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The Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network is a network of leading Higher Education institutions, founded by UCL in order to share best practice in skills training for Doctoral Researchers.
The Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network (BPSN) is a network of leading London-based Higher Education institutions, which was founded by UCL to share best practice in skills training for Doctoral Researchers in the Bloomsbury area. The purpose of the shared skills training programme is to allow Doctoral Researchers additional opportunities for skills training through attending training courses and workshops at other member institutions.
BPSN currently consists of the following member institutions:
- University College London (UCL, founding member)
UCL is amongst the best universities in the world. Academic excellence and disruptive thinking have been the status quo since 1826. We teach our students how to think, not what to think. UCL is sharing almost 50 training events with BPSN, many of which are exploring different career paths and what it takes to get there.
Contact: docskills@ucl.ac.uk
- Birkbeck
Birkbeck is a world-class research and teaching institution, a vibrant centre of academic excellence and London's only specialist provider of evening higher education – which means students can balance studying with work, family and other commitments.
Contact: research-degree-exams@bbk.ac.uk
- City St George’s University
City St George’s is a powerful multi-faculty institution with a distinctive focus on professional education and research at the frontier of practice. Following a recent merger, City St George’s has campuses in Clerkenwell, Moorgate, and Tooting. Day in, day out, year in and year out, City St George’s transforms the lives of around 20,000 students, creates new knowledge, supports business and the professions, and contributes to the global good of society.
Contact: doctoralcollege@city.ac.uk
- King's College London (KCL)
King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. King’s hosts over 4000 postgraduate research students who contribute to Kings’ vision to drive positive and sustainable change in society and to make the world a better place.
Contact: doctoraltraining@kcl.ac.uk
- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
LSE is a world leading international social science specialist university, based in the heart of London.
Contact: phdacademy@lse.ac.uk
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is one of the world's leading public health universities. Our vision is to help create a more healthy, sustainable and equitable world for everyone, because we believe our shared future depends on our shared health.
Contact: transferableskills@lshtm.ac.uk
- School of Advanced Study (SAS)
The School of Advanced Study (SAS) promotes the arts and humanities in the UK. It helps researchers showcase their impact on the broader research and innovation landscape and the influence of their research on policymakers, communities, and individuals. Our well-known specialist institutes and centres provide an interdisciplinary environment for researchers to collaborate on issues related to society, culture, economy, and the environment.
Contact: kremena.velinova@sas.ac.uk
- School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
SOAS is a research-intensive institution specialising the study of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. It aims to challenge perspectives, foster debate, and empower students to question the global status quo while finding solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
Contact: doctoralschool@soas.ac.uk
- Royal Veterinary College (RVC)
As one of the world's leading specialist veterinary and biological science research institutions, the RVC brings together talented individuals; all of whom share a passion for human and animal health and welfare. Our programmes have international appeal and attract students who go on to become practicing veterinarians, research scientists, veterinary nurses and leaders in industry and government.
Contact: rdofficer@rvc.ac.uk
- Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)
Queen Mary University of London is a top UK university grounded in our East London roots with a global reach, including campuses in China, France, Greece, and Malta. Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.
Contact: doctoralcollege@qmul.ac.uk
Explore a variety of courses available from The Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network:
- UCL
myUCL Careers: If you are a BPSN student wishing to reserve a place on UCL Careers courses, please email UCL Careers directly on: careers.researchers@ucl.ac.uk. You will be unable to sign up via myUCLCareers as this requires a UCL associated email address.
- Birkbeck
Date: Course Title: 29 Apr 2025 How to present a lightning talk 01 May 2025 Break down your thesis into a lightning talk 06 May 2025 Presenting skills
- City St George's University
Date: Course Title: 06 May 2025 Preparing for Your Viva Voce 13 May 2025 Introduction to Copyright 14 May 2025 Wellbeing: Maintaining Health and Wellbeing for Neurodiverse Researchers 20 May 2025 Systematic Reviews: Results and Discussions
- King's College London
- School of Advanced Study
Date: Course Title: 27 Mar 2025 Peer Review T3 Courses TBC
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Date: Course Title: 08 May 2025 How to be assertive without damaging your working relationships 08 May 2025 Producing Data Management Plans for Research Funders 15 May 2025 Effective Oral Presentations 19 May 2025 Planning for Data Sharing 11 Jun 2025 Getting the right things done: take control of your task management 18 Jun 2025 Using conceptual frameworks for research 19 Jun 2025 Effective Oral Presentations
- London School of Economics
Date: Course Title: 04 Apr 2025 Wellness workshop: Measuring PhD Progress 09 May 2025 Navigating professional setbacks: how to bounce back from perceived failures 15 May 2025 Storytelling for researchers 22 May 2025 Persuasive Speaking: Q&A 23 May 2025 All by myself: managing isolation and loneliness throughout your PhD 29 May 2025 Blogging for Researchers 05 Jun 2025 Academic Writing: Introductions and Literature Reviews 06 Jun 2025 What comes next: overcoming post-PhD anxiety 20 Jun 2025 Defending your work: shifting your fears surrounding the viva
- School of Oriental and African Studies
Date: Course Title: 12 Jun 2025 Finding Part-time Teaching Roles 1 - Finding Opportunities
- Royal Veterinary College
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Date: Course Title: 17 Apr 2025 PhD Word Training RVC courses will resume in Term 1 next academic year.
- Queen Mary University London
Date: Course Title: 28 Mar 2025 Virtual Writing Retreat 01 Apr 2025 Designing and delivering a conference poster 03 Apr 2025 Let's talk about mindset 09 Apr 2025 Designing and delivering a conference presentation 25 Apr 2025 Virtual Writing Retreat 30 May 2025 Virtual Writing Retreat 27 Jun 2025 Virtual Writing Retreat
Registering onto BPSN Courses
If you are a UCL Doctoral Researcher, you can book onto courses from partner institutions through the BPSN-Inkpath platform.
Please visit the BPSN-Inkpath: FAQ webpage to find out how to set up an account, how to navigate the platform or for any other questions you may have.
