Welcome to the NCEAS Working Group Training Series, specifically designed to help working groups collaborate more effectively throughout every stage of their research process. These trainings cover essential collaboration strategies and practical skills and are designed to foster both individual development and effective team collaboration.
Training topics offer practical guidance on group facilitation, strategies for clear and productive communication, and hands-on skills for managing data and projects in a collaborative environment. Whether you’re getting ready for your first group meeting or fine-tuning established workflows, these trainings offer valuable tools to support your success.
Let’s build stronger, smarter collaborations — together!
How to Participate
We encourage each team to:
- Review the training topics listed in the sidebar of this website
- Discuss with your group which sessions interest you individually and which ones may benefit the group as a whole
- Register early – space is limited! Use the registration links provided for each training.
Training Logistics
Monthly emails will provide details and reminders for upcoming sessions, so you won’t miss a thing.
All sessions are held via Zoom. Training slides and video recordings will be posted and available for download on this site.
Training Schedule
| Workshop | Date & Time | Year | Instructor(s) | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Run a Working Group | Aug. 5th 10-11a PT |
’26 | Courtney Scarborough Heather Lahr |
Register here |
| Git & GitHub: Fundamentals | Sep. 9th 10-11a PT |
’26 | Nick J Lyon | Register here |
| Project Management with Github | Oct. 7th 10-11a PT |
’26 | Nick J Lyon | Register here |
| Git & GitHub: Resolving Conflicts | Nov. 4th 10-11a PT |
’26 | Nick J Lyon | Register here |
| Graphic Design with Canva | Jan. 6th 10-11a PT |
’27 | Tessa Cafritz | Register here |
| Communicating Your Results | Feb. 21th 10-11a PT |
’27 | Tessa Cafritz | Register here |
| Workshop | Date & Time | Year | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facilitating a Successful Working Group | Aug. 21st 10-11a PT |
’25 | Courtney Scarborough Heather Lahr |
| Intro to Git and GitHub | Sep. 10th 10-11:30a PT |
’25 | Li Kui |
| Canva 101 | Sep. 24th 10-11a PT |
’25 | Nicole Greco Tessa Cafritz |
| Data Management & Reproducibility | Oct. 8th 10-11a PT |
’25 | Li Kui |
| Project Management on GitHub | Nov. 12th 10-11a PT |
’25 | Li Kui |
| Collaborating with Git and GitHub | Dec. 10th 10-11:30a PT |
’25 | Li Kui |
| Building a Communications Strategy | Jan. 21st 10-11:30a PT |
’26 | Tess Cafritz |
NCEAS Expertise
The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), a research affiliate of UCSB, is a global leader in ecological synthesis science, transforming how environmental research is conducted through data-driven collaboration. With over 30 years of success using this model among working groups and environmental professionals, NCEAS champions open science by developing tools and best practices for transparent, reproducible, and accessible research. It also invests heavily in training scientists, offering workshops and resources that build skills in data science, collaboration, and environmental analysis.
Code of Conduct
By participating in this activity you agree to abide by the NCEAS Code of Conduct.
About this Book
These written materials are the result of a continuous and collaborative effort at NCEAS to help researchers make their work more transparent and reproducible. This work began in the early 2000’s, and reflects the expertise and diligence of many, many individuals. The primary authors are listed in the citation under each workshop material, with additional contributors recognized for their role in developing previous iterations of these or similar materials.
Content contributors (alphabetical by surname): Ben Bolker, Amber E. Budden, Julien Brun, Tessa Cafritz, Angel Chen, Samantha Csik, Halina Do-Linh, Marty Downs, Sarah Elmendorf, Nicole Greco, Natasha Haycock-Chavez, S. Jeanette Clark, Carrie Kappel, Li Kui, Julie Lowndes, Stephanie Hampton, Matt Jones, Samantha Katz, Heather Lahr, Nick J. Lyon, Gregory Maurer, Erin McLean, Bryce Mecum, Casey O’Hara, Deanna Pennington, Karthik Ram, Jim Regetz, Courtney Scarborough, Tracy Teal, Camila Vargas Poulsen, Daphne Virlar-Knight, Leah Wasser.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.