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Career pathway tracker 35 years of supporting early career research fellows Contents President’s foreword 4 Introduction 6 Scientific achievements 8 Career achievements 14 Leadership 20 Commercialisation 24 Public engagement 28 Policy contribution 32 How have the fellowships supported our alumni? 36 Who have we supported? 40 Where are they now? 44 Research Fellowship to Fellow 48 Cover image: Graphene © Vertigo3d CAREER PATHWAY TRACKER 3 President’s foreword The Royal Society exists to encourage the development and use of Very strong themes emerge from the survey About this report science for the benefit of humanity. One of the main ways we do that about why alumni felt they benefited. The freedom they had to pursue the research they This report is based on the first is by investing in outstanding scientists, people who are pushing the wanted to do because of the independence Career Pathway Tracker of the alumni of University Research Fellowships boundaries of our understanding of ourselves and the world around the schemes afford is foremost in the minds of respondents. The stability of funding and and Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships. This us and applying that understanding to improve lives. flexibility are also highly valued. study was commissioned by the Royal Society in 2017 and delivered by the Above Thirty-five years ago, the Royal Society The vast majority of alumni who responded The Royal Society has long believed in the Careers Research & Advisory Centre Venki Ramakrishnan, (CRAC), supported by the Institute for President of the introduced our University Research Fellowships to the survey – 95% of University Research importance of identifying and nurturing the Royal Society. to support early-career researchers. We have Fellowship and 88% of Dorothy Hodgkin most talented individuals. The results of our Employment Studies (IES). also been supporting early postdoctoral Fellowship recipients – were still working survey would suggest we have a pretty good researchers who need to work flexibly with our within academia. track record in doing that. Not only do the Data was collected through an alumni Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships for 23 years. Our individuals believe they have benefited but survey carried out in late 2017 and goal with both schemes has been to identify Among those we have supported are the value to the UK’s research endeavour and early 2018. The findings from the the most promising early-career researchers a Nobel Prize laureate and a Fields to our wider society, at home and abroad, survey underpin this report, including and give them freedom to pursue new and medallist, and just under 70% of University is evident. quantitative data as well as qualitative more innovative lines of research. This support, Research Fellows and over 40% of Dorothy data and quotes. at a challenging career stage, has helped them Hodgkin Fellows in academia have become There is always room for improvement but to build independent research careers. Professors. They include hugely successful the track record over the first 35 years is a The full data report by CRAC, as well as entrepreneurs, researchers whose work has remarkable achievement. an electronic version of this report, are To mark the 35-year milestone we decided shaped domestic and international policy available for download from the Grants to ask those who have been supported by and scientists who inspire the public pages of the Royal Society website: the schemes what difference it made to them. to engage with the wonder of science. royalsociety.org/career-tracker. In scientific terms, we do not have a control group and the views of the respondents are The Royal Society intends to continue just that – their own perceptions of how they periodically tracking the career pathways have benefited from the schemes. of its research fellowship alumni. 4 CAREER PATHWAY TRACKER CAREER PATHWAY TRACKER 5 Introduction This report focuses on the professional, personal and societal Detailed answers from past fellowship- holders reveal a range of career paths and impact of two major fellowships granted by the Royal Society to “ It was simply the most important achievements with a very strong focus on offer long-term support to outstanding, early-career researchers. research leaders in academia. For example, career-defining moment of my among the alumni are a Nobel Prize laureate, professional life.” While there are many junior level scientists, relatives, or because of personal health a Fields medallist, 58 Fellows of the Royal University Research Fellowship recipient. making the jump from a postdoctoral reasons. This originally offered four years, Society, several best-selling scientist-turned- researcher to a senior position such as a going up to five years from 2012. science-writers, a winner of the US$1 million research group leader, can be difficult. This Eternity mathematics puzzle, a scientist has become more and more of an issue as the Together, these two fellowships have whose disease programme contributed to the “ The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship number of doctoral students and postdoctoral supported over 1,600 individuals in their eradication of malaria from a country, a TV was absolutely critical in my career. presenter of popular science shows and the scientists in academic research has greatly careers, with about 1,400 individuals receiving I believe that I would not be a scientist increased in the last 15 years in the UK and the University Research Fellowship to date, founder of a spin-off company that was sold now without it. The ability to work part- globally, while the number of permanent, and over 200 individuals receiving the for US$600 million. senior roles has not. Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship. In recent years, time during when my son was an infant around 50 – 60 new fellowships have been While the fellowships appear to have was simply fantastic. I treasure that The fellowships aim to help talented awarded annually. At present, 370 individuals bolstered early-career researchers in a time in my career. It was instrumental practical sense – with the funding enabling individuals bridge this difficult career step. are being supported by the two schemes. in my success” The first is the University Research Fellowship, them to focus on their research and innovate – they also seem to have provided a significant launched in 1983, which celebrates its 35th This report, based on the first survey – Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship recipient. anniversary this year. Originally, it provided up in what will become a longitudinal study – psychological boost in terms of confidence, to ten years of funding. From 2008 to 2013, of researchers who received the fellowships, prestige and the enhanced opinions of others, funding was for eight years with the possibility will demonstrate how – for many scientists which seems to have had a positive knock-on of exceptional cases being extended to ten – the awards were pivotal, even life-changing, effect even where researchers did not remain years. From 2013, eight years became the in terms of the opportunities, prestige and in academia. maximum. The second is the Dorothy Hodgkin support they gave. Additionally, the vast Fellowship, launched in 1995, specifically majority of recipients have gone on to make aimed at supporting talented scientists significant contributions to the research needing flexibility in their careers, perhaps community, government and policy, and to care part-time for young families or elderly societal, commercial and public life. 6 CAREER PATHWAY TRACKER CAREER PATHWAY TRACKER 7 Scientific achievements The Royal Society’s mission is to encourage and develop the use The proportion of University Research of science for the benefit of humanity. Fellowship alumni publishing their first paper as principal investigator peaked around seven “ The University Research Fellowship 96% years before the end of their fellowship, I had gave some very useful freedom One of the ways we do that is by attracting The vast majority of alumni who responded to of University with 96% having achieved this by the end. For to try out a couple of new areas of and retaining talented researchers to UK the survey – 95% of University Research Research Fellows Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship alumni, who tend science. Our funding provides them with the Fellowship and 88% of Dorothy Hodgkin research. This was invaluable as have published their to be earlier in their career when appointed freedom to follow their best research ideas. Fellowship recipients – were still working within it really allowed me to reduce my first significant paper and are often part-time, the peak was about The study results suggest that the two academia. The results suggest that early-career perceived risk of doing something by the end of their three years before the end of the scheme, with fellowships support excellent researchers scientists supported by the schemes were able fellowship. 72% having published this key paper by the adventurous – and this worked out for and boost recipients in this fundamental aim. to reach what are considered markers of academic time they completed the fellowship. me extremely well… [with the] invention career success and research achievement. There are a variety of ways in which scientific of the ionothermal method of materials The other significant research milestone – achievement can be measured. For example, Alumni are likely to publish their first research securing a first significant research grant as synthesis. This paper (published in with discoveries which have changed the face paper as a principal investigator – a mark a principal investigator or research leader Nature in 2004) led to a whole new 80% of a particular field, or key research papers of scientific kudos – during their fellowship. – varied broadly in terms of timing between field in materials synthesis that really of University which have been cited by hundreds of other They are also likely to gain their first significant alumni in the survey. Overall, 80% of University Research Fellows researchers, feeding into their work.
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