Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (BCN) Research Fellowships

The Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience (BCN) seeks to sponsor early- and mid-career researchers for external fellowships that will enable them to establish an independent research group in the department via a tenure-track process. The department has outstanding research strengths in both neurodegeneration research, and neurobiological studies of mental health, it includes world-leading clinical research, and it is part of the School of Neuroscience (ranked 4^th in the world for Neuroscience based on citation analysis). Researchers have access to state-of-the-art research facilities, including the Wohl Cellular Imaging Centre, and BCN has close collaborative links with other Departments in the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and in the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. BCN also delivers world-class research-led teaching.

Eligible fellowship schemes include: Wellcome Trust Career Development Award, MRC Career Development Award, NIHR Advanced Fellowship, MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship, ERC Starting or Consolidator Grant, UKRI Future Leader Fellowship, and similar awards.

We are particularly interested in candidates whose research addresses fundamental questions in either dementia or the neurobiological basis of mental health, using innovative approaches and technologies.

Our commitment starts with academic and administrative support throughout the application and interview stages for external fellowships. For successful fellows, we will provide lab space and other support to ensure they can successfully establish their research group, gain opportunities to develop teaching skills and play a full role in the running of the department. Fellows will also benefit from career development and mentoring programmes, and opportunities to attract PhD students through PhD programs. We expect fellows to develop into strong candidates for permanent academic positions within BCN.

Two selection rounds will run per year. The deadline for Round 1 is 15^th April 2024. 

To apply please send only these documents to BCNFellowships@kcl.ac.uk

1. Your CV, including details of at least two referees
2. An outline of your fellowship proposal including specific research aims [max 2 pages]
3. A cover letter detailing the fellowship scheme(s) you are interested in being sponsored for, a timeline for application(s), and how you see yourself and your research programme fitting into the department.

Following application, shortlisted candidates will be invited to give a departmental seminar and meet with faculty members, students and current fellows. They will be expected to demonstrate how their research complements BCN ‘s research strategy, which focusses on mechanistic research of dementia and studies of the neurobiological basis of mental health. Interviews may be face-to-face or via an online platform. After this process, we will sponsor candidates who are the best fit for BCN and have fellowship applications we deem to be competitive.

As a major University in London, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in KCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people.

You can read more about our commitment to Culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.  

For informal enquiries or more information, please contact sandrine.1.thuret@kcl.ac.uk or karl.giese@kcl.ac.uk.

Advert information