CSFP Second Call
Latest News(updated: 11 Feb 2009)
Three MMI Clinician Scientist Fellowships hosted by University College Cork have been awarded. The successful candidates will commence their research in January and July 2009. Further details >>
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The Higher Education Authority has awarded funding under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (Cycle 4) for a Clinician-Scientist Fellowship Programme in translational medical research to be coordinated by Molecular Medicine Ireland (MMI). The three year structured PhD programme builds on significant research developments in the translational and clinical research infrastructure in Ireland.
A highly successful first call in November 2007 resulted in the award of 19 fellowships. The appointed fellows began the programme on 1 July 2008. In this second call, three fellowships are available, to be hosted by University College Cork. The Clinician Scientist Fellowship is three years in length, with the successful candidates in this call beginning their PhD studies in January 2009.
Molecular Medicine Ireland invites suitably qualified medical graduates to apply to hold one of these prestigious fellowships.
The closing date for expressions of interest was 5pm on Friday 26 September 2008.
Please note that the closing date for expressions of interest was extended to 5pm on Friday 3 October.
Following the Expression of Interest stage, the participating institution University College Cork has sponsored candidates to submit full applications. The closing date for receipt of full applications is Wednesday 29 October 2008
Please disregard the earlier closing date on any documents you may have.
Overview and Structure of the Programme
Number of Fellowships and Areas of Research
Eligibility, Application Process and Selection Procedure
The information is also available as a single printable document:
MMI Clinician Scientist Fellowship Second Call (PDF)
Expression of Interest Form (MS Word)
Overview and Structure of the Programme
The objective of the MMI Clinician Scientist Fellowship Programme is to train the next generation of clinician scientists (academic medical leaders) with the unique and specialised knowledge essential to fulfil Ireland’s research needs in translational medicine. This training programme transcends institutional boundaries to give Fellows unparalleled access to the top biomedical researchers in the country and to state-of-the-art basic and clinical research facilities. The aim is to educate biomedical investigators who, motivated by the intellectual challenge of understanding disease at the molecular level, will lead the quest for new therapeutic strategies. The programme provides a systematic way to train this essential group of clinician researchers. The programme provides the rigorous training in critical thinking and translational research skills necessary to bridge the divide between increasingly inter-dependent areas of expertise – basic and clinical biomedical research. Programme mentors will guide PhD training in their area(s) of expertise, linking into the disease domains of the academic hospitals and availing of the enabling infrastructure and expertise of the participating institutions. Applicants will be medical school graduates at the registrar or specialist registrar (or equivalent) stage of their clinical training. Fellows will graduate with a PhD from the host institution. While the Fellows will carry out their research at an institutional level, the programme has activities to emphasise its national scope. The Fellows will participate in a structured taught course curriculum designed to assist them make the transition from the clinic to the laboratory bench and develop research skills. The course will be taught by programme faculty, with input from the other principal investigators in the participating institutions and invited international guest lecturers.
Annual meetings, attended by the Fellows and their mentors, provide an opportunity to present and discuss research.
Each Fellow will be permitted a maximum of two clinical sessions per week to maintain clinical skills. The host institution will cover the Fellow for medical indemnity.
Number of Fellowships and Areas of Research
Three fellowships are available under the programme at University College Cork. The institution has identified priority areas of research for the fellowship programme that reflect its translational research strengths. See below for details of available projects.
| Project Title | Supervisor(s) |
|---|---|
| ACE2 and Cardiac hypertrophy | Prof. Edward Johns / Prof. David Kerins |
| The role of PPAR-γ in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia | Dr Louise Kenny / Dr Sarah Walsh |
| Staphylococcus aureus high throughput SNP analysis | Prof. Mark Achtman / Prof. Michael Prentice |
| Discovery and Clinical use of Novel Therapies for the treatment of neonatal seizures | Dr Kumlesh K. Dev / Dr Geraldine Boylan |
| Potential therapeutic role of chemokines, viral quasispecies and viral kinetics in the optimisation of pegylated interferon based therapies in chronic Hepatitis C | Dr Liam Fanning / Dr Elizabeth Kenny-Walsh / Dr Orla Crosbie |
| Biomarkers in neonatal brain injury | Dr Deirdre Murray / Dr Geraldine Boylan / Dr Louise Kenny |
| The relationship between Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) and innate immune responses in Adult Cystic Fibrosis lung disease | Dr Barry Plant / Professor Stuart Elborn |
| Investigation of the infectious potential of HIV provirus from patients with long term HAART based suppression of viral replication | Dr Liam Fanning / Dr Mary Horgan |
| Role of astrocytes in postoperative pain: are they a target site for propofol? | Dr. Kumlesh K. Dev/ Dr. Gabriella Iohom/Prof. George Shorten |
| Projects available at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) include the following 4 and others. | |
| Biomarkers of disease in irritable bowel syndrome | Prof. Ted Dynan / Prof. Eamonn Quigley/ Dr John Cryan |
| Immunology and immunopharmacology of bioactives from the gut microbiota in health and disease | Dr Liam O'Mahony |
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Opportunistic infections and superbugs |
Prof. Colin Hill / Prof. Paul Ross |
|
Molecular and cellular analysis of the macrophage response to infection by a bacterium associated with Crohn's Disease |
Prof Fergus Shanahan /Dr David Clarke / Dr Ken Nally |
Award Value and Conditions
Value of Award
i. Fellows will be remunerated on the scale €52,555 – €62,814. The salary amount is gross salary and liable for income tax and PRSI, and will be paid through the host institution.
ii. Research expenses: up to €15,000 per year at the discretion of the host institution.
iii. Small equipment: up to €15,000 in year 1 at the discretion of the host institution.
iv. Travel and meeting expenses: €3,000 per year at the discretion of the host institution.
v. PhD fees (as required by host institution).
Conditions of Award
Fellows are permitted to undertake a maximum of two clinical sessions per week.
Fellows are expected to participate fully in the shared structured training programme and in the annual scientific meetings.
Fellows will be expected to provide annual reports to Molecular Medicine Ireland describing their progress and an end of grant report on completion of the fellowship.
Fellows must acknowledge their participation in the programme in any publication or presentation of their research.
Duration of Fellowship
Up to three years. All successful applicants must register for a PhD.
Where Tenable
Fellowships in this call are tenable only in the following institution:
University College Cork
Eligibility, Application Process and Selection Procedure
Eligibility To be eligible an applicant must:
(i) be a graduate in medicine at or above Registrar level or at an equivalent level as determined by the relevant national training body in Ireland;
(ii) be an EU citizen or be a graduate from outside the EU with permanent Irish resident status or a valid work permit;
(iii) be on the register of medical practitioners in Ireland or be entitled to be on that register.
Application Process There are two stages to the application process. In the first stage, interested persons should apply to Molecular Medicine Ireland, completing and returning by email the Expression of Interest form together with a Curriculum Vitae as soon as possible but no later than 5pm on Friday 26 September 2008. Expression of Interest Form (MS Word) If you have any questions at this stage, please contact Applicants will require the support of the participating institution, University College Cork, in order to proceed from the Expression of Interest stage to a Full Application. At this time, candidates will choose a PhD project from a range offered in host laboratories in the participating institution and will be assigned appropriate mentor(s) by the institution. Each Expression of Interest will be referred by Molecular Medicine Ireland to the Dean of the Medical School (or equivalent) in the host institution. The Dean (or equivalent) will invite suitably qualified applicants to discuss their interest in research, their career intentions in relation to academic medicine and the potential of the institution to provide the scientific and clinical mentorship required under the programme. If the participating institution agrees to sponsor an applicant, the applicant and sponsoring institution should complete the Full Application form which will be provided at that time. The completed Full Application form should be sent by email to Molecular Medicine Ireland no later than 12 noon on Friday 24 October 2008.
Selection Procedure Fellowships will be awarded by a competitive process and expert peer review. Short-listed applicants will be called for interview in November 2008. The selection criteria on which fellowships will be awarded will be the quality of the applicant, the scientific merit of the research proposal, the applicant’s career intentions, the applicant’s prior research experience, and the quality of the mentoring and the mentoring environment. The following document outlines the policy regarding the appeals process in the case of an unsuccessful Full Application.
Appeals process (PDF)
