MRC Training and Career Development Panels: member vacancies

• Closing date: 14 September 2025 11:59pm UK time
• Number of positions: Seven
• Length of term: Two years, plus additional two years after review
• Time commitment: Two days per month
• Remuneration: £160 per day, transport and subsistence as appropriate
• Outcomes communicated: By mid-December 2025

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is inviting applications from researchers and research technical professionals to become members of the Training and Career Development Panels.

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

MRC’s research boards and 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.

Who we’re looking for

We are seeking applications from talented and committed non-clinical and clinical researchers and research technical professionals join the Training and Career Development Panels.

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
• those with long-term health conditions

We welcome applications from people based in all regions and nations of the UK.

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 board or 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 boards and panels and MRC’s advisory structures.

As it is not possible for individuals to provide in-depth expertise across all specialities, you will work collectively through open and objective discussions to provide advice across the board or panel remit.

You will share responsibility for judgments and recommendations.

About the panels

The panels are organised to consider either non-clinical or clinical training and career development.

Non-clinical panel

The non-clinical panel has three vacancies.

The panel assesses applications to our non-clinical fellowship scheme.

You will contribute to assessments and interviews across the full range of MRC’s work.

This year we particularly welcome applications from researchers who bring expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• cell signalling, including membrane trafficking or signal transduction in disease
• neurodegenerative diseases, including cellular neuroscience and in vitro and in vivo microscopy and methodologies
• epidemiology, including across the life course and longitudinal studies

We particularly welcome experience of clinically oriented research, working with industry or research involving human participation.

Clinical panel

The clinical panel has four vacancies.

The panel assesses applications to our range of clinical fellowship schemes:

• PhD training or skills reacquisition fellowships (see Clinical research training fellowships)
• transition to independence fellowships (see Clinician scientist fellowship)

The panel is designed to support talented researchers wishing to pursue a clinical academic career.

You will contribute to assessments and interviews across all our remit and interest areas, addressing research questions from fundamental science to early clinical trials and preventive medicine.

This year we particularly welcome applications from researchers who bring expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• immunology and systemic inflammatory conditions, including vaccines and immunotherapies
• medical microbiology and virology or clinical diagnostics
• cancer cell biology
• neuropsychology and imaging

We encourage applications from across the spectrum of healthcare professions, from those working in primary, secondary or community care and public health.

However, it is not a prerequisite to be clinically qualified to be a member of the panel.

How to apply

To apply, complete and submit the form on the UK Research and Innovation Engagement Hub by 14 September 2025 11:59pm UK time.

There is one form for all our current board and panel vacancies.

You may indicate interest in becoming a member of up to three MRC boards or panels that are currently recruiting new members.

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 2025.

You will be notified of the recruitment decisions shortly thereafter.

Reasonable adjustments

We want to make our recruitment processes as well as participation on our boards and 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), 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.

If your application is successful, we will work to fulfil your requirements to enable you to fully participate.

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 emailing mrc.eventsandcommitteesteam@mrc.ukri.org

How we’ll assess your application

Assessment criteria

You will be shortlisted based on the evidence you provide of meeting the following criteria.

Research expertise:

• expertise related to a vacancy (essential)
• other expertise that could contribute to the activities of MRC boards and 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:

• experience leading or conducting respected 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 including reviewing applications for funding in the UK or internationally and reviewing research publications (essential)
• experience of funding panels 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

 Equality, diversity and inclusion

When making the final selection, we aim for between 18 and 24 members on each board and panel, including representation from a diversity of organisations, backgrounds, characteristics and perspectives.

Through our recruitment to the boards and 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 boards and 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 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.

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

Further information

Disability inclusion assurance process

We are committed to increasing the representation of disabled people on our boards and 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 to 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 participate in an induction meeting.

This is currently planned for late February or early March 2026 with further details to follow.

The meeting will be an opportunity for you to meet:

• the MRC Executive Chair
• other senior MRC staff
• your board or panel chair and support teams

The induction enables us to provide guidance on your role and an overview of MRC, its strategic ambitions, functions and methods of operation where these relate to the work of the research boards and panels.

We expect new members to attend a board or panel meeting as an observer prior to starting their new role.

Relevant board meeting dates are:

• Infections and Immunity Board: 18 to 19 March 2026
• Molecular and Cellular Medicine Board: 25 to 26 March 2026
• Neurosciences and Mental Health Board: 17 to 18 March 2026
• Population and System Medicine Board: 24 to 25 March 2026

Relevant panel meeting dates are:

• Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme Panel: 20 to 21 January 2026
• Experimental Medicine Panel: 24 to 25 June 2026
• Equipment Panel: to be confirmed
• Clinical Training and Career Development Panel: 18 to 19 March 2026
• Non-Clinical Training and Career Development Panel: 24 to 25 March 2026
• Centres of Research Excellence Panel: to be confirmed

Last updated: 21 July 2025