Professional & personal development

At TSL we strive to provide an outstanding training environment that prepares postgraduate students, postdoctoral scientists and early career project leaders to excel in their careers. Many scientists who have passed through the Laboratory have continued their careers in prestigious laboratories, institutes and companies around the world.


Training

Our staff & students have access to training available through the Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI) and all TSL staff are able to access training courses run by UEA. Examples of the training available include:

  • Scientific Integrity
  • Grant writing and reviewing
  • Fellowship application writing
  • Manuscript writing
  • Experimental design and analysis
  • Bioinformatics
  • High performance computing
  • Mathematical modelling
  • EMBO workshops
  • Leadership and Management
  • Personal Resilience and Wellbeing

A career with us will open up opportunities for collaborations, both within TSL but also with our neighbouring institutes on the Norwich Research Park, providing an opportunity to interact with a diverse range of like-minded people.

2Blades Masterclass

In addition to an interest in basic research, many plant scientists today are motivated to find applications of their research to real world problems in business settings. Scientists are highly educated, creative problem solvers who have focused on rigorous training in experimental methods in an academic environment. Yet typical development paths don’t include education in the skills used in an entrepreneurial or corporate environment.

The 2Blades Masterclass is designed to bridge this gap by teaching basic management and business skills to scientists during their postdoctoral training.

Ongoing Development Reviews

All staff employed by TSL undergo annual Career Development Reviews with their line manager to identify suitable career development activities (e.g. training) and ensure pay and grading decisions are based on objective criteria. We undertake an annual review of pay and bonus payments.

Technician Commitment

We are signatories of the Technician Commitment, a university and research institution initiative, led by a steering group of sector bodies with support from the Science Council and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s Technicians Make It Happen campaign. The overall aim of the initiative is to help address key challenges facing technical staff working in research.