Second year review: planning your career

Prof. Deborah HendersonAssociate Dean of Research

Future career: never too soon to start planning

http://ascb.org/where-will-a-biology-phd-take-you/

Assuming at this point you want a career in academia…

Publish everything you can

First author papers

Middle author papers

A review/methods paper

Best possible impact factors

Think about your “skills portfolio”

Project specific Generic (writing, presentation skills,

stats etc) Teaching/supervision Admin, safety Outreach activities Entrepreneurship

The university has a lot on offer

Attend meetings

Broaden your horizons

Talk to people

Make contacts

What really interests you? Where do you want to be? Who do you want to work with?

Visit other labs

Learn new skillsExperience new environmentWork with different peopleIs this a good place to do a postdoc?Take new skills back

Different labs do the same things differently

Getting that post docPlan well ahead (now!) Identify the field you want to work in Identify a few (3-5) researchers who you would like

to work withUpdate your CVContact them (probably about start of your final

year)Discuss opportunities – fellowships, writing grants

for you, funded positions etc.

Be proactive

FFG-S – strategic goal

Build a strong research base of early career researchers within the FMS that will go on

to become the research leaders of the future

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Most likely award timeDuration of Award

External Fellowship Schemes

5 years

3+ yearsNew Investigator Research Grant (NIRG)MRCSnr Non-Clinical Fell 7 years

Career Dev Awards

4 years5 (+3) years

5+ yearsWellcome Trust Senior Research FellowshipSir Henry Dale Fellowship

Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship

3 years5 yearsBBSRC David Phillips/ECR Fellowships

Anniversary Future Leader Fellowship

3 (+1) years

5 (+5) yearsSnr Research FellowshipBHFInt Basic Sci Res Fell 4 (+1) years

Immediate Postdoc Basic Science Research Fellowship

6 yearsCRUK Snr Non-Clinical Fell 6 years

Career Development Fellowship

Kay Kendall3 yearsJnr Research Fellowship

4 yearsInt Res Fellowship

3 years David Sainsbury FellowshipNC3Rs

5 yearsUniversity Research FellowshipRoyal Society

2 yearsInternational Incoming/Intra-European3 years International OutgoingMarie Curie

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Junior

Career development/NIRG*

1110

Most likely award timeRunning time

EXTERNAL SCHEMES

FMS Fellowship Schemes

Faculty Fellowship

Y3 PhD

12

PhD

Senior/NIRG/project grants

Open ended contract

5 year fixed term-NURF*

* Equivalent status – subject to review at 18mo before end to assess likely career progression

FMS Fellowships within 0-2 years of PhD award

• Evidence that many successful applicants at more senior levels held “junior” fellowships

• Ideally identify prior to PhD completion• Internal and external• Short-term funding (akin to bridging) in order to make

application • Mentoring and other support

Criteria: excellent publication record during PhDTwo competitions per year, spring and autumn

RA approaches and talks with PI (advisor) about interest in fellowship and possible project

Referral to Institute FFG-S representative – discussion about suitability, readiness and possible schemes

RA Notifies the faculty for tracking fms-ecr@ncl.ac.uk

RA starts to work on application with support from advisor and mentor

RA works on CV – primarily publications

Mentor allocated – meeting arranged

Contacts Institute Research Support Officer re. costings

Contacts Gwen Averley for advice and guidance about specific schemes (gwen.averley@ncl.ac.uk)

Contacts DOI re. commitment as sponsorSigned off by Associate Dean of Research

Iterations of application with local peer review and mentor review (may include DOI)

Signed off and submitted by DoI

Checks by RSO and JRO

Notify fms-ecr@ncl.ac.uk of outcome Mock interviews organised by advisor and mentor

Debrief with advisor and mentor Pass feedback from application and interview back to FFG-S (via fms-ecr@ncl.ac.uk

)

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-5m

-1m

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-3m

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Application process and time scale for external fellowships – science

- 7d

What if you’re not sure about an academic career?

Discuss with your supervisor/colleagues/peers

Think about the options – there are manyProfessional careers advice?

Popular alternatives to academia where a PhD has real value

• Pharma/Biotech• Teaching (HE)• Consulting• Entrepreneurship• Finance• Government • Law• Public Policy• Sales• Technology Transfer• Venture Capital• Writing

http://www.nextscientist.com/alternative-careers-for-phd-students/

What else can you do to build your CV?• Various Scientific Writing Competitions • eg EuropePMC.org (December) • http://www.mrc.ac.uk/public-engagement/opportunities-for-

researchers/max-perutz-science-writing-award/• http://www.ukicrs.org/essay-competition-2015.html

• {React} the University Science Magazine• http://reactmagazine.co.uk/how-to-get-involved/

• FAMELAB: A National Competition for exciting talks about science, no slides, just props 3 minutes talking about science you are interested in (does not have to be about your research) (November)

• BRIGHT CLUB: Presenting the funny bits about your research work in the stand-up style http://famelab.org/

• THREE MINUTE THESIS (3MT): Local and national competition for presenting your research in brief https://www.vitae.ac.uk/events/three-minute-thesis-competition

• SET FOR BRITAIN Poster competition (House of Commons)• http://www.setforbritain.org.uk/2015event.asp

• Biotechnology YES - young entrepreneurs scheme -presenting a business case for the commercialisation of science

• http://www.biotechnologyyes.co.uk/biotechnologyyes/index.aspx

• Brilliant Club - teaching your research to school children• http://www.thebrilliantclub.org/

All of these things are important…

But not at the expense of a timely PhD submission!