Events across campus

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Your one-stop shop for all events and workshops for graduate students across campus.

Our event listings are updated termly with additional events added as they are scheduled.

Major recurring events

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Academic Career Conference

This full-day conference will help you prepare for the academic work search, including document and interview preparation, and getting insights from current faculty members. 

Host: Centre for Career Development
Timing: Annually in October
Audience: PhD students and postdocs

Student writing at a table with a notebook and a laptop

Dissertation Boost Camp

Dissertation Boot Camp is designed to help you get a jump start on meeting your writing goals. The program combines dedicated writing time, goal-setting and writing strategy sessions, and one-on-one meetings with our writing specialists. Online, intensive, and sustained (weekly) options are available.

HostWriting and Communication Centre
Timing: Annually in the fall or winter term
Audience: PhD students

Group of students writing and working together

Rock Your Thesis: Get Ready to Write

This three-part program will guide you through the first phases of writing a thesis or dissertation. The series covers topics such as planning and project management, structuring your thesis or dissertation, writing a literature review, using strategies for finding and recording research sources, and revision. Each of the three Rock Your Thesis sessions balances talks from support staff across campus with hands-on activities to guide you through your own planning, drafting, and revising process.

Host: Writing and Communication Centre
Timing: Annually in the winter term
Audience: PhD students

Man presenting to an audience

Design and Deliver Grad Studio

Whether you are giving a conference presentation, a job talk, or defending your dissertation, as a graduate student you need to be able to speak with authority and knowledge about your research area, respond to questions, and engage in scholarly debate. Design and Deliver Grad Studio is a self-directed comprehensive workshop designed to help master's and PhD students develop their voices as independent scholars and give effective academic presentations with confidence. 

Host: Writing and Communication Centre
Timing: Annually in the spring term
Audience: Master's and PhD students

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Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network (GPDN) Annual Conference

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network (GPDN) Annual Conference focuses on current topics related to professional and career development for graduate students and postdocs, and brings together professionals and faculty members to foster networking, share innovative practices, and promote the latest advancements in our fields.

Host: Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network
Timing: Annually in the fall term
Audience: Graduate students and postdocs

January 2025

Date 

Event title 

Event host 

Location

Ongoing 

Virtual Writing Cafés - Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Writing and Communication Centre 

Online

Ongoing 

In-person Writing Cafés - Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. 

Writing and Communication Centre 

GSA Grad Lounge (SLC 3216) 

Jan 8 

How to Find a Job 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 9 

Resume Tips: Thinking Like an Employer 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 9 

Help: How Do I Co-op? (Graduate) 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 13 

Keeping Well at Work: A staff member’s mental health journey 

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 13 

LEARN for TAs - Online (CTE6550)  

Centre for Teaching Excellence 

Online 

Jan 14 

How to Make Cover Letters Less Painful 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 14 

Discover and Dive into our Waterloo Values  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 15 

Keeping Well at Work: 10 keys to Happier Living  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 17 

LIL Lunch and Learn  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 20 

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Fundamentals  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 20 

Foundations of Giving and Receiving Feedback  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 21 

Preparing for Interviews 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 22 

Academic CV's 

Centre for Career Development 

TBD 

Jan 22 

Preparing for the P4E Job Fair 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 22 

Rock Your Thesis 1: Plan your Project 

Writing and Communication Centre 

TBD 

Jan 23 

Exploring Further Education  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 23 

Discover and Dive into our Waterloo Values  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 23 

Preparing for the P4E Job Fair 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 24 

LIL Lunch and Learn  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 28 

New Employee Orientation  

Human Resources 

In-person - TBD 

Jan 29 

Keeping Well at Work - Deep Health: Setting a Foundation  

Human Resources 

EC1 1004 

Jan 29 

Understanding Conflict  

Human Resources 

Online 

Jan 29 

Academic Interviews 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Jan 29 

Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching in Learning Series #1: Accessibility Basics  

Centre for Teaching Excellence 

Online 

February 2025

Date 

Event title 

Event host 

Location 

Ongoing 

Virtual Writing Cafés - Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. 

Writing and Communication Centre 

Online 

Ongoing 

In-person Writing Cafés - Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. 

Writing and Communication Centre 

GSA Grad Lounge (SLC 3216) 

Feb 5 

Preparing for Campus Housing Interviews 

Centre for Career Development 

Online 

Feb 5 

Keeping Well at Work - Deep Health: Small Group Coaching  

Human Resources 

In-person and virtual components 

Feb 5 

Keeping Well at Work: Mindful doodling and the power of going with the flow 

Human Resources 

EC1 

Feb 5 

HR Foundations for Managers Part I: Managing Hiring, Mobility, Training and Development  

Human Resources 

Online 

Feb 6 

Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Literature Review: A Workshop for Graduate Students 

Writing and Communication Centre 

Online 

Feb 12 

Giving and Receiving Feedback with Intention  

Human Resources 

EC1 1004 

Feb 12 

HR Foundations for Managers, Part II: Managing Team Performance and Organizational Change  

Human Resources 

Online 

Feb 14 

LIL Lunch and Learn  

Human Resources 

Online 

Feb 18 

Discovering Your Purpose  

Human Resources 

Online 

Feb 19 

Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW, CTE6601)  

Centre for Teaching Excellence 

MC 2036 & MC 2036A 

Feb 26 

Preparing for Interviews 

Centre for Career Development 

TBD 

Feb 26 

HR Foundations for Managers, Part III: Managing Leaves, Absences and Accommodations  

Human Resources 

Online 

Feb 26 

Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching in Learning Series #2: Accessibility and Teaching Effectiveness  

Centre for Teaching Excellence 

Online 

Asynchronous events

Centre for Career Development workshops

Are you unable to attend one of Centre for Career Development's live workshops or missed a particular workshop you're interested in? The Centre for Career Development has alternative online workshops that you can take at any time at your own pace. In these workshops, you will find a short video, activities, and links to additional resources and information for next steps.

Note: UWaterloo log-in is required to access these workshops.

Career development workshops: 

Academic career development workshops: 

Centre for Teaching Excellence workshops

Self-directed workshops:

Recorded workshops: 

Mitacs workshops

Mitacs offers a series of courses on topics relevant to graduate students. Each course bundle involves a self-paced asynchronous component, and a synchronous virtual session (dates for which can be found in the calendar above). Completion of both components will earn you an official certificate of completion from Mitacs for that course. 

To access Mitacs online courses, you will need to create an account on EDGE, the Mitacs online learning management system. To get started: 

  1. Visit the Mitacs EDGE login page.
  2. Create a new account. Please do not attempt to use your existing login credentials with previous Mitacs platforms, they will not work.
  3. Confirm your account by following the prompt in the verification email that is sent to you. This will redirect you to back to the login page, where you can now sign in. 
  4. Select your Learner Affiliationusing the drop-down list. Select "General Learner."
  5. Fill out the personal information page to complete your registration. 

Once you have created an EDGE account, you may enrol in the following self-paced, asynchronous online courses:

Mitacs offers both synchronous and asynchronous courses through the EDGE platform. Asynchronous courses are listed as an "Online Course", while synchronous sessions are listed as an "Instructor-Led Course". As all synchronous sessions are currently being offered online, they are open to graduate students from across Canada. 

Student Success Office workshops

The Student Success Office (SSO) offers access to intercultural learning modules part of an Open Educational Resource (OER) called Advancing Intercultural Competence for Global Learners. This can be accessed in both English and French.

Writing and Communication Centre workshops

The Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) offers several grad-specific workshops. WCC workshops will be available on the Writing and Communication Centre's LEARN siteWCC is offering both asynchronous workshops in LEARN and their new one-to-one workshops facilitated by a writing and communication advisor. 

Self-register for the LEARN course titled "WCC Workshops" to gain access to the asynchronous workshops, which can be found under the Content tab of that course. These can be completed at your own pace.