Profiles of current and past fellows

• Royal Society URFs: Dr Andrew Ashley, Dr Artem Bakulin, Dr James Bull, Dr Lorenzo Di Michele, Dr Rebecca Greenaway, Prof. Kim Jelfs

• Imperial College Research Fellows: Dr Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot, Dr Mark Chadwick, Dr Nicola Gasparini, Dr Jamie Lewis

• BBSRC David Phillips Fellow: Dr Marco Di Antonio

• EPSRC Fellows: Dr Clotilde Cucinotta, Dr Julianna Panidi

• Sir Henry Dale Fellow: Dr Anna Barnard

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellow: Dr Francesco Aprile

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Dr Andrew Ashley: "I joined Imperial College London in 2010 funded by a 3-year Imperial College Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), and jointly held a non-stipendiary Royal Commission of 1851 Research Fellowship at the same time. This was my first opportunity to undertake independent research and it enabled me to establish exciting results, attract additional funding from various funding bodies, and to define multiple future research directions and collaborations. In particular, the Imperial JRF scheme provided me with an appreciable grant to cultivate my own research group. I am very grateful for the mentoring from the Postdoctoral Development Centre, my JRF sponsor, and the Department of Chemistry, which were very important and always available. After two years I was successful in obtaining a Royal Society University Research Fellowship which has allowed me to develop novel, and highly challenging, catalytic methods for the hydrogenation of small molecules (e.g. dinitrogen and carbon dioxide) to useful products. The support of the Department was again extremely important in this success, which included the provision of an additional PhD studentship.”

Dr James Bull: “I joined Imperial College London in 2009 funded by a 2-year Ramsay Memorial Research Fellowship, which was co-sponsored by the Department of Chemistry. This was my first opportunity to undertake independent research and it enabled me to establish exciting results, attract additional funding and to define a future research direction. I am very grateful for the support and mentoring from my host lab and the department, which were very important and always available. From this position I have recently been awarded a 5-year EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowship, which has enabled me to establish a research group. The support of the department was again extremely important in this success, which included the provision of an additional PhD studentship. This EPSRC Fellowship will enable me to continue my research into the development of new chemical methods for the synthesis of diverse molecular frameworks with desirable properties for drug discovery.”

Dr Silvia Díez - González: “My arrival to the Department as a JRF has definitely set a landmark in my career. From the beginning I had the full support of my Department in order to establish myself as an independent researcher. Having total control on your scientific work and being able to count on the selfless advice of your Head of Department and colleagues is not a common situation in the early stages of our careers. When I was offered the Lectureship I currently hold, I was even more motivated than upon my arrival to the Department. I am ultimately responsible for my scientific success, but it is fantastic to work in a Department that sincerely cares for the development of its younger academics.”

Prof. Kim Jelfs: “The research environment at Imperial and in particular the Department of Chemistry is extremely supportive and a great place to be starting my independent research career. Not only has the Department provided a PhD studentship and resources, there is also strong mentoring from the Head of Department, the Postdoctoral Development Centre and my mentor. Interactions with other thriving departments and centres, such as Materials, Physics, Chemical Engineering and the Thomas Young Centre provide exciting opportunities for collaborative research."

Prof. Marina Kuimova: " The research environment at Imperial is very vibrant and exciting and I really feel part of it. Even as an early career fellow, I was invited to attend key Departmental and Sectional meetings and this was an excellent way to gather information and get to know other academics.

Professionally, I feel I am treated exactly the same as my male colleagues. Importantly, help, mentoring and support are always available for me as an early career researcher, including from our Head of Department, whose door is always open, be it to discuss the issues of career progression, or the more specific laboratory infrastructure issues. So far I found this extremely helpful for my career."

Dr Philip Miller: "I was awarded an EPSRC-Life Sciences Interface Fellowship (2007-2011) jointly hosted in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College and Aarhus University PET centre in Denmark. This was my first independent position, and gave me the support and resources to focus solely on my research. I had the opportunity to develop new ideas, form international collaborations and receive training in new areas of science. I was recently appointed as a lecturer within the Department of Chemistry and view my fellowship experience as key to securing a permanent academic position.”

Prof. Ed Tate: “I joined the department as a postdoctoral researcher in 2004, and was awarded a BBSRC David Phillips Research Fellowship in 2006. This 5-year fellowship enabled me to establish a vibrant independent research group in chemical biology at Imperial, and I was taken on as a permanent member of staff in 2009. The extra support I received from the Department through PhD studentships and provision of lab facilities and mentoring was outstanding, and I was given the opportunity to pick up skills and experience in teaching at my own pace.”