BOOST: Career Development for Researchers

BOOST has a range of opportunities. Some are targeted to particular audiences or career stages, for example PGRs and research staff, and other sessions are available to all staff at Leeds.

Our programme contains workshops such as:

• Writing Your CV
• Narrative CV Drop-In
• Career Options
• Preparing for a Job Interview
• Using LinkedIn to Increase Your Visibility
• Sharing Your Achievements with CAR Stories
• Imposter Mindset
• Job Hunting Beyond Academia

Scroll further down this page to find out about upcoming workshops.

No - BOOST is a 'pick and mix' programme, meaning you can attend as many or as few sessions as you like.

You may wish to attend just one, or you may want to schedule in multiple sessions over the year. It's up to you!

That’s not a problem! Our sessions enable you to develop your skills, confidence and preparedness for any career, academic or otherwise.

17 September | 2-3pm | In-person

What do you want your career to look like, and how can you get there? In this workshop, we'll consider where you are now, and what you're working towards, using collaging as a way for you to think creatively about your career.

By 'thinking through making', you'll have the opportunity to reflect on what you want to achieve, and how you can get there, in a creative and supportive atmosphere.

Please note: you don't need to bring anything with you to this workshop, as all materials will be provided. You also don't need to have any artistic skills at all!

Sign up for the 17 September workshop

24 September | 10am-12noon | Online

Thinking about your next career steps, but not sure where to begin? This 90-minute session will offer you an opportunity to kickstart your job search, by helping you to consider the options available to you.

In this workshop, you will:

• Recognise the diversity of career pathways available to ECRs within and beyond academia, including roles, sectors, and potential trajectories.
• Develop strategies for exploring and researching career options, including how to gather meaningful information about unfamiliar sectors and roles.
• Use tools and frameworks (including AI-assisted methods) to structure career exploration and support informed decision-making.

Sign up for the 24 September workshop

12 October | 1.30pm-3.30pm | In-person

Unlock your potential by disarming your "saboteurs" – those inner voices that undermine your productivity and well-being. Join our workshop based on the Positive Intelligence framework, tailored to address the unique challenges faced in academia.

Delve into the core principles of Positive Intelligence to uncover how these critical voices create unhelpful narratives about you, others, and academic life. Learn strategies to diminish their power. Participate in creative group discussions and interactive exercises to identify your top saboteur, recognise its patterns, and develop effective methods to overcome it.

Join us to enhance your resilience and gain insights into the impact of saboteurs on yourself and the broader research culture.

About the facilitator: 

Dr Anne Marie Sowerbutts worked as a health service researcher at the University of Manchester for over a decade before becoming a researcher developer, so knows the joys and challenges of research life. Anne Marie is dedicated to helping researchers unleash their full potential and flourish in their careers. Her true passion lies in seeing stressed out researchers transform into calm and creative thinkers. She is a certified coach and trained in Positive Intelligence methodology. She applies her knowledge and skills internally at the University and running workshops in her own external practice.

Sign up for the 12 October workshop

20 October | 1pm-3pm | In-person

Are you considering applying for jobs outside of academia? Not sure how to communicate your academic experience in a way that will appeal to non-academic recruiters and employers? Then this is the workshop for you!

We'll explore how non-academic CVs differ from those in academia, how recruiters and employers review CVs, and provide you with practical guide on how to develop a CV that grabs the reader's attention.

In this workshop, you'll learn how to:

• Structure and format a non-academic CV
• Effectively communicate your academic skills and experiences to a non-academic audience
• Tailor your CV to specific opportunities

Sign up for the 20 October workshop

12 November | 10am-12noon | In-person

As the old saying goes – "It’s not what you know that counts, it’s who you know", which, in the modern professional environment, means building a net that works.

Once upon a time this network was built upon the face-to-face connections that academics made – especially at conferences. The current climate means that these opportunities may be harder to come by.

We do, however, live in a very connected world. Having an online profile and presence, using Social Media, LinkedIn, ResearchGate etc. is, for most people, part and parcel of academic or industrial success. Yet, for many in the research community, ‘networking’ is still not an easy or natural thing to do. This focused webinar will help you to explore how to do this in the right way for you and your work.

"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much"
Helen Keller

Sign up for the 12 November workshop

25 November | 10am-12noon | Online

If you're applying for jobs in academia, or applying for research funding, you'll need a strong CV. However, academic CVs have very particular formats, completely different from non-academic CVs. If you've never written one, it can be hard to know where to begin.

In this interactive workshop, we'll consider two types of academic CV: the traditional academic CV, and the new narrative CV. We’ll look at both formats, compare their similarities and differences, and give you the chance to identify the areas of your CV which need development.

You'll learn how to:

• Structure and format academic CVs (both traditional and narrative
  styles)
• Effectively communicate your skills and experiences to an academic
  audience
• Tailor your CV to specific opportunities.

Sign up for the 25 November workshop

1 December | 10am-12noon | In-person

10 December | 9.30am-12.30pm | Online

Doctoral researchers need to juggle a whole host of complex tasks directly related to their PhD, from reviewing literature to data analysis, and writing. All this while perhaps teaching, building relationships, and maintaining collaborations, and having a life.

Being strategic with time allocation gives doctoral researchers the confidence that they can set and meet deadlines, create quality written material. It also promotes a health approach to work/life balance to improve wellbeing. When time is used carefully, space can be created for creativity and critical thinking, essential for creating that unique contribution to knowledge that a PhD requires.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify where their greatest personal challenges lie in managing time.
• Set goals that are motivational and achievable and be able to flexibly prioritise these as they progress through their PhD.
• Time block in a way that works for them personally, using supporting strategies that help to maintain their strategic time planning.
• Address procrastination with a range of different tactics to maintain momentum and minimise self-induced frustration.
• Recognise the impact of neurodiversity time management and the maintenance of time management methods.
• Recognise the importance of self-care in maintaining wellbeing to ensure the sustainability of the time management techniques they are using.

Sign up for the 10 December workshop

14 January | 10am-12noon | Online

Thinking about your next career steps, but not sure where to begin? This 90-minute session will offer you an opportunity to kickstart your job search, by helping you to consider the options available to you.

In this workshop, you will:

• Recognise the diversity of career pathways available to ECRs within and beyond academia, including roles, sectors, and potential trajectories.
• Develop strategies for exploring and researching career options, including how to gather meaningful information about unfamiliar sectors and roles.
• Use tools and frameworks (including AI-assisted methods) to structure career exploration and support informed decision-making.

Sign up for the 14 January workshop

28 January | 10am-12noon | In-person

As 2026 comes to an end, it is time to step back and recognise your progress, and plan ahead for 2027.

This session gives you time to review and reflect on this past year, in a supportive environment: capture your thinking, find inspiration and gain recognition. Together, we will be going through a process of guided exercises, writing prompts and thought processes to first look back over 2026, then ahead to the new year.

Please note that this session is not a "training" session as such but a space for reflection and celebration. You will be expected to actively engage with the materials we share to get the most from the process.

Sign up for the 28 January workshop

18 February | 1pm-3pm | Online

When seeking the next career step it's vital that you are able to know your skills and attributes and then be able to articulate them to someone making a hiring decision. This is important even if you are already known to the recruiter (since they have to be seen to be objective in their decision making) but especially vital if you are an unknown quantity or are thinking of changing career lanes.

In this focused, interactive session we'll examine the skills that you have, how you articulate them in a meaningful way and how you can present them to career gate-keepers in a way that they'll recognize so as to show your talents and attributes in the best light.

During the workshop we will help you to:

1. Understand and articulate the skills that you have
2. Present evidence that allows you to best showcase your skills and competencies
3. Approach interview questions more effectively

Sign up for the 18 February workshop

25 February | 1pm-3pm | In-person

LinkedIn is a professional network with over 750 Million users worldwide (2021). Whatever your career direction, you want to have a strong LinkedIn profile that stands out to your target audience, whether that is academics, employers, recruiters, university alumni or your peers. They all come onto LinkedIn to connect, learn, raise their visibility – and often, to find people they can recruit or recommend.

In this session, we will focus on building a comprehensive, attractive, well-written profile that showcases what you offer and provide evidence of your accomplishments. We'll also have a photographer on hand to take a brand-new headshot for you, which you can then add to your LinkedIn profile!

Please ensure you are already signed up to LinkedIn before the session and that you have at least a basic profile, as we will not have time to do this during the workshop.

Sign up for the 25 February workshop

10 March | 1.3opm-3.30pm | Online

Are you considering applying for jobs outside of academia? Not sure how to communicate your academic experience in a way that will appeal to non-academic recruiters and employers? Then this is the workshop for you!

We'll explore how non-academic CVs differ from those in academia, how recruiters and employers review CVs, and provide you with practical guide on how to develop a CV that grabs the reader's attention.

In this workshop, you'll learn how to:

• Structure and format a non-academic CV
• Effectively communicate your academic skills and experiences to a non-academic audience
• Tailor your CV to specific opportunities

Sign up for the 10 March workshop

17 March | 9.30am-12.30pm | Online

Doctoral researchers need to juggle a whole host of complex tasks directly related to their PhD, from reviewing literature to data analysis, and writing. All this while perhaps teaching, building relationships, and maintaining collaborations, and having a life.

Being strategic with time allocation gives doctoral researchers the confidence that they can set and meet deadlines, create quality written material. It also promotes a health approach to work/life balance to improve wellbeing. When time is used carefully, space can be created for creativity and critical thinking, essential for creating that unique contribution to knowledge that a PhD requires.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify where their greatest personal challenges lie in managing time.
• Set goals that are motivational and achievable and be able to flexibly prioritise these as they progress through their PhD.
• Time block in a way that works for them personally, using supporting strategies that help to maintain their strategic time planning.
• Address procrastination with a range of different tactics to maintain momentum and minimise self-induced frustration.
• Recognise the impact of neurodiversity time management and the maintenance of time management methods.
• Recognise the importance of self-care in maintaining wellbeing to ensure the sustainability of the time management techniques they are using.

Sign up for the 17 March workshop

22 April | 10am-12noon | In-person

Further information and the link to sign up will be shared soon.

28 April | 1pm-3pm | In-person

Against the backdrop presented by a challenging and uncertain HE landscape that leaves many researchers trying to juggle multiple, competing demands, this professional development workshop explores the ‘elusive’ concept of professional identity (Moorhead et al., 2025, p.879). Through examining the importance of professional identity, and identifying strategies for developing, strengthening, and sustaining, sense of self within the research environment, this workshop offers support for successfully navigating the sometimes complex research spaces that we might encounter. This interactive session draws on creative methods to:

1. encourage reflections on what professional identity for researcher development means for you;
2. your perceptions of your current and aspirational senses of professional identity; and
3. strategies for strengthening your professional identity within your own particular context(s), including both those that you work in currently and that you aspire towards as part of your career development.

About the facilitator: 
Prof. Jill Dickinson is Professor of Law and Professional Development at Leeds Law School. Jill is an applied, interdisciplinary researcher who specialises in developing initiatives to support others with their professional development. Her work often draws on creative research methods, and has received an Emerald Literati Award. Jill is also a: Principal Fellow (Advance HE); Recognised Research Supervisor (UK Council for Graduate Education); Recognised Practitioner in Advising (UK Advising and Tutoring); Executive Coach; and Solicitor (non-practising).

Sign up for the 28 April workshop

12 May| 9.30am-4pm | In-person

We often think of academic conferences simply as a way to present our research. However, conferences are much more than this - they're an opportunity to network, meet potential collaborators and get an insight into the most cutting-edge research in your area.

In this session, we'll consider how you can make the most of academic conferences. We'll cover:

1. Why are you going?
2. How are you going to connect with people there?
3. How are you going to deal with yourself, eg. nerves, neurodiversity etc?
4. How can you make the most of the opportunity to present?
5. How to follow up?

Sign up for the 12 May workshop

13 May| 10am-12noon | In-person

If you're applying for jobs in academia, or applying for research funding, you'll need a strong CV. However, academic CVs have very particular formats, completely different from non-academic CVs. If you've never written one, it can be hard to know where to begin.

In this interactive workshop, we'll consider two types of academic CV: the traditional academic CV, and the new narrative CV. We’ll look at both formats, compare their similarities and differences, and give you the chance to identify the areas of your CV which need development.

You'll learn how to:

• Structure and format academic CVs (both traditional and narrative
  styles)
• Effectively communicate your skills and experiences to an academic
  audience
• Tailor your CV to specific opportunities.

Sign up for the 13 May workshop

18 June | 10am-12noon | Online

As a busy PhD or postdoc researcher, it can be difficult to take time out to think about what might be next for you in your career journey. Whatever your background or motivation, this interactive virtual workshop is designed to help you to identify your skills and strengths, recognise which of these you most want to use in your future work, and to start to put together a ‘guide statement’ for your next steps.

When exploring careers beyond academia many researchers jump straight to looking at job adverts, without taking the time to figure out what‘s really important to them and what they really want from their next role. That’s why this workshop is highly reflective, and is designed to give you the space and time to refocus on your priorities.

What you’ll be able to do after the session:

1. Identify your key strengths and what comes naturally to you.
2. Recognise the full range of skills you’ve developed through your research.
3. Clarify which skills and ways of working you want to carry forward.
4. Develop a personal “guide statement” to shape your career decisions.
5. Define practical next steps to begin exploring your options.

Sign up for the 18 June workshop

29 June | 10am-12noon | In-person

As the old saying goes – “It’s not what you know that counts, it’s who you know”, which, in the modern professional environment, means building a net that works.

Once upon a time this network was built upon the face-to-face connections that academics made – especially at conferences. The current climate means that these opportunities may be harder to come by.

We do, however, live in a very connected world. Having an online profile and presence, using Social Media, LinkedIn, ResearchGate etc. is, for most people, part and parcel of academic or industrial success. Yet, for many in the research community, ‘networking’ is still not an easy or natural thing to do. This focused webinar will help you to explore how to do this in the right way for you and your work.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”
Helen Keller

Sign up for the 29 June workshop

6 July | 1pm-3pm | In-person

In an increasingly competitive job market, being able to clearly communicate your transferable skills can help you stand out from the crowd.

Over the course of our careers, we develop a wide range of transferable skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving and analytical thinking, which are useful for any job. However, we often develop these skills without realising it, making it difficult to communicate them to employers.

In this interactive workshop, we'll explore what transferable skills are, and why they matter. Through a practical skills card activity, you'll identify your 'motivated skills' - skills that enjoy using and do well. You'll leave with a clearer idea of your unique combination of skills and new ideas about roles and career directions that might suit you.

Sign up for the 6 July workshop

14 July | 10am-12noon | Online

LinkedIn is a professional network with over 750 Million users worldwide (2021). Whatever your career direction, you want to have a strong LinkedIn profile that stands out to your target audience, whether that is academics, employers, recruiters, university alumni or your peers. They all come onto LinkedIn to connect, learn, raise their visibility – and often, to find people they can recruit or recommend.

In this session, we will focus on building a comprehensive, attractive, well-written profile that showcases what you offer and provide evidence of your accomplishments.

Please ensure you are already signed up to LinkedIn before the session and that you have at least a basic profile, as we will not have time to do this during the workshop.

Sign up for the 14 July workshop