Good fellows
1 July 2010
As Imperial begins recruiting its third cohort of Junior Research Fellows, Reporter catches up with some of the first intake – the class of 2009.
Setting up the JRFs
The shock to the system felt by early career scientists when they set up their own research group can be overwhelming. Making the leap from postdoc to principal investigator often means a sudden, and sometimes daunting, increase in responsibility for people, money and ideas. Professor Maggie Dallman, Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, was keen to find a way of making this transition easier. In 2008 she fulfilled her vision by persuading the College to establish its own Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) scheme.
The idea behind the scheme was to appoint a new community of the brightest and best early career researchers at Imperial, and give them freedom to focus on their research. The scheme’s support buys Fellows time free from obligatory teaching and administration. “I was lucky to receive a Fellowship early in my career, so I know what a significant difference such support can make in establishing your research, before you have to go on and take responsibility for everything else,” says Maggie. “Even the brightest scientists can struggle with the experience of suddenly having to run the whole show themselves.”
Junior Research Fellow, Dr Ati Sharma (Aeronautics)
Imperial is investing more than £10 million over five years into the Fellowship scheme, which offers up to 60 fully funded three-year Fellowships that also include research expenses. In addition, each Fellow receives backing from a senior Imperial academic, who acts as sponsor by providing mentoring, equipment and research space for them. This level of commitment and support from a scheme run by a UK university is rare, especially in today’s financial climate. Not surprisingly, the programme has attracted high quality applications from scientists around the world, as well as from early career researchers already working at Imperial.
Class of 2009
Imperial welcomed its first cohort of Fellows this academic year, with 17 world class researchers taking up their new posts from October 2009. Dr Ati Sharma (Aeronautics) is one of the eight Fellows from the first cohort, who were already working at Imperial before starting the Fellowship. He has used his new appointment to move from a joint postdoc position in the Departments of Aeronautics and Electrical and Electronic Engineering to focus solely on aeronautics. “I have followed what you might call an unusual career path – starting in physics, ending up in engineering, going via a small hedge fund and a large investment bank along the way,” he says.
Ati’s research looks at reducing turbulence to decrease the frictional drag in the air flow over structures such as an aeroplane wing or car bonnet. He hopes his theoretical findings will be used to cut fuel consumption in the aeronautics, shipping and automobile industries. His new post has also enabled him to establish collaborations with colleagues both at Imperial and further afield at the California Institute of Technology.
“Making the jump from postdoc to something more permanent is hard to do,” Ati observes. “This Fellowship has given me an amazing break. It can be difficult to build up the required research experience when you’re working on relatively short-term contracts. It often feels like there’s very little middle ground, and this Fellowship provides me with an excellent stepping stone.”
Although there is no requirement for Fellows to teach, Ati has volunteered to develop his experience in this area by supervising Master’s students, to put him in a better position when it comes to applying for his next job.
Moving to Imperial
Dr Silvia Díez-González (Chemistry) is one of the seven Junior Research Fellows from the first cohort to come from abroad, joining Imperial from the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia in Spain. Her research focuses on developing more efficient metallic catalysts for cleaning up chemical reactions. “I particularly like the fact that there are an almost infinite number of possible molecular combinations – they are going to keep me busy for a long time to come!” she says.
Making the jump from postdoc to something more permanent is hard to do. This Fellowship has given me an amazing break”
As well as taking advantage of the chance to live and work in London, Silvia was attracted to the JRF scheme, as it gave her the opportunity to build her own independent research programme, which will help her to secure a permanent research position in the future. “The Chemistry Department at Imperial has been really welcoming,” says Silvia. “My sponsor, Dr Mimi Hii (Chemistry), has gone out of her way to help and support me. In some labs we might just be treated like cheap labour, but here I have really been supported to develop my own research.”
Catching up
On an overcast June afternoon, the Reporter JRF photoshoot on Dalby Court at Imperial’s South Kensington Campus provides Maggie with an opportunity to catch up with Ati and Silvia about the Fellowship scheme in general, and in particular, what life has been like as part of the class of 2009. Although they have been busy building connections in their own departments, the Fellows also feel part of a broader community.
The group has had several opportunities to bond during their first year, especially through the induction, training and support provided by Imperial’s Postdoc Development Centre. “Being linked with other people at a similar stage in their career has been a useful network to have in the first year,” says Ati. “You never know when connections with a group of colleagues working in diverse disciplines will come in useful. I am sure it will stand us in good stead for the future.”
New cohorts
Everyone is anticipating the arrival of the second JRF cohort this autumn. For Maggie, it is reassuring that talented researchers are still seeking to stay in the university sector, and she is keen to highlight Imperial’s continued support for the scheme: “The College is determined to keep nurturing new research stars. Even in times of financial stress, we are not going to cut off our blood supply. We remain completely committed to attracting and supporting the best talent.” With applications for the third cohort open until 29 October 2010, Silvia wants to encourage others to apply to the scheme. “From the day I started as an undergraduate, everyone has told me there are few openings in science,” she says. “But research fellowship schemes like this one prove that there are still great opportunities for us, even relatively early in our careers.” Ati is equally enthusiastic: “If you don’t submit an application, you will never know what could have been. This Fellowship has enabled me to get up to speed in a new area of research and is helping me carve out a fulfilling academic career.”
— Natasha Martineau, Communications
Meet the Fellows: Imperial JRFs will be presenting their research at the First Annual JRF conference on 11 October on the South Kensington Campus. The event is free of charge and open to everyone. To register, email Amy Haylen.
Tags: Aeronautics, Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Issue 221
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