Skills and training
![Two people in a lab using a microscope](https://www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/images/graduate-studies-1/skillsandtraining.jpg/responsive_image?ratio=image&scale=w760)
Your training will be tailored to your particular needs, drawing from the vast range of training available at Oxford and covering both specialist scientific methods and techniques and transferable skills. There is no formal taught component of the DPhil in Medical Sciences.
Much of your training will take place in the lab, where you will be trained by your supervisor or members of the lab team in the variety of techniques and protocols used. A brief statement of the training you will receive in the lab is included in the training description of your chosen project.
MEDICAL SCIENCES SKILLS TRAINING
As a member of the Medical Sciences Graduate School you will be entitled to enrol on courses run by Medical Sciences Skills Training. Medical Sciences Skills Training offers a range of courses covering both scientific techniques and generic research skills.
WIMM METHODS AND TECHNIQUES COURSE
You will be able to attend the wide variety of sessions covered through the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) Methods & Techniques course. If you are based in the WIMM, completion of this course will be a compulsory part of your first year training, but all RDM students can attend the full course or individual sessions of interest. Sessions are delivered once a week by world-leading scientists from the WIMM, covering topics from experimental design to genome engineering.
BHF CENTRE FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE
The University is host to one of the British Heart Foundations Centres of Research Excellence (CRE). The CRE aims to develop an unrivalled research training programme and attract the most talented researchers who will become the next generation of world leading cardiovascular researchers.
RDM MENTORING SCHEME
We have an active mentoring scheme in the department and you will be encouraged to sign up. Mentoring can cover any aspect of your work or career, including finding your bearings when you are new to the University (or the UK), how to make the transition from being a student to your first postdoc, how to balance your work with your family life, or dealing with returning to your work after a break for parental leave.