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Wellcome postdoctoral fellowship: application process

and experiences as a fellowship holder

Rebecca Baggaley

Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Imperial College London

2nd July 2009

My background

• Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

• Modelling the impact of HSV-2 interventions on HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa

• 4 years

• 1st year of programme

• Mathematical modelling -> no extra funding requirements for reagents/equipment

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My background

• BA Cambridge University• MSc London School of Hygiene & Tropical

Medicine (LSHTM)• PhD Imperial College London• Work history

– Health Protection Agency

– LSHTM

-> range of institutions– More contacts

– Poor continuity

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Sir Henry Wellcome application process

• Preliminary application (November)

• Full application (February)

• Panel interview (May)

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Application process - general (1)

• Research topic– Broader reading of literature– Consultation with peers, senior colleagues – gaps and

hot topics– Initiating dialogues with other institutions (meetings,

conferences, cold-calling)

• Commitment of sponsors, research sponsors, collaborating individuals and institutions -> in good time

• Talk to fellowship holders for more advice• Look over as many (and as similar)

successful fellowship and other grant applications as possible

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Application process - general (2)• Timely application – do research in advance as to

what fellowships are available that you are eligible for and closing dates, and start planning well in advance

• Research record• Imperial leaflet: “How to be successful at

fellowship interviews” www.imperial.ac.uk/staffdevelopment/postdocs

• Practice runs• Different technique from PhD viva – more succinct

answers• Notes

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Success depends on

• Publication record and background

• Institution, sponsors, collaborators

• Interview performance

• Research topic and application

• Luck - competition

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Experiences as a fellowship holder (1)

• More freedom to pursue own research ideas• Increased opportunities/responsibilities from

colleagues/department– Grant applications

– International meetings

– Conferences

– Editorials

– Collaborations, travel opportunities (generous budget)

– Lower admin/teaching (usually)

-> balance between new opportunities and scientific research and publication writing for fellowship

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Experiences as a fellowship holder (2)

• Delivering on objectives declared on application– Scientific – Broader career goals

• E.g. Training components• External collaborations inc. visits to

international laboratories• Importance of defining aims of visits BUT

timing is never perfect • Conflicts between actors: institutions,

sponsors, mentors, research sponsors...

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Teething troubles

• Wider research group activities

• Unexpected direction of research

© Imperial College London r.baggaley@imperial.ac.uk

Very few problems – some effort to get there but the benefits are well worth it!

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Thank you!