Chain Florey Clinical Fellowships

Chain-Florey Clinical Research Fellowships

Apply for funding to undertake a PhD

Chain-Florey Clinical Research Fellowships are for medical graduates pursuing a career as an academic clinician. Emphasis is placed on the development of well-rounded researchers equally strong in both clinical research and basic science. Fellows are expected to carry out their research in one of the LMS’s world-leading research groups. Fellows have three years to complete their PhD and on completion, they return to their postgraduate clinical training.

A diverse range of projects and supervisors are available that span the MRC’s remit to improve human health and are of relevance to the Imperial College Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) strategy https://www.ahsc.org.uk/#

This scheme provides a competitive salary, giving you the chance to concentrate fully on your research, training and development.

Awards may be held on a part-time basis to meet personal commitments but not because of other professional commitments. MRC is supportive of applicants wishing to combine their research training with caring responsibilities. Our fellowship awards may be held on a part-time basis or within flexible working arrangements, with the proviso that projects offered on this basis need to be competitive and therefore may be more limited in choice. We recognise the challenges faced by clinicians

Who is it for?

We are looking for candidates with a genuine interest in conducting scientific research, and an open and enquiring mind. Clearly some laboratory experience is helpful, but we realise that our Clinical Fellows will not have spent extensive time in a lab. The most important thing is to be aware that you would be starting at ground level. We also cannot guarantee that you will be able to have a project that is directly linked to your clinical speciality, so you need to be prepared to be flexible. What we can provide is a sound scientific training on an interesting project in an internationally competitive research institute full of young researchers. The aim is to provide our Chain-Florey Fellows with scientific skills that equip them for a high-flying career in academic research medicine.

What you will do?

Chain-Florey projects must involve human tissues or samples or be otherwise related to human disease of relevance to the Imperial Academic Health Science Centre strategy. Clinically trained Fellows develop a unique appreciation of the practical application of treatments and bring a valuable perspective to scientific research. Fellows have three years to complete their PhD – on completion, they return to their postgraduate clinical training.

What is included?

The posts, jointly funded by the MRC and the NIHR through the Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, are currently being offered to successful applicants who are EEA nationals. The LMS typically offers three posts each year.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you have GMC registration, have completed Foundation Year 2 and are in post graduate medical training.

We welcome predoctoral (Fellowship) applicants from doctors in any specialty and our supervisors span a diverse range of projects that include genetics, molecular biology, metabolism and data science. All projects will involve human data, tissues or cells, or be of high relevance to human health and disease.

 

Predoctoral applicants (Chain Florey Clinical Fellowship)

This funding supports clinically active doctors in training to undertake a PhD.

To be eligible you must:

  • Show ambition to follow a clinical academic career
  • Have completed Foundation Year 2 training
  • Be at an appropriate point in your clinical training to study for a PhD, with clear plans for completing your speciality training
  • Request a minimum of 36 months funding full-time equivalent to complete your PhD

You do not need to have registered for a PhD at the time of your fellowship application.

You do not need to have held a position that includes formal research time, for example, an academic foundation or an academic clinical fellowship, but should have prior research experience and be able to demonstrate the skill base and motivation to complete a PhD.

This fellowship provides:

  • A salary appropriate to your level of training (up to but not including NHS consultant level)
  • Up to £12,500 each year to cover consumables, equipment, conference travel, PhD and other course fees

All Chain-Florey Fellows will be allocated an appropriate clinical mentor from the Imperial College Academic Health Sciences Centre who will ensure that their research is integrated into their training plans. Research Supervisor, Clinical Mentor and Fellow will meet together twice yearly.

Chain-Florey fellowships usually last three years and your PhD must normally be completed within the duration of the employment. These periods are based on full-time equivalents.

We operate this scheme as flexibly as possible. This gives you the chance to negotiate the extent of your clinical commitment depending on your specialty and your research needs.

You may:

  • Spend up to six hours a week (pro-rated for part-time fellowships) on other commitments such as teaching, demonstrating, other funded projects
  • Undertake up to two clinical sessions a week with your supervisor’s agreement

Some examples of the projects on offer are provided below – many other projects are available. The requirement is that the science is appropriately linked to the LMS and AHSC strategy and could be designed around your own ideas.

 

How to apply:

To make an application please look on the Imperial College London vacancies webpage (key words Chain Florey)

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/account/login/

How we will assess your application

If your application passes the shortlisting stage, we will invite you to interview.

Interviews with the local clinical training panel will usually last 30 minutes.

We will contribute towards the cost of your return travel, modest subsistence costs and reasonable additional family care costs.

Feedback:

We will let you know as soon as possible after we have made a final decision about your application. This is usually within five working days of your interview.

If you reach the interview stage, we will send you feedback and let you know the reasons for the panel’s decision.

 

Contact details:

 

 

 

Salary information

 

The salary for Chain Florey Fellows will be at the appropriate point on the Doctors in Training pay scale.

Timeline for Chain Florey Clinical Fellowship recruitment

 

10 January 2023 09:00 Opening date

31 January 2023 16:00 Closing date

Shortlisting in February, Interviews late February/early March 2023

1 March 2023 09:00 Opening date

31 March 2023 16:00 Closing date

Shortlisting in April, Interviews late April/early May 2023

9 May 2023 09:00 Opening date

31 May 2023 16:00 Closing date

Shortlisting in June, Interviews late June/early July 2023

4 July 2023 09:00 Opening date

31 July 2023 16:00 Closing date

Shortlisting in August, Interviews late August/early September 2023

* We will let you know as soon as possible after we have made a final decision about your application. This is usually within five working days of your interview.

 

Examples of projects that are available

 

Professor Richard Festenstein Epigenetics and Disease

We have shown that DNA triplet repeat expansions can induce epigenetic silencing of disease genes and that therefore epigenetic modifiers are capable of restoring expression of the disease gene as a potential therapy. We are employing motion-capture using wearables and PET scanning and use machine learning to attempt to shorten trial duration for Friedreich’s ataxia.


Doctor Alexis Barr Cell Cycle Control

The Cell Cycle Control Team investigate how cells transition between proliferating and quiescent states. Our work spans understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of cell cycle control, characterising how anti-proliferative drugs can be used to promote the long-term inhibition of proliferation of cancer cells and determining how quiescence in cancer cells can promote chemo-resistance and tumour dormancy. To do this we combine single-cell time-lapse imaging, modelling, bioinformatics, proteomics, image-based screening and molecular biology. We would especially welcome applications from trainees in oncology.


Doctor André Brown Behavioural Phenomics

We use the nematode C. elegans to model rare genetic diseases and to perform drug repurposing screens using a platform we have developed to perform whole-animal behavioural screens with very high throughput (10k conditions per day). The combination of quick genetics with CRISPR and large-scale screening makes it possible to model and screen multiple disease models during a single PhD project. We work closely with clinical geneticists and patient foundations to prioritise diseases to model. The close interaction with patient families drives our aspiration to rapidly translate hits in our screens to n-of-1 clinical trials.


Doctor Christian Speck DNA Replication

The DNA replication group studies the mechanistic basis of DNA replication and its mis-regulation in cancer. Accurate regulation of replication is accomplished by an interplay of several cell cycle regulators, but these regulators are frequently mutated in human cancers. We have established genomic and proteomic pipelines, which allow us to uncover how DNA replication control is affected in cancer cells & by chemotherapy, identify hotspots of poor DNA replication control and may lead to the discovery of novel pathways that can be utilized for treatment. We welcome any trainees in cancer biology, genetics and related areas.


Professor Dominic Withers Metabolic Signalling

The Metabolic Signalling group studies the role of the nervous system in the regulation of feeding and related behaviours with a view to understanding the pathogenesis of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. We use cutting edge neuroscience techniques in model organisms to define how the brain controls metabolism and to identify new mechanisms that can be therapeutically targeted. We also aim to move these studies into humans with imaging and first in man experimental medicine approaches. We welcome trainees in diabetes and endocrinology.

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