Discover Your Skills
Doctoral studies can feel isolating as if you're alone on an island, and as a result, it can feel like a humongous task to navigate interpersonal conflicts and build relationships. The OYF workshops helped me break down these concepts and provided strategies so that now I am able to de-escalate conflict and maintain meaningful relationships with my peers, supervisors, and thesis committee."
Priyanka Prabhu
PhD Candidate, Chemistry
Contact Information
Jenny Richmond-Bravo
Doctoral Professional Development Coordinator (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies)
p. 519-661-2111 x87848
jrichm6@uwo.ca
Current doctoral students will receive a monthly email with Own Your Future news and events.
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Communication & Relationship Building
PhDs Who Excel in Communication & Relationship Building:
Communicate Complex Information
You tailor your communication to a variety of audiences and adjust the level of technical detail to ensure comprehension and impact. You showcase your unique voice and style and present ideas with clarity.
Disseminate Information Effectively
You use dissemination channels (publications, social media, etc.) to effectively share information relevant to your research, scholarship, or creative activity.
Work Effectively With Others
You establish rapport, empathy, and understanding with others. You address conflict, give and receive feedback, and manage power imbalances to foster positive working relationships.
Build Partnerships and Collaborations
You build partnerships that enhance the needs and interests of all parties.
Writing an Impactful Research Proposal
September 25, 2025, 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET *VIRTUAL*
A research proposal can determine your path through graduate studies, your potential funding, and your academic and professional future. These skills are also transferable to the job application process for academic or non-academic careers.
In this seminar with Paul Schmidt, Manager of the Writing Support Centre, you’ll learn about the components that make up successful research proposals to meet the expectations of both your supervisor and committee, as well as multidisciplinary scholarship review committees.
Dissertation Writers' Retreat
October 16 & 17, 2025, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Remove yourself from daily distractions and focus your time exclusively on dissertation writing! The Dissertation Writers' Retreats provides PhD candidates with dedicated time for intensive writing. Participating in the Retreat can help you make significant progress in writing your dissertation and help establish good writing habits.
Coffee, tea and water will be provided. Please bring your lunch.
Please make every effort to clear your calendar and commit to attending the full retreat (both days).
Dates: October 16 & 17, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET
Location: Room 1N05, International and Graduate Affairs Building
Eligibility: PhD candidates working on their dissertation
Hosted by: Dr. Magdalena Kubow, Senior Writing Advisor - Writing Support Centre
Preparing to Publish
November 24, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Audience: Graduate students, faculty, researchers
Publishing scholarly work is a key expectation for researcher but navigating the scholarly publishing process is not always straightforward. In this session, you’ll learn how to navigate the peer review process, what tools and strategies exist for identifying suitable, high-quality journals for your work, and how to avoid predatory publishers. The session will also include a discussion about publishing fees, including various strategies for offsetting, and/or avoiding publishing costs altogether. You will also gain insight into your intellectual property rights as an author.
Participants in this workshop will leave knowing:
-How peer review works
-Tools and strategies for identifying journals to submit to
-Information about different publishing models, with a focus on Open Access publishing
-More about publishing fees and financial support options for covering fees, and options for publishing without fees
-Alternative routes for disseminating your work openly
-Your rights as an author and the basics of copyright and Creative Commons licenses
Working With the News Media
December 2, 2025, 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
In this workshop with Justin Zadorsky, Media Relations Officer, you will learn the basics of working with the news media to promote your work and research. You'll learn about the current media landscape, how to work with reporters, get some basic interviewing tips and be introduced to op-ed writing and The Conversation Canada.
more Communication & Relationship Building resources for phds
GradWRITE Seminar Series
GradWRITE Seminars cover a variety of writing support topics for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Western Libraries Events and Workshops
Learn about publishing, copyright, information management and more!
Western Research Support
Access programs to support research communication, knowledge mobilization, and opportunities for collaboration.
Inspiring Minds
Practice describing your research and scholarship in 150 words!
EDI Learning
Access workshops and online modules to support your communication and relationship building skills while upholding EDI principles
Truth and Reconciliation
Resources and actions for engaging in, and promoting, Truth and Reconciliation work at Western and beyond.
