Preparing for your Personal Development Review (PDR) for Research Staff

Practical information

Audience: Postdocs and research staff at Queen’s University Belfast
Date/Time: Wednesday 10 June 2026 | 13:30 - 15:15 (15:15 - 16:00 optional open work)
Duration: 2 hours
Location: Seminar Room, First Floor, 63 University Road
Organised by: Postdoctoral Development Centre (PDC) | Email: pdc@qub.ac.uk)

Overview

This session is designed to help research staff make the most of the Personal Development Review (PDR) process by focusing their development, career goals and next steps.

This workshop will walk you through the new PDR form introduced in 2024, which was designed in collaboration with postdocs and PIs to make the process more meaningful and career-focused. The updated approach puts your development front and centre, encouraging self-reflection and helping you have more useful conversations with your PI.

You’ll explore how to approach each section of the form, how to plan your development, and how to use your 10 allocated career development days strategically. This workshop is designed to be relaxed and collaborative to encourage open discussion, idea-sharing, and real-time progress on your form - no need to do it all alone.

What to Expect

A supportive, low-pressure space to reflect on your career and development
Step-by-step walkthrough of the new PDR form with examples and tips
Insights on how to plan and use your 10 career development days effectively
Time to begin drafting your form during the session
Opportunities for informal discussion and peer-to-peer feedback

After the main session, you’re welcome to stay for optional open work time until 16:00. During this period, you can continue working on your form with peers, ask questions, or simply enjoy a quiet space to think/reflect.

Jill Wright (Research Careers and Employability Officer) and Lisa Douglas (PDC Officer) will be available during this time to offer tailored guidance.

Objectives

By attending this session, you will:

Understand the purpose and benefits of the revised PDR process
Reflect on your career direction, achievements, and development priorities
Gain practical strategies to complete your PDR form with confidence
Develop ideas for using your development days in line with your goals
Connect with other postdocs for shared insight and motivation

Registration

Registration opens soon - watch this space for details

Facilitator

Dr Lisa Douglas | PDC Officer

Lisa joined the PDC in August 2024 and oversees the development and delivery of researcher development opportunities, training, events and guidance, ensuring these initiatives meet the needs of the postdoctoral researcher community at QUB. She also actively engages with the postdoctoral community through one-on-one support and collaborates with and supports the PDC Representatives’ Network and Postdoc Society. She was previously a postdoc at QUB herself; working in the School of Pharmacy where her research focused on novel therapeutic approaches for chronic airways disease.

During her time as a postdoctoral researcher, Lisa benefited from numerous development opportunities organised by the PDC and more broadly at Queen’s. She therefore has firsthand experience of the advantages these opportunities offered and how they helped shape her career. Lisa is passionate about aiding other postdoctoral researchers in their personal and professional development and has a special interest in enhancing and supporting researcher wellbeing and contributing to a positive, welcoming and inclusive research culture at Queen’s.

Email Lisa

Feedback

Rating (out of 5): 4.4

Recommended by: 100%

Number of feedback provided: 5

Quote: "Thanks for this workshop. Preparing a PDR was a challenge for me." (Participant, July 2025)