K+ Natural, Mathematical And Engineering Sciences PhD Student Supporter

Job Description

To be considered for this role you must complete this application form: https://forms.office.com/e/fwxL4CMy98

The K+ team are looking for passionate PhD students to deliver engaging academic content for our K+ Spring and Summer Schools. Your role will be central to inspiring Year 12 students and equipping them with the skills and confidence to explore academic research independently. 

You will prepare a seminar, support students to select a research question for their project and support your seminar group to create an engaging group pitch. Your academic content will need to be relevant to a K+ Pathway.

This role will require a commitment of 26 hours work before, during and after the Spring/Summer School. Hours will be broken down as follows: 

6 hours for preparation 

4 hours for compulsory training. 

10 hours are to be completed at the Spring/ Summer Schools 

4 hours for marking

Prior to the Spring/Summer school you will need to prepare: 

A one-hour seminar on an area of research relevant to a K+ Pathway.  The seminar should highlight how your chosen research area connects to various subfields. For example, a History PhD student might introduce ?Youth Culture?, explaining how it relates to topics like music, politics, or social movements. 

Five different research question briefs (covering a range of disciplines / topics related to your research area) that can be distributed to students. These should be accessible to Year 12 students to understand and include a suggested reading / resources list to guide independent exploration. 

During the Spring/ Summer School you will deliver content across 2 days.

On Day 1 you will: 

Deliver a one-hour seminar for 20-25 students which includes discussion questions to encourage interaction and engagement. 

Deliver a session on Choosing a Research Question (the same session will be repeated twice for two groups of 10-13 students). 

Guide students in selecting a specific question within their chosen research brief to focus on for their academic poster project. 

Support students as they outline ideas for their academic poster, which they will complete in the weeks following the Spring/ Summer school.   

On Day 2 you will: 

Support students to work as a group to develop a pitch based on the research area they explored on Day 1. The pitch should be fun and dynamic, designed to replicate a ?funding pitch? scenario (think Dragon?s Den!).  A panel of judges will decide which research area deserves the most ?funding? based on the persuasiveness of each pitch. 

Help groups refine their ideas and ensure they are on the right track by answering questions and providing feedback during pitch preparation time. 

Encourage creativity while keeping the pitch academically grounded.   

All academic activities will be supported by our Widening Participation Student Ambassadors (current King?s Undergraduate / Masters students) and the SMWP team. 

After the Spring/ Summer School

Students will individually complete their academic poster projects, building on the work they completed in their Spring / Summer School. The posters will be displayed at a conference celebrating their achievements a few weeks later (attendance at the conference for PhD Student Supporters is optional). 

Once the conference is complete, we will send you copies of your students' academic posters so that you can provide feedback. The feedback should be approximately 100-150 words with the aim of encouraging the student to continue their academic exploration of the research area.

Delivery dates by Pathway: 

PhD in progress or Postdoc

Essential criteria: 

1. PhD (in progress) or Postdoc in Dentistry, Life Sciences and Medicine or a related field 
2. Ability to work independently 
3. Ability to engage and enthuse a group of young people on an academic topic 

Desirable criteria: 

1. Experience working with young people aged 16-18 
2. Experience teaching/ delivering sessions to young people 
3. Experience delivering an academic poster at a research conference 

Please note that all successful applicants will be required to complete a DBS check (cost covered by SMWP).