Transferable Skills

Return to Course Catalogue

Entrepreneurship training and career development program for female researchers

Bridge your academic research with innovation,entrepreneurship and industry.

Meet experienced career coaches, innovation experts and role models – let them inspire you and help you to mature your start-up idea.

Meet experienced career coaches, innovation experts and role models – let them inspire you and help you to mature your start-up idea.

more information & application

Every project has high scientific and organisational demands. Not only your project work but also other activities, such as organising workshops and meetings, require good planning and management and are the focus of this course. With the help of internationally standardised project management and its tools, the project internal communication as well as the monitoring of results can be simplified. And the experience has shown: project management boosts the performance of researchers and is at the same time a promising basis for the successful collaboration between industry and academia. This course should motivate researchers to develop further their personal leadership qualities and to initiate and coordinate in the near future their own projects.

Individual Performance and Assessment: The students are expected to attend both course days and participate actively during the workshop. Additionally, they are expected to submit the planning of a fictional or real project containing the main models discussed in class.

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Triannually
Lecturer:  Dr. Andrea Degen, eurelations AG
Location: ETH Zurich

This course raises awareness of doctoral students to ethical issues that may arise during their doctorate. After an introduction to ethics and good scientific practice, students use resources that can assist them with ethical decision-making. Students are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge and train their newly acquired skills in an interactive, discipline specific context.

Learning Objectives

• Doctoral students learn how to identify, analyze and address ethical issues in their own scientific research. Furthermore, they are encouraged to reflect on their professional role as scientific researchers.
• A special focus is on practising and applying the process of ethical inquiry/moral reasoning as a tool to analyze ethical issues and reach a well-reflected decision in ethical ambiguous situations.

Prior Knowledge: none

Number of Participants: 10 places for students of UZH and University of Basel that are registered in the PhD Programs of PSC or in LSZGS. All ETH doctoral students: Please register via myStudies. Only for doctoral students.

Individual Performance and Assessment: You will need to hand in a group case study journal and individual case study journal that will be individually assessed by the lecturers. A group presentation of the respective case study is also part of the overall assessment.

1 ECTS (10 hours of work)
Annually (Spring semester)
Lecturers:  Prof. Dr. Nina Buchmann (ETH Zurich) and Dr. Melanie Paschke (Zurich-Basel Plant Science) Center
Location: ETH Zurich

Digital innovation and emerging technologies may enable or disrupt environmental, economic or societal improvements. A responsible way forward considers values in the development and implementation of the digital or technological applications. The blended-learning course with face-to-face block course elements, self-learning phases and case studies is at the intersection between technology ethics and value-sensitive design. This course informs students about the values and ethical considerations associated with the use and development of emerging technologies. It will equip scientists with a value-based design approach, which they could bring with when they enter today’s increasingly digitalized society. Case studies around artifical intelligence, generative AI, bias and inclusion, autonomous decision-making or drones in environmental and other context will be discussen in the group exercises and design requirements for the concepts of the next generation of technologies will be formulated by participants.

Individual Performance and Assessment: Online self-learning material documented in an individual learning journal. Final day: Groups' presentation.

1 ECTS
Biannualy (Autumn semester)
Lecturers: Melanie Paschke (ETH Zürich), Verena Lütschg (Tomorrow Consulting)
Location: ETH Zurich

Research needs funding from third parties, mainly public funding providers. Postdocs are supposed to write research proposals to acquire funding for their research ideas and their team. But to successfully obtain these third-party funds it is essential to have an all-around convincing project proposal, which exposes the own research idea in a keen manner. 

In this training, participants will step-by-step learn to design a research project and write specific parts of a research proposal: the research plan, the impact chapter, the implementation, the career plan, the budget, the ethics, the gender aspects and other parts requested by the funding agencies the participants intend to address. They will furthermore discuss communication issues and how our messages are transported effectively to evaluation committees, including the presentation of the research group and CVs. To distinguish proposal writing from scientific (paper) writing is of key importance and therefore, elements in common and differences will be elaborated. 

Because the proposal writing process and the acquisition of funding remains a permanent task of university research staff, we will show how to streamline the creativity process and the proposal writing within the scientific workflow. We help you to make proposal writing an integrated, valuable, and pleasant activity! 

Target Group: Researchers, having a first project idea and a target funding instrument in mind 

Individual Performance and Assessment: ungraded semester performance. Course attendance and active participation: 16 hours. Preparation work and home work: 14 hours.

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Biannually (Fall semester)
Lecturer:  Dr. Andrea Degen (STI Management AG) and Dr. Melanie Paschke
Location: ETH Zurich

Are you looking for creative ways to communicate your research? With many years of experience in designing art and science workshops, science fairs and exhibitions, we can share tips and best practice and help you design an outreach activity to reach your target audience. Even if your research is “difficult to communicate” we can help you with some methods. This practice-based course requires some individual work in between course dates.

Prior Knowledge: Please bring an idea of a research project you would like to communicate. We will provide some literature to read beforehand.

Individual Performance and Assessment: In order to obtain the ECTS point, you are required to actively participate in the theory and practice during the course days, including designing your own prototype of an exhibition or workshop.

1 ECTS
Biannualy
Lecturers: Dr. M. Dahinden & Dr. J. Schläpfer
Location: ETH Zurich

“Ask a scientist about Hollywood, and you’ll probably get eye rolls. But ask someone in Hollywood about science, and they’ll see dollar signs: moviemakers know that science can be the source of great stories, with all the drama and action that blockbusters require” 
– Randy Olson
 
We, scientists, have great stories, and we can learn to be “scientists-as-filmmakers”! In this course you will learn about camera, audio, lighting equipment, and how to use film editing software, together with how to write, design and carry out the basics of making a documentary. 
 
During the course students will learn the basics of filmmaking theory (Storytelling, Storyboarding, Script-writing),  of filmmaking practice (work with camera, light, sound)and of film analysis. Students will be able to prepare their own films.

Individual Performance and Assessment: In order to obtain the ECTS point, you are required to actively participate in the theory and practice during the course days, including filming a documentary. 

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Every third semester
Lecturer:  Dr. Samer Angelone
Location: University of Basel

The course "Science Communication and Excursion Management in the Botanical Gardens" aims to convey the methods of knowledge transfer between the scientific community and the general public using the example of guided tours in the Botanical Garden of the University of Basel. The course consists of a theoretical and a practical part. In the theoretical part, the history and concept of the garden will be explained (one session) and the individual parts of the garden will be presented with excursions into the garden (two sessions). In addition, the basic didactic principles of knowledge transfer in natural history collections, especially gardens, will be explained (two sessions). In the second, practical part of the course, students will be supervised by lecturers to develop a 15-minute guided tour on any topic that can be conveyed through the garden's collection (three sessions including tutorials and feedback). The prepared tours are then presented in the Botanical Garden during the last two sessions of the semester as part of the course (5 guided tours per session including feedback time). 

Learning Objectives. The course aims to provide students with the didactic and technical foundations for knowledge transfer through botanical gardens. Students are taught the didactic concepts in a lecture section, which they can then apply by independently preparing and organising a guided tour in the botanical garden. The course thus lays important foundations for scientific public relations work, excursions and the organisation of guided tours in botanical gardens and other scientific collections.

Individual Performance and Assessment: Presence and "pass / fail" of the independently developed tour and the associated tour concept.

1 ECTS
Annualy (Spring semester)
Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Ansgar Kahmen (University of Basel), Ursina Studer (Board of Association Botanical Garden by the Spalentor), Yvonne Barmettler (Head of Mediation & Communication, Natural History Museum Basel), Angelo Bolzern (Education & Mediation, Natural History Museum Basel)
Location: University of Basel

Scientists are under pressure to communicate with the public about their research. This pressure comes from funding bodies such as the EU, the SNF, the taxpayers, recruiting agencies and policy makers. Improved public and media communication is essential if the public is to better understand who scientists are and what they do. Also, communicating is a source of personal satisfaction. For scientists, it's worth learning the basics of communication early in their careers. This course provides a guide to effective science communication, in theory and practice.

Individual Performance and Assessment: Attendance and active participation during the two course days (16 hours). In the weeks between the two workshop days you should plan for available time for group work and individual work of min. 30-40 hours.

2 ECTS (60 learning hours)
Biannually
Lecturer:  Dr. Jacopo Pasotti
Location: ETH Zurich

The first teaching experience should be effective, enjoyable, and personally beneficial. This course gives the basic knowledge, tools, and practice to have such an experience. Participants will learn to make scientific expertise accessible to students and build a repertoire of evidence-​based strategies for teaching abstract science topics to students and making them active and successful learners. We will show how to communicate science to novices as well as advanced students in science. 

Individual Performance and Assessment: The assignment must be completed to obtain 2 ECTS..

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Annually (Spring semester)
Lecturers:  Sarah Petchey, UZH
Location: University of Zurich

This course shows how to write clear research articles and review articles. We talk about organising writing projects, planning text structures, writing drafts, and improving texts. Participants work on individual article projects and receive feedback from the trainer.

Prior Knowledge: Participants should be sufficiently advanced in their research projects to be able to work on individual research articles or review articles. Before the course, participants determine preliminary titles and tentative conclusions for their projected articles.

Individual Performance and Assessment: The course will be graded as “pass/fail” based on attendance and active participation during day 1 and day 2 and a writing assignment to be handed in two weeks after the second day of the course.

1 ECTS
Annualy (Autumn semester)
Lecturer: Dr. Philipp Mayer
Location: University of Basel

The participants of the course are going to 

a) learn and practice effective scientific presentations with seven simple elements which will be introduced by the lecturer; 

b) communicate in a stress-free, clear and individual way to various audiences (e.g. at conferences, seminars, job interviews); and 

c) they will learn how to prepare a logic structure and be an authentic presenter with a strong delivery.

d) Learn and reflect about AI elements in presentations.

Course Program

• Conceptualization and planning of a presentation
• Key elements of a clear and logic structure
• Adding soft elements and authenticity
• De-stressing before and during a presentation
• Be convincing and clear (by language, by voice, by argumentation strings)
• Non-verbal elements supporting the presentation
• Leading the discussion: principles and advice

Individual Performance and Assessment: Interest in developing further, being self-reflective, giving and receiving substantial feedback.
You’ll need to prepare a scientific presentation of 10 min length in English between the first and second day.

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Biannually (Spring term)
Lecturer:  Dr. Barbara Hellermann
Location: ETH Zurich

This course is a foundation course in scientific writing skills. It offers writers practice in expressing themselves precisely, concisely and, above all, clearly when writing English for scientific purposes. Particular attention is paid to Organisation, Flow and Style. Participants will receive feedback on their writing and will have the opportunity to edit and improve texts written in English. The course serves as preparation for a second course, “Scientific Writing Practice 2: Writing Up Research in English”, which accompanies scientific writers as they produce the individual chapters of a research article in English.

Individual Performance and Assessment: Attendance and active participation during day 1 and day 2 (16 hours). In order to complete the course and gain their credit point, students will be required to complete a writing task between Day 1 and Day 2 of the course and submit it to the course instructor for evaluation (preparation work of 14 hours).

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Biannually (Fall semester)
Lecturer:  Dr. Patrick Turko, USZ
Location: ETH Zurich

This course is tailored to the scientific writing needs of PhD students in plant sciences. We cover topics such as the writing process, outlining, macro-, paragraph and sentence structure, style, punctuation, and the publication process. Participants will also learn about and practice the effective and responsible use of AI-based tools. In our hands-on approach, course participants will analyse and produce texts, focusing on the structure, clarity, precision, conciseness, and reader-friendliness of writing.  To maximize the effectiveness of this course, we ask participants to bring their own writing projects to class. During the course, they will receive peer and expert feedback on their texts.

Learning Outcomes. After the completion of the course, participants will be able to do the following:

• Manage the writing process
• Plan, draft, and revise scientific texts efficiently and effectively
• Write according to disciplinary standards and expectations
• Provide constructive feedback on scientific texts
• Select appropriate AI-based tools for writing and declare their use

Course Program

Day 1: The writing process and writing aids; Targeting journals; Effective outlining; Reader-friendly sentence structures; Paragraph structure and creating flow

Day 2: Macrostructure; Crafting the research story; Integrating visuals in articles; The main sections (methods, results, discussion); Literature review

Day 3: Introduction; Conclusion; Abstract and title; Reviewing and revising; The publishing process

Prerequisite: Course participants are requested to bring a previous and a current writing project to class.

Indiviadual Performance and Assessment: Students receive formative feedback on their writing. To earn credits, participants are required to actively participate in classes and complete assignments in a timely manner.

1 ECTS (30 learning hours)
Biannually (Spring semester)
Lecturer:  Dr. Réka Mihálka
Location: ETH Zurich

by ETH Library 

course details

In collaboration with Scientific IT Services, the ETH Library is organising eight workshops. The first six build on each other and address the various elements of research data management along the research data life cycle.The last two workshops provide information on handling images in research and on the activities of the Citizen Science Center Zurich.

You can register for individual workshops or for the whole series. All workshops will be conducted in English.

This workshop series comprises eight individual workshops, which mainly refer to the support, services and infrastructure that exist at ETH Zurich. Participation in all workshops is recommended, but not mandatory.

• 1. Research data management – basics and how to apply them
• 2. Data management planning – how to comply with the requirements of research funders and ETH Zurich
• 3. Active research data management
• 4. Secure handling of confidential and strictly confidential research data
• 5. Reproducible scientific computing and data analysis
• 6. Open access and data publishing
• 7. Working with images in research
• 8. Citizen Science – harnessing the power of citizen-generated data