1. How to get through the Fellowship interview.
Anne Lingford-Hughes
Professor of Addiction Biology
Head, Centre for Psychiatry
Consultant Psychiatrist, CNWL NHS Foundation Trust.

2. My career path.
At school, interested in biology not sure about being a doctor.
Applied to medical school – 5 rejections
(Finally) Got in to medical school
Still ambivalent about being a medical doctor, took up offer a PhD, then post-doc
So after 5yrs returned to clinical training
Awarded Wellcome Clinical Research Training Fellowship
2nd time
Clinical training completed
Senior Lecturer, Reader at University of Bristol
Professor at Imperial College London.

3. Be clear why you are interested in research and why you want to do it Freedom to pursue my curiosity

4. MRC Schemes. Clinical research training fellowship: 3 times/yr
The CRTF supports clinicians, including (but not limited to) medics, surgeons, dentists, clinical psychologists, public health specialty trainees, allied health professionals, nurses, midwives and veterinarians, to undertake a PhD or other higher research degree.
Can apply if within 12months of registering a PhD
The scheme also provides a route for post-doctoral applicants who achieved their PhD some time ago (>5yrs) but who have not been research active since due to clinical training commitments to reacquire research skills.
Clinician scientist fellowship: 3 times/year
Senior Clinical fellowship: once a year

5. What’s my likelihood of getting one?

6. Senior Clinical Fellowship
Overview of schemes 1 MRC Research Fellowships for Clinicians ~3
Senior Clinical Fellowship
Clinical Training / SCL
7 / 36
19%
35 awards from 142 applications; 25%
Clinician Scientist Fellowship
Clinical Training / CL
These are the CURRENT CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP schemes
Targeted to key points in the “career life-cycle”
Clinicians will move in and out of the pathway, so as to balance clinical and research training
MRC not cradle to grave
MRC has INCREASED provision for clinical training:
Also: Population Health Scientist Fellowships, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Methodology (not shown)
Issues highlighted by Training & Careers Group
Pull in, pull through, pull across…
Need better MRC support for MRC trainees, especially at vulnerable CRTF  CSF break during clinical training [Wellcome has £5m initiative targeted at the “break” population] supporting the CRTF-CSF gap]
Clinical Research Training Fellowships
Clinical Training / ACF
Approx Years post PhD -3 -2 -1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

7. Get shortlisted for an interview
How to get through the Fellowship interview?
Get shortlisted for an interview

8. Preparation Preparation Preparation
How to get through the Fellowship interview?
Preparation Preparation Preparation

9. The Project
The Institution
You

10. Key Criteria for MRC CRTF
Planning to pursue a research career
Clear understanding of how the research project will progress knowledge within the field
Research Vision: Individuals should 
have a clear understanding of how their research project will progress knowledge within the field and an understanding of the project’s relevance to human health.

11. Research experience and potential
Have plans to pursue a research career, demonstrated, for example, through undergraduate research project experience, informal placement, or academic training positions for clinicians.
Personal Development
Have worked with their supervisors and host institution to develop a clear research question and project, as well as training plans to develop the skills to underpin a future research career.
Be aware of and seek access to career development support, e.g. mentoring.

12. Preparation, preparation, preparation When to start?
It is never too early.
2-3 years
Your CV
Have you got the appropriate/any publications?
Takes time
Have you experience in the techniques you want £500K for?
Have you been to a conference, met with key people in the field?
‘I do not know the candidate, but heard them present at a conference/read their latest interesting/important paper’

13. If in doubt speak to someone
Funding Organisation
University
Current award holder
At your institution:
Can you see successful and unsuccessful applications?

14. Particularly at intermediate fellowships – you need show independence
Your research
Not your supervisors..... Or their ‘rehashed’ project grant – ‘I’ not ‘we’
Particularly at intermediate fellowships – you need show independence

15. Planning your application.
If you can't write down in a couple of sentences why a research aim is important, maybe it isn't...
And if you can’t write down a hypothesis, then how do you know your experiment is designed correctly?

16. Preparing application
Start early – at least 6 months
Several iterations will be needed
Read the guidance
Application submission dates are published well in advance
How much notice does your university office want?
Finance, approvals etc
Does your Head of Department know YOU and about the application?
What other people need to sign off or provide letters of support for the application?

17. Process: selection First assessment of your application.
CV is important.
Application sent to external reviewers
Ideally 3+ reviews needed, can be more
A ‘bad’ review does not mean you will not get through
A ‘good’ review with no substance to it does not always ‘help’ you
review by panel members

18. On MRC website – lots of information and an ‘interview’

19. Interview Interview by panel of ~ 8 board members
Room may feel quite full
Give short presentation
Are you good at presenting?
Can you convince the panel – remember most will not know anything about your area of interest – to fund you?
Does it make sense to your best friend / mother / man in the street?

20. Interview Who is on the MRC panel
Prof Waljit Dhillo currently a member
What is their expertise, who is likely to interview you?
Methods / statistics
Generally 2 people lead your interview one after each other, though others can ask questions after them.
Lasts ~20mins and goes fast
Body language, what to wear?
How to deal with difficult questions

21. Practice interviews Panels
People with experience of fellowship interviews
If any of them raise issues or are critical then you need to understand why
You may think they have missed the point but so could a reviewer or panel member
Friends, foes ..
If you can't write down in a couple of sentences why a research aim is important, maybe it isn't...
And if you can’t write down a hypothesis, then how do you know your experiment is designed correctly?

22. What do I look for? The candidate The project
Achievement and potential of the candidate
The project
Does it make sense, do I understand why it should be done?
Feasibility and timeliness of project
Suitability of location

23. And if at first you don’t succeed………
Getting a fellowship is hard simply because there are a lot of good, smart researchers out there applying for them
Why?
Feedback
About project
About you
The process will have helped you develop your ideas about your research
Continue to work on your CV, techniques etc

24. Best of luck.