Initiating research careers in Maths

1. Initiating research careers in Maths HoDoMS 7th April 2006.

2. Initiating research careers • Doctoral training • Postdoctoral fellowships • First grants

3. Mathematical Sciences Programme Priorities • The exploitation and generation of new knowledge are both recognised as key components of research; • Researchers can develop skills and build research capabilities to address challenges now and in the future; • Collaboration with colleagues in other disciplines or in other countries is welcomed and encouraged; • Current and future leaders of research are motivated and supported

4. Doctoral Training “The panel found that a typical UK PhD Programme is of shorter duration and more narrowly focused than those in other countries. As a result, new PhDs from the UK usually have less breadth and experience than their peers from other countries and have difficulty competing for research fellowships and academic posts” -IRM Panel

5. PhD training • Universities responsible for quality • EPSRC • is only one of the resource providers • cannot require universities to change their teaching strategy • can choose to distribute our resources to those universities that we believe provide the best training

6. PhD training • Need to maximise the resources we have to benefit the UK • Pump priming PhD taught course centres • pilot programmes • EPSRC funding short term (one-off) • Any investment conditional upon the universities committing to a continuing effort after the initial investment • Closing date 25th May • Courses available to their first intake of students Oct 07.

7. PhD taught course centres • Aim • Add breadth and/or depth • Raise the international academic profile of the UK PhD • Add value to existing provision • As a result PhD students should be • Broadly trained, competitive in international market • Making mature/informed decisions about future research

8. PhD taught course centres • How • This is up to you • Deliberately flexible within some constraints • Not one size fits all • Subject focussed / broad • Regional / national • Real/virtual • Centres provide leadership • Improving quality • Sharing best practice and expertise • Access to students from a range of institutions

9. Doctoral Training Accounts- Why? • To provide universities with maximum flexibility in managing their research studentship population. • Wide range of options in the way that funds are used. • offer stipends above EPSRC's required minimum, • offer longer support if a project requires it • can switch funding to other areas of related expenditure, such as consumables, travel, conferences, external training courses and career guidance • can be used to provide taught elements • pool with other departments and/or leveraged against industrial funding • can be used for MRes • offer summer internships for 2nd year undergraduate • In Maths there is also some level of guaranteed income for most departments- so you can appoint the best students at an early stage

10. DTA Allocation Mechanism • All Departments with any current or announced research grant or fellowship income from the Mathematical Sciences Programme at (1 September 2005) are eligible to receive DTA funding. • There is an INSTITUTIONAL threshold of 3 studentships, below which the DTG is not announced. Any doctoral training money earned and not awarded is held (“in the bank”) and added to the next year’s allocation.

11. How can I increase my department’s studentship funding from EPSRC? • Research grants jointly funded with other EPSRC Programmes earn DTA funding via the algorithm • Project studentships on research grants (can be 4 years) • Maths CASE • CASE for new academic appointees

12. DTA Allocation Mechanism • Current mechanism developed by Adrian Smith et al prior to the introduction of DTAs in 2001. • An algorithm based on research grant income is not an appropriate way of allocating the Mathematical Sciences Programme doctoral training grant funds • Training resources allocated primarily on the basis of data and information provided by departments, advised by peer review.

13. DTA Allocation Mechanism • the amount of funding a mathematical sciences department receives from this exercise is determined by the information in the proforma, taken with data provided by EPSRC, judged against the published criteria.

14. Example: Research Environment and Departmental Strategy • Department provides details of • New appointments • research and student recruitment strategies, • joint research training with other departments • marks of research distinction including esteem factors and non-EPSRC fellowships, • major non-EPSRC research funding, • external research collaborations etc. • Number of mathematical sciences students irrespective of funding source. • EPSRC provides: • Number and value of EPSRC research grants funded through the Mathematical Sciences Programme. • No. of EPSRC Postdoctoral, Advanced and Senior fellowships.

15. DTA Allocation Mechanism- Resources • Baseline for all departments based on 80% of previous years allocation from the Mathematical Sciences Programme (total allocations can include DTG funds from other EPSRC Programmes) • unless this takes the allocation below 1 studentship (£60k) when baseline is zero. • First two years allocations based on studentship pool data. • Redistribution of top-sliced 20% to move away from historical profile & reward excellence in training

16. DTA Allocation Mechanism • Messages from departments and the allocation panels that: • Profile no longer accurate • Based on data now approaching 10 years old • Time for a re-evaluation, or comprehensive review of the allocations

17. DTA Allocation Mechanism – the way forward? • Programme to decide the allocations to departments “from the bottom up” • NOT via an algorithm • When? RAE 2008? • What data would be needed to do this properly? • What should the criteria be? • What happens in subsequent years? • Do you think this is a good idea? SAT+ consultation later in 2006.

18. Postdoctoral Fellowships • Awarded to talented young researchers to enable them to establish an independent research career directly or shortly after completing their PhD.

19. Postdoctoral Fellowships – 2006 awards

20. Postdoctoral Fellowships: 2006 exercise

21. Postdoctoral Fellowships • 77% of applicants rejected before interview • 20% of applications sift rejected before panel • Consequences • high cost (time & money) of: • Preparing application, including JeS, HoD time etc. • Peer review of low quality PDF applications • How to: • Reduce number of low quality applications • e.g. Departmental “cap”- but disadvantages to this too • Increase number of high quality applications • e.g. Support from departments – shown to increase funding rates e.g. Kent 50%

22. Early career researchers- new appointments • First grant funding rates:

23. Early career researchers- new appointments • First grant applications • Some excellent, others disappointing • Should never be a badly written proposal • Make contact with EPSRC at an early stage • Mock panels • Departmental visits (team or APM) • How to nurture early career researchers?

24. Summary and Key Messages • Early stages of research careers vitally important for achieving future goals • Investment in pump priming taught courses • Rethinking the DTG allocations profile to better reflect current situation • Need to reduce numbers of low quality PDF applications • Support for new academic appointments