Plan your development as a researcher
Find out more about planning your researcher development while you're studying at AUT and how the “AUT Researcher Education and Development Team can help you develop your research skills.
Postgraduate Researcher Development Planner
The Postgraduate Researcher Development Planner maps out AUT’s research skill development opportunities (workshops, support groups, resources etc) according to the research stage and research activities they support.
The particular skills you need to develop will vary across the life of your research programme. Early on, you need to understand how to critically read others’ research and go through the ethics approval process; later, you need to know how to disseminate your findings and communicate your research impact.
How to use the planner
Use this planner to plot out your development across the duration of your programme. It’s hyperlinked so that you can go straight to the website or booking page for your chosen development opportunity.
AUT Researcher Education and Development Team
Dr Anaise Irvine, Researcher Education and Development Lead
Anaise Irvine holds a PhD in English from the University of Auckland for her research analysing how contemporary films and novels represent genetic engineering as a social justice issue. She has supported AUT postgraduate research students for 10 years, and her prior experience includes a variety of research support roles in grant writing, PBRF, and research software.
Anaise has a passion for research communication, and is heavily involved in creating opportunities for researchers to connect to each other and the wider world. She spearheaded the inaugural AUT Research Week 2023, is the editor of Thesislink, and is heavily involved in the annual Postgraduate Research Symposium and 3 Minute Thesis competitions. The most obscure of her own research skills is being able to turn novels into phylogenetic trees!
Dr Michelle Ladwig Williams, Researcher Education and Development Specialist
Michelle Ladwig Williams holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Auckland, researching cultural construction in transnational Pacific communities through participation in the ASB Polyfest. Her research interests include transnational youth identities and cultural expression of migrant communities through performance. With a background in classroom teaching, she worked in the Czech Republic, Japan, and Hawai’i before settling in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Michelle enjoys connecting researchers to their passion and curiosity about their topic and helping them gain confidence as they navigate the complexities of the research process. She looks forward to supporting postgraduate students and staff at AUT to take on new challenges and fulfil their potential.
Annalise Davidson, Researcher Education and Development Coordinator
Annalise Davidson is the organisational wizard who coordinates the Researcher Education and Development programme, with a focus on postgraduate and supervisor education. She organises and promotes postgraduate events and workshops, answers enquiries, and is the friendly face greeting guests at our events. She can answer virtually any postgraduate student question on where to go, who to see, and what to do to make the very best of the AUT postgraduate experience.
Contact us
Graduate Research School
Phone: +64 9 921 9907
Email: grs@aut.ac.nz
City Campus - level 5, WU Building
Workshops and events
As a postgraduate research student at AUT you can participate in our wide range and events to develop your research skills or share your work with other researchers:
Thesislink – Research blog
AUT's research blog is full of useful tips for all researchers and postgraduate students.