MRC Experimental Medicine Panel: member vacancies

Closing date: 13 September 2026 at 11:59pm UK time
Number of positions: Three
Length of term: Two years from 1 April 2027, plus additional two years after review
Time commitment: Two days per month
Outcome communicated: By mid-December 2026

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is inviting applications from researchers and technical experts to join the Experimental Medicine Panel from 1 April 2027.

We are looking for experienced researchers and reviewers with appropriate expertise related to the vacancy that you are applying for.

MRC’s panels play a key role in delivering MRC objectives across our portfolio of research. They make funding recommendations and contribute to the development and delivery of MRC strategy.

Find out more about 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 Experimental Medicine Panel. 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.

It is essential you are an experienced researcher and reviewer with appropriate expertise related to the vacancy that you are applying for.

You must also be:

able to commit the time expected (around 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 a panel member you will use your expertise and experience to help MRC invest in high-quality and impactful research, innovation and training. You will also provide input into our strategy, including through interactions with other panels and MRC’s advisory structures.

As it is not possible for individuals to provide in-depth expertise across all specialities, members will work collectively through open and objective discussions to provide advice across the panel remit. Members will share responsibility for judgements and recommendations.

MRC’s Experimental Medicine Panel provides dedicated support for investigations in humans to further our understanding of human disease pathogenesis and enable the future development of new targeted treatments. We invest in academic-led projects that focus on a mechanistic hypothesis such as:

probing pathogenic mechanisms
identifying disease sub-groups
confirming tractable disease pathways for targeting
validating human challenge models

We fund applications in all disease areas and types of interventions. For further information please refer to the remit of the Experimental Medicine Panel.

We have up to three vacancies in the following areas:

cancer (drug trials, drug testing pathway, or early-phase clinical trials)
translational immunology, vaccinology, controlled human infection models
statistics for clinical research (investigational studies)

Ideally applicants should have experience in interventional trials in humans or experience that spans basic and clinical research, acquired either through academic or industry settings. Expertise in the application of novel readouts or technologies that enable mechanistic insights into disease pathogenesis, including tools that provide early evidence of target engagement or proof-of-mechanisms, would be desirable.

To increase the membership diversity, we particularly welcome applications from researchers based at research organisations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

How to apply

To apply, complete and submit the online form. All applications must be submitted by 23:59 (UK time) on 13 September 2026.

There is one online web form for all our current panel vacancies, you may indicate interest in becoming a member of up to three MRC panels that are currently recruiting new members.

We are also recruiting in parallel for our College of Experts (CoE), 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 on our panels 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), contact:

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. Let us know 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 should have:

expertise related to a vacancy (essential)
other expertise that could contribute to the activities of MRC panels, 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 should 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)

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 is essential. This includes reviewing applications for funding in the UK or internationally and reviewing research publications.

Experience of funding panels is essential. This includes 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.

When making the final selection we aim for between 18 and 24 members on each panel, including representation from a diversity of organisations, backgrounds, characteristics, and perspectives. Through our recruitment to the panels, 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 research across all panels
include industry researchers, representatives from MRC’s major investments and international members as appropriate
include expertise to evaluate translational research applications, including applications involving early phase clinical trials

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 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.

While we will take the preferences indicated in your application into account, you may be offered a role on any MRC panel that is currently recruiting.

Further information

Disability inclusion assurance process

We are committed to increasing the representation of disabled people on our panels. 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 in spring 2027, further details will be provided nearer the time.

The induction will be an opportunity for you to meet MRC staff, and your panel 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 panels.

New members are expected to attend a panel meeting as an observer prior to starting their new role.

Relevant panel meeting dates are:

MRC Proof of Concept Panel: 20 and 21 January 2027
Experimental Medicine Panel: to be confirmed
Equipment Panel: March or April 2027
Clinical Training and Career Development Panel: 17 and 18 March, 30 June and 1 July, 10 and 11 November 2027
Non-Clinical Training and Career Development Panel: 23 and 24 March 2027, 13 and 14 October 2027
Centres of Research Excellence Panel: to be confirmed

Last updated: 17 July 2026