As part of my independent academic work, I offer the professional development course Think, Prompt, Reflect: GenAI for Academic Research for PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, early-career academics, and PhD program coordinators who want to understand and critically integrate Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into their research practice. As an independent academic working at the intersection of education, research practice, and AI, my goal is to support researchers in using GenAI as a cognitive partner without compromising scholarly standards or intellectual integrity.
Course overview
This course introduces participants to the use of GenAI tools within the academic research workflow. It combines practical demonstrations with guided reflection, addressing how GenAI can support ideation, methodological planning, literature navigation, and scientific writing, while also examining implications for authorship, transparency, and the evolving responsibilities of researchers.
Participants experiment with current GenAI systems and discuss how such tools may reshape academic work, with particular attention to critical thinking, creativity, and methodological decision-making. Throughout the course, emphasis remains on the primacy of human reasoning, disciplinary expertise, and scholarly judgment in an AI-enhanced research environment. Interactive elements include short exercises, paired discussions, reflective tasks, and live tool demonstrations.
Learning objectives
Participants completing the course will be able to:
- Understand the foundations and current capabilities of GenAI tools relevant to academic research.
- Analyse how GenAI may reshape academic roles and competencies.
- Map the research workflow and identify tasks that can be meaningfully supported by GenAI.
- Develop effective prompting strategies for research-related use cases.
- Apply AI tools to research planning, literature review, and scientific writing.
- Reflect on ethical implications of GenAI use.
- Formulate a responsible and personalised strategy for integrating GenAI into their research practice.
Formats and delivery
I have offered this course in several formats, including:
- Half-day – conceptual introduction with demonstration and ethical reflection
- Full-day – extended hands-on practice and structured activities
- Two-day format – comprehensive programme with peer exchange and personalised strategy development
Delivery has been on-site and the language used has been English. While these formats have worked well for different research settings, I am happy to discuss alternative arrangements to accommodate institutional needs, group profiles, or disciplinary contexts.
If you are coordinating a doctoral programme, overseeing researcher development, or would like to bring this training to your group, feel free to contact me regarding scheduling, customisation, and pricing.