WS6 Generative AI Essentials: Introducing your digital colleague
Location: TBA
Target audience:
This hands-on workshop is tailored for research managers and administrators who have little to no experience with GenAI but want to understand how to effectively and responsibly integrate it into their daily work.
Workshop Content
Are you looking to harness the potential of Generative AI (GenAI) for your work? GenAI is already transforming how RMAs work. While early adopters are already seeing dramatic improvements in their productivity through GenAI, others remain uncertain about where to start. This practical, half-day workshop is specifically designed for research managers and administrators who want to start using GenAI but haven't found the time or confidence to begin. No technical background or experience with GenAI is required - if you can write an email, you can learn to use GenAI effectively.
Whether you are a grant advisor reviewing proposals, a project manager tracking deliverables, or a policy officer drafting guidelines – your role as an RMA is unique. What’s more, organizational policies vary wildly. That’s why this workshop focuses on helping you discover and develop AI use cases specific to your responsibilities and organization. Instead of one-size-fits-all solutions, you’ll learn a flexible approach to:
- Create custom prompts and adapt proven GenAI techniques for your specific workflow.
- Identify which of your daily tasks could benefit most from GenAI assistance.
- Experiment with new applications of GenAI.
- Apply guiding ethical principles to use GenAI responsibly and manage risk in the context of your own organization.
What to Expect
This is a highly interactive, hands-on workshop for RMAs with limited experience using GenAI. Together, we will:
- Demystify the technology and learn what GenAI can – and can’t – do for you.
- Have ample opportunity for practice and experimentation using free GenAI tools (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude – no paid account required for this workshop).
- Work in small groups to develop action plans for using GenAI in common RMA tasks.
- Discuss common challenges and solutions in the RMA context.
- Explore practical examples of use cases and GenAI tools.
Learning Outcomes
You will learn when and how to work with GenAI, along with practical tips for addressing ethical concerns. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Create effective prompts customized to your role.
- Analyze your workflow to identify tasks where GenAI can help most.
- Develop personal use cases for collaborating with GenAI in your daily work.
- Understand and apply ethical principles for the responsible use of GenAI.
Workshop facilitators:
Your trainers – Ryan Henderson, Ayla Kruis, and Tse-Hsiang Chen – are experienced RMA professionals who have helped hundreds of colleagues in the Netherlands to successfully integrate GenAI into their work. As founders of the ARMA-NL working group on GenAI, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing RMAs. Our combined AI expertise gained from developing institutional guidelines, RMA use cases, and training programs means you’ll receive practical solutions, not just theory and hype. Join us to enhance your skills and confidently incorporate GenAI into your RMA toolkit.
Ryan Henderson
Ryan Henderson, PhD, is a Grant Advisor at UMC Utrecht, where he supports researchers in securing personal grants. He is Chair of the ARMA-NL working group on GenAI, which aims to empower RMAs to engage with this transformative technology and actively shape its application in research support. Following his PhD in Biochemistry, Ryan worked as a science and business consultant before joining the UMC Utrecht to design its support program for researchers applying for grants from the European Research Council. He was an early adopter of GenAI technology in his work and continues to explore new tools and use cases. Ryan regularly shares his insights on GenAI through workshops for researchers and RMA colleagues, has been featured in Times Higher Education campus, and has contributed to institutional guidelines on the responsible use of AI in research support.
Ayla Kruis
Ayla Kruis is a Personal Funding & Career Advisor at Utrecht University, with nine years of experience in the funding landscape at NGOs, the Dutch Research Council (NWO), and Utrecht University. With an academic background in neuroscience, she is also passionate about technological developments, particularly generative AI. Ayla has been instrumental in initiating and developing generative AI policy and guidelines at Utrecht University. Closely collaborating with her colleagues at the University Medical Center Utrecht, she has co-designed and delivered many generative AI training sessions for research managers and researchers, and co-authored two Times Higher Education Campus articles on the responsible use of AI in research management. Together, they also founded the ARMA-NL AI Working Group to build GenAI skills in research support across the Netherlands. Her aim is to empower the RMA community to use generative AI responsibly and effectively.
Tse-Hsiang Chen
Tse-Hsiang Chen, PhD, an EU Grant Advisor & Writer at UMC Utrecht (UMCU), is an advocate for integrating generative AI (GenAI) into research management. He leads the FUTURE project at UMCU to pilot the use of ChatGPT in research support. With colleagues at UMCU and Utrecht University, he has co-designed and delivered GenAI training sessions aimed at sparking fundamental shifts in mindset critical to facilitating the adoption of GenAI. In addition, he contributed to GenAI guidelines and co-founded the ARMA-NL AI Working Group to support RMAs across the Netherlands in embracing this transformative way of working. His expertise has been featured in Times Higher Education Campus and Nature Index on the responsible use of GenAI in research management. With a genuine enthusiasm for exploring novel technologies, Tse-Hsiang aims to empower research managers to embrace GenAI, enhancing productivity while preserving human expertise - a vital step towards a sustainable, future-proof profession.
