Course Overview

EMBO Solutions GmbH is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit daughter company of EMBO.

We run these courses for two reasons: the first is to make a positive change in the leadership and management of science to improve the quality and quantity of research output and the performance and well-being of staff and teams, which is important to EMBO Solutions GmbH's mission to support and promote science; the second is to enable EMBO Solutions GmbH to provide financial resources for other programmes and activities that support scientists and their work; in other words, the money 'stays in science' to a large degree. 

EMBO Laboratory Leadership


EMBO Training

  

EMBO Scientific Skills 

 

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Laboratory Leadership | Negotiation | Self-Leadership for female scientists | Project Management | Scientific integrity | Writing a scientific research paper

 

Laboratory Leadership

3- or 4 Days, up to 16 participants

Leadership and management skills are critical for a successful career in science. EMBO, in partnership with consultancy teams, has designed this course specifically to meet the needs of researchers and others in academia. There are two versions of the Research Leadership course: a three day courses designed for postdoctoral researchers and a four day course designed for group leaders.

The aim is to explore with attendees their own approach to leadership – and the approaches of the other participants - and use this insight to define for each individual how they want to lead and manage their research groups or other teams. The course also provides insight into how teams work best together and how to identify and resolve barriers to the efficient operation of teams. Throughout the course, the trainers provide tools, techniques and insight tailored specifically to the laboratory/research setting for the management of teams, good communication, healthy resolution of conflict and the management of workloads and responsibilities.

BENEFITS

  • Introduce you to key leadership concepts
  • Develop further your own individual leadership style
  • Equip you with key communication skills
  • Learn how to effectively select the right staff
  • Expand your support network for leadership issues in the lab 

TOPICS

  • Leadership skills
  • Communication skills
  • Team development
  • Conflict solving strategies
  • Giving feedback
  • Coaching
  • Delegation
  • Effective problem solving
  • Running effective meetings
  • Recruitment

COURSE PRINCIPLES

Practical exercises, in the form of role-play and discussion groups, provide hands-on experience. "As much theory as necessary and as much practice as possible" is the principle of this course.

Before becoming an independent researcher, one's primary focus is on their own research projects. As an independent researcher, one needs to be able to deal with a much broader range of challenges, without any preparation.

This course introduces key, yet simple, leadership concepts. It also gives you the chance to identify the different roles that you have to take, see where your strengths and resources lie, and identify strategies for coping with roles in which you are uncomfortable. Emotional Intelligence is the main predictor of success in positions of leadership. You will learn to use some models and instruments that will help you to understand yourself and others better, to manage yourself better and communicate more effectively. In particular, you will practice techniques improving your ability to give feedback and criticism, help your group members to learn how to solve many of their problems themselves, run meetings efficiently, and delegate tasks effectively. You will also learn how to understand the dynamics between your members in your laboratory and how you can improve the laboratory's performance. Conflicts are a part of everyday lab life. You will be shown how to recognize and manage them, before they develop into an unmanageable crisis, and deal with any conflicts you may already have.

Trainers: EMBO Solutions and Leadership Sculptor

Dates for the residential courses are here for Postdocs and Group Leaders.

If you would like to book this course for your institute, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

 

Negotiation for scientists

2.5 days, up to 12 participants

"negotiate with success - tools and mindset for lasting agreements"

This workshop focuses on negotiation. Participants will gain an understanding and mastery of the negotiation process, which will support them in reaching their professional as well as private goals, and in building lasting partnerships.

BENEFITS

  • Recognize the characteristics and consequences of various styles of interactions, whether conflictual or not
  • Understand how to build relationships based on interest and opportunity, rather than on conflict or persuasion
  • Get an overview and analysis of the entire negotiation process and master each step
  • Acquire the objectivity and competence necessary to prepare and lead negotiations
  • Know how to prepare in an efficient and detailed way: what they want, how to quantify their aim, how to break it down into negotiable units
  • Master tools directly usable in daily life, whether they are called on to negotiate or not
  • Learn how to use effective questioning techniques, and verbal / non-verbal communication
  • Understand how to build and make an offer, and reach an agreement
  • Increase their negotiation capacities (hands-on practise) in a “risk-free” environment, thus enabling them to be more efficient, save time and share a coherent approach
  • Increase their capacity to build collaborative partnerships

COURSE PRINCIPLES

The format of the workshop is highly interactive and practical, involving case-studies, role play, small group work and discussion sessions. Participants will get actively involved in the course, discussing their own life experiences and being self-reflective, in a stimulating and guided process. They will acquire tools that can be readily used in daily life.

Trainer: Melissa Davies   

Dates for the residential course.

 

EMBO Self-leadership for women scientists

2.5 Days, up to 16 participants

"How self-awareness, self-confidence and self-efficacy can help me to achieve my goals"

Self-leadership is the process by which a person becomes more comfortable with who they are and what they want, allowing them to fulfill their potential and build a strong foundation from which to take daily decisions – both professional and personal. Self-leadership enables better communication, satisfaction and more-balanced decisions.

In the world of scientific research, both men and women can benefit from learning and practicing self-leadership to improve their professional and personal lives. This course, however, is tailored specifically to women scientists to facilitate sharing experiences and insights.

Because women are in the minority at the level of group leaders and professors, they can experience additional challenges in their working environments and institutional structures. This course aims to give women specific support, advice and tools to use in their leadership roles. It is intended for senior postdocs and group leaders.

HOW THIS WORKSHOP WILL HELP YOU

This workshop will enhance your self-leadership. We will explore the topic of self-leadership by addressing self-awareness, self-confidence and self-efficacy. At the same time, this workshop will provide a space where you can exchange ideas and strategies with other women on dealing with and succeeding in the situations that women leaders face at the higher levels of life science research.

BENEFITS

  • Recognize that good leadership starts within
  • Be more aware of your values, strengths, achievements and intentions
  • Understand how personality, biases and stereotypes (your own and those of others) impact your leadership
  • Feel strengthened in your capacity to find effective and satisfying ways to deal with challenges concerning your professional role
  • Identify your own strategies to develop your (self-)leadership
  • Have a clearer view of your different roles in all areas of your life, how you want to be perceived in each one, and how to achieve this

COURSE PRINCIPLES

The format of the workshop is highly interactive and practical, involving case-studies, role play, small group work and discussion sessions. You will be actively involved in the course, discussing your own life and leadership experiences and self-reflecting in a guided process. You will be taught leadership and self-focused techniques that can be readily used in daily life to enhance your leadership, success and satisfaction.

If there is sufficient demand, EMBO Solutions and EMBO will work to introduce a mixed-gender version of this course. If you are interested in a mixed-gender version of this course, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and let us know. 

A note from Maria Leptin, former EMBO Director, is available on this subject.

Trainers: Stéphanie Ruder and Melissa Davies

Dates for the residential course.

 

Project Management for scientists

2.5 days, up to 18 participants

The successful management of research projects is key to success in science. Understanding what project management is, when it is helpful and how to apply it in research is an important skill for scientists. This course introduces key concepts in project management, both for planning and managing work, and for working effectively with people (including with yourself). This course is intended for Postdoctoral researchers (or equivalent).

TOPICS

  • Project Goals
  • Project Planning
  • Self-Management
  • Motivation
  • Assertiveness
  • Quality Management
  • Risk Management
  • Stakeholder Analysis & Management
  • Project Marketing
  • Project Controlling
  • Managing Conflict

PROJECT CLINIC

At the end of each day, the facilitators will hold a 'Project Clinic' to help you troubleshoot issues with your current project(s).

OUTCOME

Participants of the course will work on their own current projects and will begin to develop a comprehensive project plan that should help them (re)focus their efforts to complete and publish their research. Participants will come to understand that a research project is not only a sequence of experiments, but that resources, stakeholders, risk and quality must be analysed and managed in order to avoid missing goals or (ultimately) being unable to reproduce their work. The workshop will equip you with a suite of project management tools that are simple and easy to apply effectively in research and that take account of some of the unpredictability of science.

Please note that the workshop starts at 9am on the first day and finishes by 3pm on the last day.

Dates for the residential course.

If you would like to book this course for your institute, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Scientific integrity: how to publish reproducible results

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN ONLINE COURSE TAKING PLACE OVER 2 HALF DAYS. THE TIMES ARE IN CET/BERLIN TIME ZONE.

In this interactive workshop, trainers work with participants to explore the principles and challenges of integrity and reproducibility in research. Research integrity is addressed at multiple stages of the research process, from experimental design to the analysis and sharing of results. 

Participants will gain a better understanding of the ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ of conducting and sharing scientific research and will realise that research integrity is important and valuable not only for the scientific record, but also for their own work and careers.

Drawing on their experience as professional editors of EMBO Press scientific research journals, the trainers will discuss good practices in the collection, analysis and reporting of data to ensure transparency and reproducibility, both in the lab and for others in the field. They will also address some of the common conflicts and issues that can arise during publication and how these might be avoided by applying good research principles in the lab.

The course consists of 8 hours contact time with plenty of breaks and small group work to keep participants engaged and comfortable in the virtual format.

The course takes place over two consecutive mornings. On each day we will work from 09.00 to 13.00 CET/Berlin for a total of 8 hours training.

COURSE OUTLINE:

DAY 1

What is research integrity: Introduction & overview

We begin to develop our thinking around Research Integrity and gain an overview of the many aspects of Research Integrity

Hypothesis driven research & experimental design

How do we ensure that our hypotheses are well-conceived and asking genuine research questions? How can we ensure that we are not trying to ‘prove something’ is true?

Record keeping, data processing & storage, data presentation

How can we plan our experiments to test our hypothesis from multiple angles and without bias? As we collect data, how do we ensure that we keep good records and good raw data?

Once we have data, how do we appropriately process and store it to ensure that everything we do is transparent and follows best practice?

Scientific rigor and data reproducibility

What are the common issues we see with data/images pre-and post-publication? How do you notice issues and what should you do about them?

 

DAY 2

Journal processes for dealing with data aberrations

How do the EMBO Press journals routinely screen for image issues and what is their response

We take you through real cases and ask you to make the kinds of assessments/judgements that we make.

Conflicts of interest, plagiarism & authorship

We look into these topics and how they affect the integrity of the scientific record, thequality of peer review and the careers of scientists.

Exercise on research integrity values

Using the Singapore Statement on Research Integrity and introduction and global overview, we synthesize best practices in the lab (and out of the lab) to ensure that the work we do is well-done, reproducible and of high quality.

 

Trainers: EMBO Press Editors / EMBO Solutions trainer

If you would like to book this course for your institute, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Communicating research: paper writing & short presentations

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN ONLINE COURSE TAKING PLACE OVER 2 HALF DAYS. THE TIMES ARE IN CET/BERLIN TIME ZONE.

In this workshop, EMBO Press editors work with PhD students or Postdocs on the principles, practicalities and strategies of scientific publication. Topics covered include understanding the structure and content of a manuscript, assembling figures and writing effective titles and abstracts. The participants will also learn to navigate the editorial process at journals. The second part of the workshop is focused on how to effectively present your work in a short oral form in various contexts - e.g. poster presentation, flash talk or elevator pitch.

The course consists of 8 hours contact time with plenty of breaks and small group work to keep participants engaged and comfortable in the virtual format.

The course takes place over two consecutive mornings. On each day we will work from 09.00 to 13.00 CET/Berlin for a total of 8 hours training.

When going to the registration site, please make sure to select the one training course corresponding to your career stage (PhD student or Postdoc).

COURSE OUTLINE:

DAY 1

Part 1: Writing a paper

  • Introduction to publishing and writing scientific papers
  • Strategic planning before writing the paper (authorship, organizing data, choosing a journal etc.)
  • The structure of a paper: what to include, how to write and structure each section (Introduction, Results, Materials and Methods, Discussion, Data, Figures, Figure Legends, Title and Abstract)
  • Assembling Figures (practical exercise 1)
  • Writing abstracts (practical exercise 2*: the participants work on their own abstracts and get feedback from the group and instructor)

 

DAY 2

Part 2: Presenting your work orally in 2-5 min

  • Poster presentation
  • Flash talk
  • Elevator Pitch
  • Crafting an elevator pitch (practical exercise 3: the participants craft and present an elevator pitch on their own work)

Part 3: The editorial process

  • Overview of the editorial evaluation and peer review process at journals

 

* For practical exercise 2, the participants need to provide an Abstract of their project (ideally for a manuscript, but can also be an abstract submitted to a conference etc.) 

Trainers: EMBO Press Editors / EMBO Solutions trainer

If you would like to book this course for your institute, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

How to review a scientific paper

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN ONLINE COURSE TAKING PLACE OVER 2 HALF DAYS. THE TIMES ARE IN CET/BERLIN TIME ZONE.

In this workshop, EMBO Press editors work with PhD students, Postdocs or young group leaders on the principles and practicalities of peer review. Topics covered include the role of peer review in publishing reproducible science and the key elements of a good peer review. We also discuss ethical considerations such as conflicts of interest and give guidelines to young scientists how to become good reviewers.

The course consists of 8 hours contact time with plenty of breaks and small group work to keep participants engaged and comfortable in the virtual format.

The course takes place over two consecutive mornings. On each day we will work from 09.00 to 13.00 CET/Berlin for a total of 8 hours training.

COURSE OUTLINE:

DAY 1

Part 1: Overview of the peer review process

  • Value, definition and concepts of peer-review
  • The editorial process
  • Referee credit
  • Conflicts of interest
  • How to become a reviewer

Part 2: Peer-review a paper

  • General review guidelines
  • Elements of a good report
  • Group exercise: Review a manuscript

DAY 2

Part 3: Peer-Review and the editorial process

  • Group exercise: Evaluate the referee reports and make an editorial decision
  • How to respond to referee concerns in a point-by-point response 

 

Trainers: EMBO Press Editors / EMBO Solutions trainer

If you would like to book this course for your institute, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..