SISB7 - Developing future leaders; how do we encourage and support our future fellows?

Outline

This session will use our highly competitive and successful Junior Research Fellowship scheme as a case study.

The Postdoc Development Centre (PDC) at Imperial College London, provides a range of opportunities that encourage and support our early career researchers (ECRs) taking the next step in their academic career. These include courses such as “Preparing Successful Fellowship Applications” and workshops such as Funders Showcases, which provide ECRs with details about the various fellowship schemes available and their application process. The PDC also delivers Fellowship Briefings, which provide guidance on how to prepare effective fellowship applications and how to maximise your chances of success. Other workshops focus on specific sections of fellowships applications that ECRs commonly find difficult to write e.g. lay summaries.

Once our ECRs become Fellows, we offer a range of tailored support. Examples include networking opportunities with other Fellows through our Fellows Forum and courses such as “So You’ve Got Your Fellowship, Now What?” and, “Leadership in Research: Managing Your First Research Group”.

Themes

• Developing a pipeline of research talent, including widening participation, strategies to attract and retain research talent, and approaches to mainstreaming equality and diversity for researchers in the research environment
• Leadership development of early career researchers including researchers, as leaders in different disciplines