Fellowship Workshop 19 Sept 2013

1. Fellowship Workshop 19 Sept 2013 Prof Dave Leigh FRS, School of Chemistry 1998-2003 EPSRC Advance Research Fellowship 2005-2010 EPSRC Senior Research Fellowship 2008 and 2013 ERC Advanced Grants Lectureship, Chair & Fellowship panels, refereed numerous URF, EPSRC CAF-type Fellowships, ERC Starter Grants • What are panels looking for? • What makes a fellowship application stand out? • Practical advice and tips

2. • What are panels looking for? Same criteria for lectureships & fellowships: Someone who we believe can eventually (~5 years) build a self-sufficient (in terms of funding) research group. This means: Proposal Does the person write a professional proposal? Is there sufficient ambition (do they identify a significant problem and an exciting approach to tackle it?)? Is it realistic? Do I think outside funding bodies will fund this research (and peer-reviewers react favourably to it) and off-shoots of it?

3. • What are panels looking for? Person Do I think the researcher will establish a group that will be able to publish in top-quality journals? Does the person understand what it takes to conduct a world class research programme? My assessment here is based on publication record and background. Number of papers not so important (need to have a sufficient number to show sufficiently experienced regarding what it takes to perform and publish top quality research). Quality of papers (ostensibly where they are published) much more important (to me). Previous research groups of some importance (e.g. postdoc in leading US group) in that it shows experience of being in world class research environment.

4. • What are panels looking for? Person For candidates of similar quality, female or minority candidates favoured.

5. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Tackling a Big Question in an innovative and exciting way. Very tough to do, usually either derivative of someone else – e.g. your previous research – or unrealistic (cannot be tackled by a young person with limited resources). Having said this, don’t be too hard on yourself; in 25 years of reviewing >100 RS URF, EPSRC fellowships etc I have never seen one that was so inspired and brilliant that it had to be funded. Write for your audience (non-expert panel members and expert reviewers). Again tough to do: non-experts need to be impressed by the sea-change difference your research programme will make; experts will not like it if you claim too much for your ideas or suggest their current systems/methods are not very good.

6. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Make sure that the proposal looks good – don’t cram things in, don’t use too narrow line widths or small fonts. Make sure graphics look nice. Grab the attention of the reviewer by stating what is the ‘Big Idea’ up front. Use bold & italics to highlight key statements (don’t overdo it). No one, reviewers or panel members, will read your proposal if it doesn’t grab their attention up front. They’ll have a quick look, give you an average mark and move on to the next one. You have to give them an excuse to get excited about your proposal.

9. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Perfect proposal: Tackles a Big Question in an exciting, new and innovative way Looks like some of it should work (it all has to be exciting but some should be pretty clear it should work while the later stuff is more risky) Looks like something will be discovered from it Looks like it will lead onto other things Looks like the work done on the project will be publishable in top journals Looks like there are related things that could be done, or this could lead to, that could be fundable (appeal to a funding body and peer reviewers) For research council proposals make sure you state how they fit with all the various EPSRC/BBSRC strategies/schemes/priorities/visions etc.

10. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Poor proposals: Too little ambition – even if it works, so what? Good way to judge this is consider your target journals – if they’re not the very best in your field your idea isn’t exciting enough. Something that is too close to your PhD or postdoc Too ambitious – if it can’t be done, or significant progress made, with a PhD and a postdoc in 5 years then you need to think of something else and come back to it when you’re a big star. Something written for experts – the (non-expert) panel will not appreciate it and won’t be minded to support it. Something that is not scholarly – the experts who peer-review it will not be impressed if you do not show that you know what the current state-of-the-art and thinking in the area is.

11. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Poor applications: Do not stress things that are not exceptional in CV. e.g. Do not describe Marie Curie Fellowships or CDTs and the like as ‘prestigious’. Do not include talks or posters at conferences in your publications. Do not list posters on your CV if you have given several talks at conferences (the posters, which everyone has done, dilutes the talks). Stress things that are exceptional, but in a modest way.

12. • What makes a fellowship application stand out? Poor applications: Do not be over-fancy – use standard fonts (helvetica/arial/times etc), don’t use two-column layout (unless asked for) etc . Do not use fancy CV templates. For fellowship applications in particular, teaching courses/demonstrating etc almost irrelevant – you can mention them but don’t make a big thing out of it. Don’t dilute proper achievements with irrelevancies (e.g. working in a butcher’s shop, GCSE grades, 2nd prize in a poster competition, etc) Have it read well (like a native english speaker would write), grammar and spelling correct, etc. Try to be professional about it like a young academic.

13. • Practical advice and tips Bear all the points I made earlier in mind about the proposal and application. If selected for interview, then DEFINITELY have a mock interview arranged with your School. If a short presentation is requested at the start of the interview do NOT, under any circumstances, go over your time. Finish one minute early. Come up with model answers – short pithy points you want to get across - for questions you might be asked so that you can regurgitate them if a similar question comes up.

14. • Practical advice and tips Very important – be upbeat, positive and excited about your project and the possibility of doing it. If you don’t think it’s the greatest thing ever no one else will be excited by it either. Smile and try to appear confident (in your understanding of your subject), but don’t be smug! Try not to be reserved or appear overly nervous.

15. • Practical advice and tips Some interview questions (some are stupid, but you have to answer them anyway. Write out model answers to all these questions.) Explain your research briefly to a non-scientist What’s the Big Question you are trying to answer? Your proposal is speculative, how will you succeed? Why do you want to hold a fellowship at Manchester? Do you envisage any collaborations? You have a prospective PhD student in your office, how do you persuade them to work for you? Why is this Fellowship the correct vehicle for this project? Where will you get funding for the PhD students/postdocs the project requires? (need to know something about research council funding areas and mechanisms – no one is going to teach you this)

16. • Practical advice and tips Some interview questions (some are stupid, but you have to answer them anyway. Write out model answers to all these questions.) What differences are there between research in the UK and abroad? Who are your competitors? How is this different to what’s already being done to answer this question? You already have a Fellowship, why do you need this one? You’re in a niche area, why should a research council fund this? How will you progress knowledge transfer? I read Nature yesterday and the work you’re proposing to do appeared in that issue. What are you going to do? How do you see your research progressing in the next five years? What industrial collaborators do you have?

17. • Practical advice and tips Some interview questions (some are stupid, but you have to answer them anyway. Write out model answers to all these questions.) What is the major weakness in your proposal? Explain the benefit to others of your Fellowship Where is the boldness? Where is the adventure? How will you disseminate your work Why haven’t you published more papers? What is leadership? Do you intend to teach during your Fellowship? Is your work driven by fundamental understanding or application? Why should the UK invest £1M on a Fellowship in this area? Will you be working in the lab yourself? Do you have any questions for us?

18. Best of luck!