About the Series
A lot of the skills that make the biggest difference in research are things nobody explicitly teaches you. Researchers are often expected to figure them out along the way. This
5–7 session graduate workshop series makes those skills explicit, practical, and useful, with a focus on how to conduct great research and communicate it exceptionally well.
We will cover how to read papers efficiently, conduct a strong literature survey, find and sharpen research ideas, design better experiments, write stronger papers, and create publication-quality figures. We will also go beyond the usual academic workshop to explore research photography, visual storytelling, and cinematic research videos—including how to capture robots, hardware, experiments, and demonstrations in ways that convey how exciting the work really is.
The sessions build on each other and are not intended as standalone talks. Participants will get the most from the series by attending every session and completing the small hands-on workbooks or assignments between sessions.
The series is organized by
The Perception and Autonomous Robotics (PeAR) Group at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute and led by
Prof. Nitin J. Sanket.
Who Should Attend?
This series is
targeted toward graduate students, especially PhD students, MS thesis students, and students completing research-focused capstone work. Undergraduate students interested in research are also welcome to attend.
Time and Venue
Sessions are held on
Thursdays in the
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303). Upcoming sessions are scheduled for
October 22, October 29, November 5, November 12, and November 19, 2026. Times vary by session; please see the schedule below. Additional dates and updates will be announced through
Piazza.
Session Schedule
The exact order and grouping of topics may evolve based on participant needs. Slides and recordings will be posted as they become available.
| Session |
Date |
Time |
Venue |
Topic(s) |
Slides |
Video |
| 1 |
Thursday, September 3, 2026 |
12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Introduction; how to read papers efficiently |
Slides |
N/A |
| 2 |
Thursday, Septmeber 17, 2026 |
1:30 PM–3:30 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Conducting a strong literature survey, finding a research gap |
Slides |
Video |
| 3 |
Thursday, October 22, 2026 |
12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Designing better experiments and telling a compelling research story |
Slides |
Video |
| 4 |
Thursday, October 29, 2026 |
12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Scentific Visualization |
Slides |
Video |
| 5 |
Thursday, November 5, 2026 |
1:30 PM–3:30 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Creating cover-quality figures |
Slides |
Video |
| 6 |
Thursday, November 12, 2026 |
10:00 AM–12:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Mastering Powerpoint |
Slides |
Video |
| 7 |
Thursday, November 19, 2026 |
12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Mastering Blender |
Slides |
Video |
| 8 |
Thursday, December 03, 2026 |
12:00 PM–2:00 PM |
Gordon Library Conference Room (Room 303) |
Visual storytelling, and cinematic research videos |
Slides |
Video |
Assignments
Small hands-on workbooks and assignments will help participants apply each session's ideas to their own research. Details and deadlines will be updated here.
What to Expect
Practical Guidance
Clear methods and examples that can be applied immediately to your own work.
Active Discussion
Opportunities to ask questions, compare approaches, and learn with peers.
Reusable Resources
Slides, checklists, and references will be posted when available.
Registration and Updates
If you intend to attend the full series, please complete the
Graduate Research Workshop Series Interest & Needs Survey. Your responses will help shape the series around what will be most useful to participants.
All session announcements, discussions, and updates will be shared through
Piazza. The website and Piazza will also collect examples, resources, templates, slides, videos, and other materials from the series.
Why This Series?
Prof. Sanket will draw on lessons from more than a decade of research and photography, including experience as a photographer for National Geographic, publishing two papers in
Science Robotics—a cover article and a featured article—and having research featured in more than 500 media articles and outlets including BBC Earth, the Associated Press, Voice of America, Spectrum News, and Al Jazeera.
Many of these lessons were passed on to him as a student. This series brings them together in one place to pay that knowledge forward to students building their own research careers. The goal is to help not only with the next paper, but with how participants approach research throughout their careers.
Organizer
Workshop Organizer
he/him/his
Perception and Autonomous Robotics Group