What is Researcher Development?
Researcher Development (RD) can be tricky to define! At its heart it encompasses all of the learning and development that you might wish to experience and acquire during your time in Cambridge. It is there to provide you with the skills that you need, both today and for your future, whatever that might be. But the best definition is that researcher development is there to prepare you to become a professional researcher.
As a researcher you have responsibility for managing your own professional development, and ensuring that you are on the right track for achieving your goals. There are two key tools at your disposal to help you with this: CamRDF and Inkpath.
CamRDF
The Cambridge Researcher Development Framework (CamRDF) maps out fifteen core competencies which are key to conducting professional research in an increasingly interdisciplinary and international context. This framework of skills, highly valued by employers with within and beyond academia, will help you to understand your strengths as well as the areas you want to work on.
Inkpath
Inkpath is your one-stop-shop for managing your professional development. When you sign up for a Cambridge account you will be asked to complete a Skills Analysis based on the CamRDF, and will then be able to browse development opportunities by skill type, set goals for yourself, write notes on the courses you attend and even add your own activities.
