New Blood Fellowships for Basic Scientists at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit
MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and Wellcome Trust have recently invested £24m in obesity research led by
the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS). This includes establishing the MRC Metabolic
Diseases Unit (MDU), the first MRC-University unit to be developed from scratch. The aim of both MDU and IMS
is to improve understanding of the mechanisms responsible for obesity and related metabolic diseases, with the
eventual goal of developing interventions to prevent and treat these conditions.
New Blood Fellowships in Metabolic Diseases
The MDU has created two New Blood Fellowships to support outstanding candidates at the start of their
independent academic careers. These prestigious fellowships are intended for basic scientists working in the
broad area of metabolic disease who have already demonstrated exceptional talent and the clear potential to
become an international leader in their field. We seek applications from individuals who wish to begin to
establish their own independent laboratory and expect applicants to already have a track record of publishing in
high profile journals.
The fellowships are three-year appointments and include a salary for the fellow in the range £27854-36298 or
£37382-47314, according to experience. Salary for a research assistant or technician and contribution towards
laboratory expenses are also included.
It is anticipated that, during the award, successful candidates will
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Develop an exciting, independent programme of research
Prepare a research fellowship application for submission to a major external funding body to further
develop their research programme at the MDU
As members of the MDU and the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories at the IMS,
successful candidates will have access to excellent core facilities and training support offered by both the MRC
and the University of Cambridge. In addition, fellows will be personally mentored by Professor Sir Steve O’Rahilly,
Director of the MDU.
Fellows will be exposed to a broad range of opportunities to develop the translational impact of their research.
These include, for example, regular weekly seminars by groups throughout the institute and world-leading
groups. New Blood Fellows wishing to develop their work in animal models of disease will receive practical
support for pilot studies in our Disease Model Core to test the physiological significance of basic research
concepts in whole animals. The unique partnership established between the University and GSK, will expose
New Blood Fellows to translational research in industry.
To apply
Please send an initial expression of interest to the Director of the MDU, Prof Sir Stephen O’Rahilly
(so104@medschl.cam), with copies to the Research Manager, Dr Maria Adams (ma454@medschl.cam.ac.uk).
This should include a brief cv (including a full list of publications) and a short (1-2 pages) summary of research
interests.
Applications will be considered until two fellows are appointed.