Professional Development Bursary Program

1. Training Program

Participants will have an opportunity to complete a set of four curated professional development workshops facilitated by leading industry practitioners, building key elements of boundary-spanning research and innovation skills:

Impactful presentation

Developing the capacity to plan and deliver high-impact professional presentations dealing with research, innovation and technical subject matter. Designed for researchers and other professionals with a need to deliver compelling presentations on complex subjects to diverse audiences. Participants will discuss and review the components of effective professional presentations, including narrative structure, high-impact imagery, and audience empathy, learning and applying simple frameworks to support delivering a message with style and impact.

Writing for Impact

Supporting understanding of the importance of impactful writing in a professional context, and providing practical strategies for developing and delivering effective technical and scientific reports. Targeted at researchers and industry professionals aspiring to operate in boundary-spanning roles across minerals research and related sectors. Course participants will discuss and review the qualities of impactful writing, including through assessment of personal and anonymised reporting examples, and learn frameworks to support effective writing of technical and scientific content.

Developing a Leadership Brand

Understanding the importance of personal branding in a modern professional career, and developing practical strategies for developing and maintaining an impactful leadership brand. Targeted at researchers and early career professionals aspiring to be recognised as thought leaders in minerals research and innovation, the course will introduce participants to the value of personal branding in socialising research and supporting career development. Course participants will self-reflect and share experiences and ideas with each other through focused discussion and activities, emerging from the session with a plan for cultivating and maintaining a personal thought leadership brand.

Capstone Workshop: Thought Leadership in Minerals Research

Understanding and applying the values of impactful minerals research and knowledge transfer to support meaningful innovation and value creation in the minerals sector. This capstone workshop brings together the diverse learning and experiences provided through the development program to promote the culture of impactful minerals research benefitting Western Australia. Participants will discuss and reflect on the application of key building blocks of the future innovation economy to the minerals sector, including:

• Critical thinking
• Problem solving
• Creativity and Innovation

2. Networking Events

Join an active community of research scholars and alumni working across Western Australia’s universities, research institutions and minerals industry. Formal and informal events throughout the period of the bursary will provide participants with opportunities to build personal and professional links with thought leaders and decision makers across the minerals research sector. Hosted events will include:

Scholar induction and bursary award ceremony – Formal welcome of awardees to the Professional Development Bursary program, followed by networking with scholars, researchers, and invited guests.

Student-Industry Workshop – Experiential learning workshop bringing together MRIWA Scholars and participants from across the industry, government and research sectors to address key challenges and opportunities for the minerals sector.

Minerals Research careers roundtable – Round-table careers advice and networking with a panel of experienced minerals industry and boundary-spanning research leaders.