MRC College of Experts: Member vacancies

Closing date: 13 September 2026 at 11:59pm UK time
Number of positions: Multiple vacancies
Length of term: Four years, from 1 April 2027
Time commitment: One to two days per month
Remuneration: When attending meetings £160 per day, travel and subsistence as appropriate
Outcome communicated: By mid-December 2026

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is inviting applications from researchers and technical experts to join the College of Experts from 1 April 2027.

We are looking for experienced researchers and reviewers with expertise relevant to MRC applicant-led funding.

MRC’s College of Experts play a key role in MRC applicant-led research funding by providing essential expertise and advice to assess applications and make recommendations for funding.

Find out more: MRC board and panel membership

Who we’re looking for

We are seeking applications from talented and committed non-clinical and clinical researchers and technical experts to join the MRC College of Experts (CoE). You can be based in research institutes or universities, or in companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life, or digital sciences sectors.

We particularly encourage applications from currently under-represented groups, including women, minority ethnic and disabled researchers, and those with long-term health conditions. We welcome applications from people based in all regions and nations of the UK.

We value people who bring the insight needed to assess global relevance and impact, and who can support and champion international partnerships and shared, equitable leadership in research. We welcome applicants based outside of the UK, who can practically participate and travel to attend meetings in the UK, or participate virtually during UK business hours.

It is essential you are an experienced researcher and reviewer with appropriate expertise.

We are particularly looking for expertise in the following areas, although we will consider all applications and any expertise that enhances the CoE:

industry expertise
immunology, particularly neuroimmunology, adaptive immunity, autoimmunity and immune profiling
vaccinology, including vaccine and platform technologies, experience in VLP-based vaccine design and antigenic characterisation for high consequence pathogens
bacteriology, particularly with expertise in TB
ME or CFS, including post-viral disease mechanisms
genomics relevant to human health and disease
use of multi-omic approaches to understand susceptibility, causes and progression of disease
virology, particularly molecular virology, and oncogenic and emerging viruses
pathogen drug development, particularly relating to combating drug resistance.
data science and computational modelling
research data, data infrastructures and software – including management, stewardship and sharing
cell and molecular biology, in the context of human health and disease
stem cell biology and regenerative medicine
pharmacology and toxicology, particularly relating to advanced therapies
haematology, particularly blood disorders outside of leukaemia
cardiovascular disease, expertise in cellular and molecular mechanisms
hepatology, expertise in associated cellular and molecular mechanisms of liver disease
reproductive biology, expertise in disease and conditions associated with human foetal development and reproduction
oral medicine
endocrinology and metabolism including neuroendocrinology, with broad expertise in metabolic disorders, including clinical challenges in obesity or diabetes and translational experimental research
respiratory medicine, with expertise in mechanistic understanding of extrinsic drivers of respiratory illness
neurotechnology including neuromodulation
movement disorders including Parkinson’s
global health research

You must also be:

able to commit the time expected (around one to two days per month on average)
able to exercise judgement across a range of research and policy issues, within and beyond your areas of core expertise
a team player with a commitment to the mission of MRC and supporting objective and fair approaches to funding research, developing careers and positive research culture
able to work effectively within the public sector requirements for accountability and openness, and managing public money

What you’ll be doing

As CoE member you will use your expertise and experience to help MRC invest in high-quality, impactful and ambitious applicant-led research to transform our understanding of human health and disease.

Applicant-led funding opportunities, supporting our curiosity driven research, include:

These opportunities are always open, cover the entire MRC scientific remit and flexible so applicants can request the funding amount and duration they need.

The MRC CoE plays a central role in our decision making for applicant-led research funding by providing essential expertise and advice to assess applications and make recommendations for funding. Key activities include:

college assessor: provide written assessments of applications to guide application shortlisting decisions
shortlisting panel: join shortlisting panels to discuss applications and take decisions on which applications should proceed to the next stage of assessment
interview panel: join interview panels to help deliver the final assessment and recommendations for funding to MRC

As it is not possible for individuals to provide in-depth expertise across all specialities, members will work collectively through open and objective discussions. They will provide advice across the applicant-led science remit, sharing responsibility for judgments and recommendations.

As well as supporting the applicant-led funding process, the college engages in other MRC activities from time to time, to help shape and deliver MRC’s strategic interests. This includes our major investments and targeted strategic funding.

How to apply

To apply, complete and submit the application form on the UKRI Engagement Hub.

All applications must be submitted by 11:59pm UK time on 13 September 2026.

We are also recruiting in parallel for our current panel vacancies, you may apply to be a member of the CoE and a panel member, although you will only be offered one role. You should complete separate applications if you are interested in both CoE and panel membership.

In addition to the information provided in the application, we may also use publicly available information, in line with the Declaration on Research Assessment, to assist with membership decisions.

Decisions on membership will be made by mid-December 2026. Applicants will be notified of the recruitment decisions shortly thereafter.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make our recruitment processes as well as participation in our CoE accessible to all. This includes making reasonable adjustments for individuals who identify as disabled, neurodiverse or as having a long-term condition.

If you have any queries regarding the application process or if you would like this application in a different format (for example accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille), email mrc.eventsandcommitteesteam@mrc.ukri.org

If you apply and ‘opt in’ on your application, you will be considered following our disability inclusion assurance process. Further information may be found below.

Should your application be successful, we will work to fulfil your requirements to enable you to fully participate. Please let us know in advance if you would like to discuss in confidence how we can support you, either through providing information in the diversity monitoring section of your application or by contacting mrc.eventsandcommitteesteam@mrc.ukri.org

How we’ll assess your application

Applicants will be shortlisted based on the evidence they provide of meeting the following criteria.

Research expertise

You have:

expertise related to MRC scientific remit (essential)
expertise related to the areas identified in the advert (desirable)
other expertise that could contribute to the activities of MRC CoE, such as clinical training and practice, ethics and regulations, experimental design and reproducibility, industry expertise, quantitative skills or technical skills (desirable)

Experience as a researcher

You have:

experience leading or conducting high-quality, rigorous research (essential)
a successful track record of applying for research funding (essential, this may be as a co-applicant or key contributor to team science)

Or you have:

leadership positions within a company and other indicators that demonstrate research leadership (essential for people from industry)
other indicators of research recognition, such as prizes or awards (desirable)

Experience as a reviewer

experience of peer review (essential): this includes reviewing applications for funding in the UK or internationally and reviewing research publications

experience of funding panels (essential): this including major funders, charity, philanthropic or government and public sector funding panels, or panels within your organisation. Experience equivalent to membership of a funding panel will also be considered.

Panel representation

When making the final selection we aim for a CoE that covers the breadth of expertise to assess applicant-led funding, including representation from a diversity of organisations, backgrounds, characteristics, and perspectives. Through our recruitment to the CoE we strive to:

broaden the diversity of membership
steadily increase the number of women, disabled and minority ethnic members
increase the ratio of mid-career to later-career members
ensure a strong representation for basic and more applied research
include industry researchers, representatives from MRC’s major investments and international members as appropriate
ensure a manageable and balanced workload for members

We expect the membership to meet MRC policies on equality.

We strive for representation from research organisations across the UK and may limit the number of members from one organisation. We will also consider applicants from other countries if their full participation is practical and they are able to travel to attend meetings in the UK or participate virtually during UK business hours.

Further information

Disability inclusion assurance process

We are committed to increasing the representation of disabled people on our CoE. In line with this, we offer an enhanced assessment process for disabled applicants. If you opt in to this scheme and meet the criteria for the role, your application will receive an additional layer of consideration. This will ensure it has been assessed fairly and in line with our inclusion values. To do this, you will need to select ‘opt in’ under ‘disability’ in the diversity monitoring section of the application survey.

This approach is inspired by the Disability Confident ‘offer to interview’ scheme but adapted for non-employment roles where no formal interview stage exists. The process does not guarantee appointment or preferential treatment but aims to ensure that all applicants are assessed equitably.

Induction for successful applicants

As part of the preparation for their tenure, all new members will be offered an induction. Further information will be provided to successful applicants.

The induction will be an opportunity for you to meet MRC staff, and your CoE colleagues. The induction enables us to provide guidance on your role and an overview of the MRC, its strategic ambitions, functions and methods of operation where these relate to the work of the CoE.

Last updated: 15 July 2026