Module 5: Leadership & Careers associated with Organ-Chips

This module will run over all 4 years of the programme, offering exposure to different stakeholders and career choices, and providing training in the core transferable skills students will need to be effective leaders in their future careers.

An introduction to the importance of networking will be provided at the start of the module with a practice networking event with ‘critical friend’ training before continual opportunities to develop these skills at stakeholder days and our symposiums.

Our stakeholder partners will contribute to a programme of events and site visits to better understand external non academic perspectives and environments within the organ-chip field. In addition students will be able to take up an 1-3 month internship with one of our partners. 

Teamworking and leadership skills will be introduced experientially in a group project and drug-discovery pipeline exercise and during the 3rd winter school. Training will cover leadership styles and working with difference, as well as introducing Kolb, experiential learning, reflection and peer mentoring. At the end of the 3rd wnter School students will begin a team leadership challenge, to plan and deliver the following summer organ-chip symposium. This will utilise newly developed skills, as students link with peers across cohorts, internal & external academics, our stakeholders and other interested partners.

All training will link with CPD activities and the reflective log, embedded throughout the 4-year studentship. Support to successfully interact with the buddy and stakeholder mentorship schemes will also be delivered through this module. Students will receive training in being a mentor and encouraged to establish up-mentoring schemes with COaCT academics to further develop community. Linked to this, a bespoke CV writing workshop will be available to all 4th year students.