in such a short timeframe; how to make your presentation stand out from others; how to make your research understandable to non-specialists. The expected outcome is that you will feel confident about planning and delivering your research in short presentations.

Deliver your research in 3 minutes: presentation iLecture [01:03:06]

Deliver your research in 3 minutes: presentation slides [PDF, 16.2MB]

Listen to a panel of recently completed PhD students as they discuss motivation, staying on-track and how to stay well during the course of your research.

Dr Chantal Game
Faculty of Business & Law

Dr Robert Wells
Faculty of Health Sciences

Dr Damon Lalich
Faculty of Humanities

Dr Faaiz Al-Shajalee
Faculty of Science & Engineering

Chair: Dr Petra Dumbell
Academic Skills Advisor
Curtin Library

Stories from the valley of despair: presentation iLecture [00:58:04]

Book recommendation - Rest: why you get more done when you work less by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang

Associate Professor Min Teah
Dean of Research
Faculty of Business & Law

Close and Reflection: presentation iLecture [00:09:00]

We invited students attending Thesis Fest to submit a networking poster to our poster wall at the event. The aim of the posters is to help HDR students to connect with like-minded peers to establish or expand your network as well as to aid cross discipline collaboration in shared research areas. We have made these posters available online after the event so you may continue to connect with each other to get the most out of this networking opportunity.

View the networking posters here via BlackBoard

If you are experiencing any problems accessing this file via Blackboard please view the Blackboard access instructions here [DOCX, 79kB].

Welcome: presentation iLecture [00:25:38]

Professor Inger Mewburn
Director of Researcher Development
Australian National University

Academic writing in Covid times: presentation iLecture [01:02:17]

Dr Paul Kebble, Ms Chantelle Leach, Dr Benjamin Sacks, Dr Petra Dumbell
Curtin University

How to finish your PhD … based on wisdom from 80s rock ballads [PDF, 1.15MB]

Professor Julia Richardson
Head of School of Management & Marketing
Curtin University

Taking down the curtains: a (rough) guide to enjoying your doctoral journey - presentation iLecture [00:56:29]

Taking down the curtains: a (rough) guide to enjoying your doctoral journey - presentation slides [PDF, 1.97MB]

Jack Graham Geraghty
Team Leader
Student Wellbeing Advisory Service
Curtin University

Wellbeing, self-care and success: presentation slides [PDF, 3.38MB]

Dr Ben Milbourn
Senior Lecturer
School of Allied Health
Curtin University

Talk to Me: Improving mental health - presentation iLecture [00:30:55]

Professor Sharon Parker
Future of Work Institute
Curtin University

Ask the Professor Anything: presentation iLecture [00:53:47]

Tips and tricks shared by Curtin HDR students during knowledge sharing session [PDF, 110kB]