3. Your first month

• Meet with your Principal Advisor/Advisory team to:
  • discuss and fine tune your project
  • discuss any outstanding compliance requirements like ethics approvals, or mandatory vaccinations
  • confirm data management plans
  • explore expectations (of both you and your advisor/s). To facilitate this, it may be useful for both you and your advisor to complete the Supervisory Expectations Questionnaire (PDF, 47.1 KB) and compare your answers, as a starting point for productive discussion. The induction tool (DOCX, 23.2 KB) may expand upon this further.
  • set up a regular meeting schedule
  • develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP) which will be reviewed at your progress review.
• Use your staff login to access Workday and complete compulsory modules, including:
  • Research Integrity Module
  • Health, Safety and Wellness induction
  • Annual Fire Safety
  • Cyber Security Awareness
  • Privacy at UQ
  • Thinking about cultures and identities (Core Cultural Awareness Module 1)
  • My Country, Our Country (Core Cultural Awareness Module 2)

Incomplete modules will receive regular weekly reminders. This is set at the same frequency as reminders to staff. Some courses require a refresher, so you may receive a further reminder later in your candidature.

• Complete any other health and safety training and activities required of you, outlined on the health and safety training website. Your Principal Advisor should be able to guide you on what is necessary for your project.
• Login to UQSafe, which is the system used by UQ staff and students to create risk assessments associated with their work or research, report workplace incidents and hazards, submit applications to work with biological materials, and complete fieldwork and work-off campus plans.

Organise the essentials

• Ensure you are aware of financial arrangements, for example, conditions of scholarships or internal/external funding, which may affect your project and timeline.
• Familiarise yourself with your enrolling unit’s Progression review process.
• Set up your monthly Research Progress Reports.
• Find out what software you need and download free student software for personal use from ITS.

Build your networks

• Check out the Library's services and support:
  • services for HDR students
  • services for researchers
  • contact the Librarian Team for assistance with your research.
• Familiarise yourself with Student Advocacy and Support (part of the UQ Student Union): a free independent, short-term support service for all UQ students. Student Advocacy and Support can provide assistance on matters relating to equity, employment, gender and sexuality, legal advice, intellectual property, migration and welfare.
• Socialise by exploring the Virtual Village at UQ (the HDR group for HDR students) and the UQ Association of Postgraduate Students (APS). These are social networks in the broader UQ community aimed to help you meet new people, have fun and relieve the stress of a researcher’s life.