Independent research fellowships

A university research fellowship can catapult your research career– yet with so many different research career options across academia and industry, it’s difficult to know whether it’s the right path for you.

Read how Dr Michael Colman, Associate Professor in Systems Physiology in the School of Biomedical Sciences, accelerated his research career through an independent fellowship -and where it’s taken him.

The beginning of a career in heart research

My research career began in University of Manchester where I studied a PhD in the School of Physics and Astronomy in Computational Biophysics. I worked on developing a computational model of the electrical activity in the human atria, to study the mechanisms of atrial fibrillation, one of the most common cardiac conditions. This started my (somewhat unexpected) career path into the field of biomedical sciences.

Following completion in 2012, I received an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellowship, a small funding opportunity that allowed me to start my independent research career. During this time, I assessed the field and identified my niche to build my research group.

Having decided on what I wanted my next project to focus on, I started contacting prospective collaborators and built up a team of people who could provide both data and training to help me reach the next stage of my research career.

Collaboration in research is critical – even more so in those earlier days. Not only can it open doors but it’s also hugely motivating.

Building resilience in research

From here, I applied to the early career fellowship offered by the Wellcome Trust which was rejected. It was disappointing but I was determined to continue as I really believed in my idea. Following some revisions, incorporating reviewer feedback, I submitted another application to a different funder (the MRC). This time, I was successful.

Like any career, there will be up and downs in research. Focus on the things you can control – and remember why you’re doing it.  

Driving my own research journey

Now that I had secured my own major funding and was beginning to establish my own niche in the field, I applied for a University Academic Fellow position at the University of Leeds. Have no illusions: paying my own salary for the first two years was a major reason my application was successful, especially given my relative lack of post-doctoral experience (3 years) compared to the expectation for an Associate Professor at this time.

This position gave me the space to really build my independence. After completing my MRC fellowship, I focussed on teaching and leadership roles in the school while developing my next big grant idea. Again, I was unsuccessful in an application for a Wellcome Trust fellowship.

But, as with my first project, I revised the proposal and was successful in my application to an MRC Career Development Award. This grant success contributed to me passing my probation and progressing from University Academic Fellow to Associate Professor. Details of the grant can be found on my website and the research itself built on the niche that I had established for my approach to multi-scale modelling.

Why you should consider a fellowship

From my career experience, being successful in securing fellowships has accelerated my pathway through academia; ultimately, having grant money opens doors and provides a good indication that you are likely to be successful in getting more grant funding in future.

But there are a multitude of reasons why a fellowship might be right for you:

Lead a project of your choice.

Fellowships allow you to work on a project that you are passionate about while demonstrating your ability to deliver from idea conception through planning to conducting and disseminating the research. They also offer a chance to lead large, highly ambitious, multi-staff projects that you would not be able to lead through other mechanisms. This gives you a real opportunity to develop and demonstrate your leadership.

Early career advantages.

For those within a few years of completing their PhD, fellowships enable more ambitious projects than standard grants, significantly enhancing your research outputs. They are also one of the only mechanisms through which you can secure substantial funding as a Principal Investigator.

Network building

Fellowships help you establish a network of collaborators and demonstrate independence from your previous supervisors. They give you a great foundation to start to contact experts in the field whom you may not already know, or to formalise collaborations with people you do know.

Bottom line

As a Fellow, you can pay for your own salary which makes you an attractive prospect if you’re looking for a faculty position.

Interested in applying?

To become an Independent Fellow, you will need to apply for funding with support from a senior academic. Discover potential fellowship schemes on our website.

To discuss a potential Fellowship application, please contact: 

• Professor Andrew Macdonald, Pro Dean for Research and Innovation, Anisha O’Hagan, Research and Innovation Development Officer (A.OHagan@leeds.ac.uk) or your Head of School:
• Professor Rich Callaghan, School of Biomedical Sciences
• Dr Darren Tomlinson, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology
• Professor Stefan Kepinski, School of Biology

You can also find some helpful resources, such as my previous applications discussed above, as well as many others, in the Fellowship Application Repository. Please note, this resource can only be accessed if you have a University of Leeds account. If you’re not based at Leeds, please contact me directly at m.a.colman@leeds.ac.uk.

The university website also has lots of information about Fellowships and Grants, inclduing tips on how to apply.