Research Communication for Doctoral Candidates
Develop key skills for sharing research with a wide range of audiences and build your reputation as a go-to expert in your research field.
Watch doctoral candidates Komal Srinivasa (Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences) and Junrui Zhang (Faculty of Engineering and Design) share their thoughts on research communication.
Research Communication at UoA
Growing your communication skills is an essential part of your doctoral journey at the University of Auckland, and so we have developed a comprehensive package of bespoke workshops and resources to help you achieve this goal and set you apart in the job market.
Whether you're looking to improve your skills in public speaking, media liaison, conference preparation, or publishing, or you just want to communicate more effectively with your supervisors and fellow researchers, we have a wealth of training sessions and online guides for you to choose from.
Research Communication workshops
What's on in July
- Friday 4 July: ResBaz: Publishing Smart: Choosing Where to Publish (online)
- Tuesday 8 July: Good Feedback, with Hugh Kearns (online)
To book, enter this URL in your browser:
https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q8218/good-feedback-asking-for-it-gett - Tuesday 15 July: Research Communication: An Introduction (in person)
To book, enter this URL in your browser:
https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q9yxq/research-communication-an-introd
What's on in August
- Tuesday 5 August: Research Comms: Writing for General Audiences (in person)
To book, enter this URL in your browser:
https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q9yy3/research-communication-writing-f - Friday 8 August: Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals (in person)
- Tuesday 12 August: Research Comms: Writing for General Audiences (in person)
To book, enter this URL in your browser:
https://wahapu.auckland.ac.nz/q9z87/research-communication-writing-f - Monday 18 August: Designing Research Posters (online)
Note: Links to SGS events will take you to Wahapū booking pages. If you are a doctoral candidate who does not have access to Wahapū, you can book by completing the Doctoral Event Registration Form.
Three Minute Thesis (3MT)
Our flagship research communication event is the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, which was developed by The University of Queensland. It is an exciting, fast-paced event that is held annually in more than 900 universities in 85 countries. In a 3MT competition, doctoral candidates take up the challenge of sharing the story of their research with a general audience in under three minutes, supported by a single, static slide.
All Faculty Heat winners qualify to take part in the University of Auckland 3MT Finals on Friday 8 August. Learn more about 3MT and book your free tickets to watch the University of Auckland 3MT Finals.
I think all up-and-coming researchers should engage with opportunities to communicate their research to a wider audience. It is easy to forget how amazing our research is, and a lot of the time the only people that know about it are you and your supervisors.
Join the Communicating Research COI
Doctoral candidates are invited to join the University’s newly-formed Communicating Research community of interest for academics and researchers. The group aims to build skills, knowledge and confidence for engaging with media and communicating your research and expertise to the public, in order to increase research impact, and strengthen the critic and conscience role of the University.
If you’re interested in this exciting opportunity, you can sign up by emailing Research Comms Manager Gilbert Wong.
Resources for Communication and Publishing
Online Courses on Communicating your Research
- Presenting your Research
- Designing Research Posters
- Increasing Speaking Confidence
- Creating Effective Presentations
- Delivering Presentations
- Presenting your Work
Research Hub Guides to Publishing your Research
Communication skills: a key priority at UoA
Growing communication skills is reflected in the Doctoral Graduate Profile, which describes the capabilities which the University seeks to foster in all doctoral graduates, in preparation for life and work beyond your studies. It is also reflected in the Doctoral Development Framework, which helps you structure your professional development planning holistically.
Don't miss out on the wide variety of communication development opportunities on offer for doctoral candidates at the University. You can read about many of them on this page and in our fortnightly Doctoral News.