Training

Rooms on Level 7 and Level 12 of the Sir Michael Uren Hub are available to book for meetings or as private workspace.

Level 7
There are two small meeting rooms (721 & 722) and two larger meeting rooms (727 & 728A) on Level 7. To reserve 7th floor meeting rooms, head to the PPMS website.  To check the calendar for all the rooms at once, the best bet is to click 'Schedule'.

1. Log in via Single Sign On with your Imperial email address and password
2. Click 'Book'
3. Select the room you would like to book
4. Use the calendar to check availability
5. Select the date(s) and time(s) you would like
6. Scroll down and click 'Book the selected sessions'

Bookings can be edited or cancelled up until the start time.

For recurring bookings, please contact Lauren (l.troy@imperial.ac.uk) or Josh (j.beale@imperial.ac.uk).

Level 12:
Level 12 has two seminar rooms (1204 & 1205) and two large lecture theatres (1202 & 1203). Check the CELCAT calendar for availability, then enquire with Lauren or Josh to request a booking.

• Type WCMUH followed by the room number you’d like to book into the search bar on the CELCAT calendar (i.e WCMUH 1202).

Expense claims should be submitted as soon as practical and must be within 3 months.

Students:

1. Download an Expense Claim Form (E1) and fill in the top section with your details and the purpose of the claim.
2. Enter the date of transaction/ the range of dates to which the claim is related, the expense type, a description, and the amount that you are claiming. See the list of expense types to fill in the main part of the form. The analysis code is a 6 digit number listed alongside the expense types. Indicate the grant code to be charged by completing the 'Cost Centre' and 'Activity /Project No.' boxes.
3. Complete the claimant's declaration in the bottom right-hand corner with your name and the date.
4. Seek approval from the grant holder of the account you are charging in writing.
5. Send the form to Lauren (l.troy@imperial.ac.uk) or Josh (j.beale@imperial.ac.uk) along with supporting evidence of transactions, and a copy of the approval note from the grant holder. 

Staff:

Staff log expense claims via My Expenses in ICIS.

1. Log in to ICIS
2. Click on My Expenses and then Create New Expense Claim
3. Fill in the purpose field and continue
4. Complete the following fields:
   Receipt Date – date on receipt
   Expense Type – either the Analysis code or search using wildcard (which is the % sign) e.g. %training.
   Receipt Amount – amount on receipt
5. Press the details button
6. Complete:
   Details- Detailed description of claim
   Merchant Name: Name of who you paid (Company)
   Attachments: Attach accepted form of receipt of payment
7. Press Return, then Next
8. Fill out either the Project information or the GL information on the corresponding tabs
9. Press Agree and Submit 

Use your College login to access the guidance on preferred suppliers https://www.imperial.ac.uk/finance/purchasing/recommended-suppliers/by-product-type/couriers/

DHL

Uren: POs should be raised before booking and couriers can be booked to collect items from reception.

Burlington Danes: POs should be raised for the quote price and collection organised with reception or the stores team.

Contact l.troy@imperial.ac.uk or j.beale@imperial.ac.uk to arrange shipments.

CitySprint

Quotes and bookings can be arranged via bookings@citysprint.co.uk. A PO for the correct courier amount should be raised via iProcurement before booking is confirmed.

Contact l.troy@imperial.ac.uk or j.beale@imperial.ac.uk for any assistance.

Speak with your Group Leader about the process for ordering in your group.

Placing orders for goods and services is carried out through the iProcurement system on ICIS. Detailed help notes and answers to FAQs can be found in the Purchasing section of the Finance Knowledge Bank. 

Once you have completed the Purchasing Training, you will need to request purchasing access to your groups grant codes before you can place any orders on ICIS.

If you are a UK DRI at Imperial student or member of staff looking to arrange travel to a conference, workshop or event, please follow the below step-by-step guide!

1. Travel profile registration

   Log a ticket in ASK to register your travel profile. Please request ‘Look but not Book’ with Lauren Troy or Josh Beale as your ‘Arranger’. Group Leaders will not need to complete this step.
   
   

2. Forward your travel documents and trip details
   

   Send the following to your travel arranger so they can book travel and accommodation if you need it. Please note that university policy requires accommodation be booked with as much notice as possible, ideally >3 months in advance.
   1. Reason for travel
   2. Passport details
   3. Date of birth
   4. Nationality
   5. Preferred outbound/return time
   6. Frequent flyer number if you have one

3. Trip extensions (if applicable)

   If you intend to extend your travel arrangements beyond the dates of the event/College business, please outline your reason for extending (e.g. personal travel/visiting research collaborator). Accommodation for the additional days will need to be covered personally if not work-related.

4. Travel insurance

   Make sure to complete the Insurance Travel Registration Form to be covered by Imperial insurance on your trip.
   
   

5. Review staff/student travel pages

   Familiarise yourself with Imperial’s travel pages – especially the Expenses Policy.

Londonomics Network - Connecting Early Career Computational Researchers

Early Career Computational Researchers (ECCRs) are fragmented across the London institutions: some clustered in bioinformatic groups, others isolated as sole workers in experimental groups. The Londonomics Network was established by a group of early career researchers in 2023 with the aim to address this critical need for a supportive, connected ECCR community.

Read more and register to become a member on the Londonomics Network website.
Follow on X/Twitter: @Londonomics_net | Email: londonomics@outlook.com

The Dementia Researcher - A network for early-career researchers

The Dementia Researcher is a platform designed to support ECRs. Once signed up as a member, you have access to tonnes of helpful information such as career guidance, developmental training opportunities, job openings and funding calls. There is also a community where you can connect with ECRs all over the world through forums and online messenger.

UK DRI ECR Network

As a PhD student/postdoc at the UK DRI, there are many resources accessible to you on the UK DRI Portal. The ECR network, established in 2019, acts as another source that ECRs can refer to for opportunities, helpful up-to-date information, and support.

Log in to the portal to see more.

Blogs

Writing blogs is a great way to broadcast your activities with the scientific community. Imperial College London offers branded blogs for Imperial staff and students, making it easier to share posts about your latest research, a student expedition, or project updates with a wider audience. Find out more.

Previously a Research Technician at the Centre, Aisling Mcgarry was interviewed for a blog written by Dr Stefano Sandros. Read the piece.

Dr Sandros has also written an article 'Eight career tips from Nobel Laureates', which features interviews from 24 prizewinners on everything from handling rejection to seizing the moment.

Imperial College London Graduate School

The Professional Development Programme boasts an impressive range of free online courses for postgraduate students at Imperial College London, with some including workshops and in-person activities.

The programme offers opportunities for postgraduates to develop attributes which are of most value to a broad range of employers and supports students to develop as world-class researchers.

• Research Computing and Data Science
• Research Communication
• Professional Progression
  
  

Top 10 tips for new PhD students

Check out this blog on the Dementia Researcher with 10 handy tips for newly enrolled / prospective PhD students.

The Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre

The Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre (PFDC) offers a bespoke programme of development opportunities for postdoctoral students.

"The Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre has been phenomenal in helping to write my applications and practice my interview skills. They are such a valuable resource for postdocs and really help us to advance our careers."

A few examples of the courses offered:

• Project Management for Early Career Researchers
• Science Communication: Reaching a Wider Audience
• Preparing Successful Fellowship Applications

See the course list for full details of opportunities.

Pathways for Postdocs
As a postdoc, you are a highly skilled individual. But what do postdocs do if they don’t become academics? What are your other career options and how do you get that next job?
The PFDC webpage on non-academic career paths aims to help you understand and highlight your transferable skills so that you can learn how to evidence these skills to make you competitive in your next career move.

People and Organisational Development

The people and organisational development team offer training for Imperial staff in a range of areas:

• Core Skills Development
• Management and Leadership Development
• Safety Training

They also offer 1-1 coaching and mentoring services.

Hear what some of our students have to say...

Jiabin Tang - Matthews lab

“I really enjoyed my PhD time in UK DRI Centre of Imperial. The Connectome is very helpful to meet new people and get more novel ideas about research. There are loads of opportunities to attend various seminars, which are designed for us to communicate and get feedback on our research. Technical problems are not always published with a paper, so communication is really important for my research to keep going. Collaborations are more convenient inside and between DRI centres, which has saved me time to achieve my research aims.”

Kevin Ziegler - Nott lab

“For me, Imperial College London is a beacon of modern research, attracting brilliant scientists from all over the world and providing them with unlimited opportunities through the provision of state-of-the-art technology and the creation of an encouraging environment. As a young person and a researcher at the beginning of my career, I wanted to be part of this environment because, on the one hand, I get the support here to develop my own ideas with the acceptance for mistakes and, on the other hand, I am offered first-class education to pursue and implement these ideas.”

Xiaoqi Zhu - Grossman lab

“The UK DRI is an amazing institute and I am happy to study my PhD here. There are a lot of supports for research, such as academic training and administration. During the annual Connectome, there are special lectures for ECRs, which is quite helpful for students, and the main conference includes many wonderful lectures, which offers me a chance to learn what happens outside our institute. I can also meet many researchers within and outside my research area here, so that it is easy to find help and cooperation.”

Charlotte Luff - Grossman lab

“I am very grateful to have done my PhD at the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London. The quality of research being done at our institute is outstanding and importantly varied- hearing about it has taught me a great deal outside of my field and created the perfect environment for collaboration, as well as allowing our lab to work on everything from the biophysics of a single cell to the translation of interventions for dementia to humans. Having been at the institute since its inception, I have always been made to feel like an integral part of the work that is done here.”

Janis Transfeld - Nott lab

“To me, being a PhD student at the UK DRI center at Imperial has been a great experience so far. The center not only offers a friendly and encouraging work environment, where you feel motivated to engage in scientific discussions, but gives us many opportunities to network and connect with other interesting researchers in the field of dementia. By bringing together experts from dementia subfields, the UK DRI provides plenty of room for learning, ideas, professional growth, and career development.”

David Miao - Wisden lab

“I joined the UK DRI as a PhD student almost four years ago when the DRI had just started. Being part of UK DRI at Imperial has transformed my view of science and inspired me so much of being a part of the academia. Each time in the centre’s monthly meeting as well as during the annual Connectome events, I can learn so much from people working on completely different fields but having the same goal to make a difference. Also, during my daily life, I am proud of being one of the research contributors who collectively help to make our society better. When I meet charity volunteers doing donation at supermarkets, I always talk to them, telling them what’s going on in my lab. I express my most sincere appreciation for their generous work and tell them how their voluntary actions are making a huge impact on the research front. Overall, DRI has trained me from an immature student into a competent science investigator and taught me so much about caring for the people needing the most.”