At the end of October, there was a Grant/Fellowship Writing Workshop for early career researchers in the MDR and I&I departments. I&I Postdoc Champion Tom McKinnon was the Master of Ceremony for that day which was well attended by over 60 junior researchers, many of whom want to apply for fellowships and grants in the near future (according to a poll at the start of the day). Opening remarks by I & I Head of Department Marina Botto welcomed the cohort, with an important reminder that the day could provide an opportunity to reflect on whether a fellowship was something each person truly wanted.
The first session consisted of sessions from Research Manager Catherine Kibirige and ECRI representative Ines Perpetuo, providing overviews of the fellowship landscape and highlighting the support available to future applicants. Following a coffee break, in a session chaired by MDR postdoc representative Virag Sagi-Kiss, four current fellowship holders; Rachael Barry, Petros Andrikopoulous, Aida Maria Sanchez, and Felicity Fitzgerald, explained their own research journeys. This was a great opportunity for insight into the twisting road of an early-stage academic career path, with plenty of humour mixed in. The key take aways were all about perseverance, finding your network, and understanding that life and rejection happen. In the afternoon, there were a multitude of funding scheme talks and Q&A sessions, chaired by Erika Dorado and Jennifer Shelley (both postdoc representatives), both from senior academics who sit on review panels including Kevin Murphy, Tricia Tan, and Marina Botto, as well as current or previous fellowship holders such as Kate Lazarus and Alice Denton. Ines Perpetuo returned to explain the Imperial-based ICRF fellowship scheme, with Cathrin Gudd present to answer questions as a current ICRF holder. These sessions explained the various types of schemes for both clinicians and basic scientists, as well as re-emphasising the requirement for good planning and ‘frientorships’ – those who will provide casual guidance and feedback on early fellowship application drafts. Closing remarks from Aylin Hanvaloglu and Cathrin Gudd encouraged attendance at the MDR Postdoc and Fellows lunch (which I&I members are welcome to attend) in the IRDB ground floor foyer on the 20th of November and 11th of December. A wine reception closed the day, providing an opportunity for networking between attendees.
Some of the feedback comments received include “There was comprehensive coverage of different fellowship schemes”, “The intro speech by Prof Botto was very encouraging and down to earth…”, “All the [career journey] sessions were very useful and each gave a different point of view regarding their career journey”, “I thought it was useful to have a smaller session with Dr. Marina about clinical funding”, “It was very useful to know a bit of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ information and the viewpoints of those who regularly review grant/fellowship applications”. Prior to the event, 18% of those who have responded to the feedback survey felt they only had a little information about the schemes they were interested in while 55% had some information. By the end of the event, everyone had at least some information with 73% feeling that they had most or all of the information they needed to move ahead with their grant and fellowship applications.
Overall, it was an enjoyable and informative day, allowing postdocs to come together to think about possible next steps and opportunities while meeting colleagues and forming inter-departmental networks.
If you attended the day and have not yet provided your feedback, please do so here. Your feedback is very valuable to us.
By Jennifer Shelley and Catherine Kibirige.