Imperial-NTU Critical Thinking for Communication Masterclass 

 

Graduate College is pleased to present a special in-person workshop conducted by Imperial faculty, designed to strengthen postgraduate researchers’ critical thinking and communication skills. This exclusive session is limited to 20–25 participants and offers structured learning, personalised feedback, and an optional focus group with an honorarium. 

Trainer: Elena Forasacco, (Senior Teaching Fellow, Imperial Early Career Researcher Institute) 
Fees:  Fully sponsored by Graduate College 

Learning Outcomes 

  • Frameworks to improve critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning 

  • Techniques to communicate complex ideas more clearly and persuasively 

  • Practical exercises and personalised feedback 

  • Insights from leading researcher-development educators at Imperial College London 

 

Who Should Attend 

This workshop is ideal for NTU postgraduate researchers who wish to: 

  • Strengthen critical thinking and analytical reasoning 

  • Improve clarity and structure in academic writing and presentations 

  • Learn from the teaching approaches of a world-class institution 

  • Understand how communication influences research impact 

     

Target Audience 

Postgraduate research students (PhD or equivalent) from any discipline who: 

  • Have a manuscript, abstract, or paper in development; and 

  • Are seeking to strengthen the quality and positioning of their work for publication. 

     

Session 1: Critical Thinking for Communication (10.00am - 12.00pm) 

This interactive masterclass introduces frameworks and practical techniques to help researchers examine information more critically, articulate ideas clearly, and develop persuasive evidence-based arguments. 

Key features: 

  • Limited to 20–25 NTU postgraduate students 

  • Practical exercises and guided discussions 

  • Tools for analysing information and strengthening academic communication 

  • Pre-course work (approximately 1 hour) to optimise learning impact 

  • To facilitate pre-course preparation, participants’ names, emails and departments will be shared with the Imperial instructor two weeks before the session. 

     

Session 2: Focus Group (Optional) 1.00pm – 3.00pm 

Following the morning workshop, the trainer will conduct a focused discussion as part of their research collaboration with NTU on postgraduate researcher development. 

About the focus group: 

  • Up to 10 volunteers selected from the morning’s participants 

  • Duration: up to 2 hours 

  • Each participant will receive a £20-equivalent voucher as a token of appreciation 

  • Volunteers will be invited in the instructor’s pre-course email to allow sufficient planning time. 

 

Dates & Venue:

6 March 2026 (Friday) 
LHN TR+1, NTU Campus 

Application: 

Participation is by application due to limited capacity. 
[Apply via MS Form] 

Enquiries: 

Please email the Graduate College Academic Planning Team at [email protected] 

 

FAQs for Nature Masterclass

The workshop is intended for NTU postgraduate researchers, particularly PhD and research-based Master’s students, who wish to strengthen their critical thinking and communication skills. Applicants should be able to commit to the full morning session on 6 March 2026 from 10am – 12 pm.
The session is primarily designed for research-focused postgraduate students. Coursework Master’s students may apply, but selection will prioritise postgraduate researchers whose work involves substantial research, writing, and academic communication. 

As places are limited to 20–25 participants, selection will be based on: 

  • Relevance of the workshop to your research and communication needs 

  • Diversity of disciplines and backgrounds 

  • Completeness and quality of your application responses 

Graduate College will notify all applicants of the outcome after the application period closes. 

No. The focus group (Session 2) is entirely optional. 
Only up to 10 volunteers will be invited from among the morning’s participants. You may choose to attend only the morning masterclass (Session 1) if you prefer.
No. Focus group participants will be selected from those who attend the morning session, as the discussion will build on content and reflections from the masterclass.

Participants will be asked to complete up to 1 hour of pre-course activities, such as short readings, reflection prompts, or simple tasks related to communication and critical thinking. These activities are designed to: 

  • Familiarise you with key ideas 

  • Help you reflect on your own communication style 

  • Maximise the value of the in-person session 

Instructions will be sent via email approximately two weeks before the workshop. 

Your details are shared so that: 

  • The instructor can send you pre-course instructions and materials 

  • The session can be tailored to participants’ disciplines and research contexts 
    These details will be used only for workshop-related communication and planning. 

No. The workshop is fully sponsored by Graduate College, and there is no participation fee. However, as places are limited, we request that selected participants honour their commitment to attend or inform us early if they are unable to make it, so the place can be offered to another student.
For any enquiries, please email the Graduate College Academic Planning Team at [email protected]