The Queen’s University Chaplains' Christmas Carol Service will be held on Monday 1 December at 5.30pm in The Great Hall.

Staff, students and their families and friends are all welcome to attend.

Christmas refreshments will be served at the end of the service in the Canada Room. Tickets are not required.

Each year, the Strategic Communications Directorate showcases a selection of our graduands who have interesting stories to tell. In advance of the Winter Graduations, they would like your help to tell those stories. 

• Please complete this form to share your story, and the Strategic Communications Directorate team will be in touch. The deadline for responses is Monday 24 November at 5pm.

Staff are invited to nominate graduating students who have demonstrated:

The Conference and Events team are seeking staff volunteers to assist at Winter Graduation, taking place from Monday 8 to Friday 12 December.

• Find out more and apply to volunteer here.

The payment date for December 2025 will be 19 December 2025. The cut-off date for all information to be included in the December pay run is Friday 5 December at 5.00pm.

• Relocation Claims: Staff are asked to submit relocation claims to relocation@qub.ac.uk by Wednesday 26 November, to ensure processing and inclusion in December salaries.
• Sickness Absence monitors: all inputs are to be updated by Friday 5 December.

As this payroll is being run earlier than usual, please provide all changes/inputs by the above deadlines to avoid any underpayments.

Please contact salaries.office@qub.ac.uk if you have any questions.

As we approach the holiday season, please ensure that all costing requests are submitted via RAS by 12.00pm on Friday 12 December 2025 . 

Timely submission is essential to support accurate reporting and ensure smooth processing around this busy time of year. Any requests received after the deadline will be processed after the Research Finance Team returns from the Christmas leave period in January 2026. 

The University is currently recruiting for a number of positions internally.

Staff can view internal and external vacancies through iTrent Employee Self-Service.

The International Partnerships Team is pleased to launch the International Partnership Development Fund* (IPDF) for Academic Year 2025-2026.

This strategic funding opportunity has been created as a pilot pump-priming scheme to support the development of high-potential institutional partnerships in designated regions.

To find out more and to apply, please click here. Applications close midnight Wednesday 3 December 2025.

Staff are invited to take part in a short but important survey exploring how Queen’s reputation compares to other UK and international universities. The survey takes just five minutes to complete, and your feedback will be invaluable in identifying areas for improvement and shaping the university's strategic approach.

• Please complete the World 100 survey here by Friday 28 November at 12.00pm (noon). 

The Student Engagement team invites staff to its Festive Event on Tuesday 2 December in the One Elmwood Foyer. The Staff Wellbeing choir will be singing Christmas Carols from 12.45pm and the team will be serving some festive drinks and snacks. All are welcome.

Queen’s Open Learning Programme features a rich and diverse range of courses. Staff are warmly invited to propose and teach a course of their own.

• The deadline for proposing a Spring course is 17 November. To propose a Spring course, please complete the form here.
• For more information, including details of current courses open for enrolment, please click here.

Queen's is taking part in European Week for Waste Reduction with a variety of sustainable events for staff and students across campus from 24 November to 27 November, including:

• A free pop-up bike check from Freedom Cycles;
• A repair café;
• A community wide litter pick;
• Sewing and mending workshops.

Find out more and register for upcoming events here.

Did you know that Queen's offers salaried employees an interest-free loan of up to £2,500 towards the purchase of an annual travel card for the purpose of commuting to work?

In addition to the annual travel card offered by Queen's, Translink have a range of pre-pay travel cards designed to save you money and offer convenience. Many of the travel cards are available to buy online and offer significant cost savings on the standard fare.  Explore the options available here. 

• Wednesday 19 November, 11.30am to 2pm 
• Monday 24 November, 11.30am to 2pm

Tuesday 25 November is the start of the UN Campaign of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.

The Lanyon Building will be lit up in purple to mark the occasion, and we are asking staff to wear something purple on the day to show your support for the campaign.

We are also asking people to come along at 4.00pm to the front of the Lanyon for a photo to mark the illumination.

The Diversity and Inclusion team are hosting a Domestic Abuse Awareness session, delivered online by Women's Aid Federation Northern Ireland, on Tuesday 25 November. This session is designed to raise awareness, build understanding, and equip attendees with the knowledge to make a difference.

• Register via iTrent to attend. The course duration is two hours.

As part of the project to embed the new Academic Offences Regulations and Procedures for 2025-26, the Appeals, Conduct and Complaints Team is holding two drop-in sessions on the following dates for staff engaging with and implementing the new process. Staff are welcome to come along to ask questions, seek advice, and give feedback on the new processes. Booking is not required – all are welcome.

• Wednesday 5 November, 10.00am to 12.00pm, Peter Froggatt Centre (PFC) room 01/20 
• Wednesday 3 December, 2.00pm to 4.00pm, PFC 01/20

At Queen’s, 1 in 5 staff members have indicated they are working carers.

If you are a carer, please consider availing of our Carer Passport initiative aimed at enhancing support for staff with caring responsibilities.

The Carer Passport promotes understanding of your needs as a carer, enabling your manager to put in place the flexibility needed to support your individual circumstances where possible.

Find out more about support for carers at Queen's.

Queen's staff can avail of free, confidential Staff Counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme.

• AI for Educators Canvas Course: A Canvas course designed to help student-facing staff build confidence in using AI – with opportunities for discussion and hands-on AI Skills Build activities. Enrol in the course here.
• AI Lightning Talks: Earlier this semester, our AI Lightning Talks event brought together colleagues from across the university who shared insights into how they had been putting AI into action in their work. Recordings are available on the AI Training page.
• Jisc Training Opportunities: From October to December, Jisc is offering a series of one-hour online training sessions as part of its AI literacy curriculum for teaching and learning staff. 

Recent posts from Queen's Policy Engagement (QPol):

• October Post-Brexit Clinic at Queen's. The recording and slides from the latest Clinic are now available here.
• An A – Z of the Irish Presidency, by Prof Marie Coleman

The Conversation is a news website featuring articles by academics, often republished to global media outlets. Articles by Queen's academics published in The Conversation have been read by 23.8 million people internationally. Read the latest:

• Arrest of top whistleblower shows extent of Israeli impunity over torture of Palestinian detainees by Dr Merav Amir (Queen's University Belfast) and Professor Hagar Kotef (SOAS, University of London)
• Why the UK’s grooming gangs inquiry is in turmoil – and what needs to happen now, by Professor Anne-Marie McAlinden
• Comment la photographie de guerre a transformé le regard de la France sur la révolution irlandaise, by Professor Claire Dubois (Université de Lille), Dr Mark O'Rawe (QUB) and Dr Síobhra Aiken (QUB)

Read the latest staff news stories on the Staff News and Community Gateway:

• International research prize for School of Mathematics and Physics Academic
• Copty Scholars connect at Queen’s
• Queen’s appoints three new Academic Leads for Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Queen's University first to be recognised as a Platinum Cycle Friendly Employer
• Belfast Met and Queen’s renew education partnership commitment
• New senior appointment: Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise and Innovation)
• Queen's Professor awarded prestigious Parsons Medal

Our latest 'Spotlight on our Staff' profile features Deirdre Johnston, Disability Officer.

From advocating for accessibility to supporting students with diverse needs, discover how Deirdre Johnston’s work as Disability Officer is making a meaningful difference across our campus community.

• Read Deirdre's profile.

The Centre for Biomedical Sciences Education invites staff to the Vincent Ewing Public Lecture, 2025, taking place on Tuesday 16 December at 2.00pm in the Basement Lecture Theatre, Wellcome-Wolfson Institute, Health Sciences campus.

The guest speaker is Dr Ourania Varsou (School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing, University of Glasgow) who will speak on 'GenAI Past, Present and Future: A Human-Centred Lens on Technology, Education and Society'.

All are welcome.

Staff are invited to the inaugural lecture of Professor Ioana Latu When Good Intentions Meet Resistance: Understanding the Diversity Backlash on Thursday 27 November at 6.30pm in DKB OG.012, followed by a reception in the DKB Hub.

• Find out more and register here.

All are welcome.

• View the September to November event list.
• View the November edition of the Mitchell Institute Newsletter.

The Mitchell Institute invites staff to the following events. Find out more and register at the links below:

Applications are now open for the We Innovate Programme, the University’s initiative designed to support and empower female-led ventures to develop, grow, and scale.

We Innovate provides female founders and business leaders with access to tailored workshops, expert mentoring, peer support, and a final showcase event, where participants compete for a share of a £15,000 prize fund. The programme is open to Queen’s postgraduate students, researchers, and graduates (within three years).

• For full programme details or application information, please visit the We Innovate webpage.
• Applications close on 16 December at 12.00pm, and outcomes will be announced on 7 January 2026.

• Please register using MS Forms.

• Postdoc Parents Network: Postdoc Parents Network Parents Play Awareness Session with Playboard NI: 24 November, 11.00am – 1.00pm
• Supervising Skills for Assistant Supervisors and Postdocs: 1 December 09.30am – 12.00pm
• Identity Matters: 4 December, 12.00 – 1.30pm
• Postdocs Spotlight @ QUB – Scales of Research: National, Digital, Planetary: 18 December, 11.45am – 2.00pm

Details of ongoing works being carried out across the University campus can be found on the Estates Directorate webpage.

This week’s new and returning films at Queen’s Film Theatre, your cinema on campus.

• Anemone
• Outburst Queer Arts Festival
• Die My Love
• The Choral
• Palestine 36

• The Borderline Project: Shiro Masuyama: Originally from Japan, Shiro Masuyama* is a socially engaged artist. He is bringing his half-Irish, half-British caravan, The Borderline Project, to the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s on Tuesday 18 November, from 11.00 am to 3.00 pm. Everyone is welcome to visit the caravan outside on Marie Heaney Square. At 3:00 pm, there will be a one-hour artist’s talk in the Heaney Centre. Find out more and register here.
• Works in Progress: An Improv Jam: Staff are invited to Works in Progress: An Improv Jam on Saturday 22 November, from 5.30pm to 7.30 pm in The Wolfson Lecture Theatre at the Seamus Heaney Centre. This jam, focused on creativity, confidence, and cooperation, is open to anyone interested in improvisation*. Find out more and register here.

Queen's University Belfast's Students' Union has been named No.1 SU in the UK at the 2025 Whatuni Student Choice Awards - a recognition based entirely on student reviews.

The SU is hosting a special celebration event on Thursday 27 November, 12-2pm in the SU Foyer. Students will enjoy games, freebies and treats, meet their Student Officers, and explore the ways they can get involved with everything the Students’ Union has to offer.

 Please encourage your students to attend and join in the celebration.

There are still places available on the following Learning for All sessions:

• Skills for Effective Mentoring
• Get Ready for Management and Leadership
• Planning My Career Development

These sessions provide an invaluable opportunity to enhance your professional skills and support your career development.

• Further information, including booking instructions, can be found here.

Are you passionate about outstanding teaching and learning? Applications are now open for the 2026 National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) and the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE). Submit your Expression of Interest by Friday 28 November 2025.

The Expression of Interest (EOI) form for consideration by the Queen’s University Belfast selection panel closes on Friday, 28 November 2025.

• Each institution may nominate up to three individual colleagues for the NTFS.
• Each institution may nominate one team for the CATE.

These awards are highly competitive, and we encourage all interested colleagues to visit the CED NTFS and CATE Awards webpage for full details and guidance.

• One-to-One Consultations: Staff can book a 30-minute virtual session with a Digital Learning Developer from your Faculty, School or VLE Pedagogy Support Team (subject to availability).

With the Climate Change Act NI and new sustainability priorities emerging across the region, staff are invited the Education for Sustainabile Developement Community of Practice on Monday 24 November from 12.15pm  to 1.30pm in the McClay Library Auditorium

Academic staff are invited to participate in this blended learning course, which has been designed to support the embedding entrepreneurial education within the curriculum, meeting the requirements of the QAA and professional accrediting bodies.

The course will run from 5 January 2025 - 20 February 2026, with a commitment of attending two workshops during that period.

Register via iTrent.

The Queen's PPI Network and the Patient and Carer Education Partnership (PCEP) Forum, in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, invite staff to Building a Legacy with People on Wednesday 3 December, from 9.30am to 4pm in the Great Hall.

This event will explore and celebrate the achievements of PCEP, highlighting the collaborative work, innovative projects, and transformative outcomes that have contributed to improving healthcare education and research within the School of Nursing and Midwifery. 

• To attend, please complete the registration form here. Places are limited. 

Join us for a half-day workshop on 16 January 2025 from 9.00am - 1.00pm (location TBC) where we will focus on equipping you with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively support and guide our students.

Through interactive sessions and collaborative discussions, you'll gain valuable insights and practical tools to enhance your advising practice. Connect with fellow advisors, share experiences, and learn from experts in the field. Together, we can create a supportive network that fosters student success and enriches our academic community.

• Register via iTrent.

The Safety Training programme for the forthcoming academic year is available on the University Safety Service Training webpage. The full range of courses can be booked via iTrent Employee Self-Service.

Training sessions for the remainder of November are given below. All sessions are in person.