Novo Nordisk Fellowship Programme 2016 for Young Diabetes Researchers, Deadline: 14 October, 2016

Background to Novo Nordisk Fellowship programme

The Novo Nordisk Fellowship programme began in late 2013. It aims to support the development of a new generation of exceptional young diabetes researchers, who will become future leaders in the field, while further developing scientific excellence within diabetes and ultimately improving the lives of patients.

Generous funding from Novo Nordisk was provided to support a total of 12 fellows (9 postdoctoral fellows and 3 clinical research training fellows) each for a 3 year period. The intention was to recruit 4 fellows in 2014, 4 in 2015 and the final 4 in 2016.

In late 2015 the University of Oxford and Novo Nordisk announced the expansion of the fellowship programme.  Additional funding has been provided by Novo Nordisk to support another 20 Fellows, bringing the total number of Fellows who will be supported via this programme to 32. With the expansion of the Fellowship programme, the breadth of the science included in the programme has also increased so that we are now offering projects using systems biology and big data integrative approaches, which will increase mechanistic understanding of diabetes, including identifying novel gene networks/modules.

Details of the timeline for the future recruitment of Fellows is available.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

The Novo Nordisk Fellowship programme is an international fellowship programme so applicants from any country are eligible to apply. We aim to recruit fellows with the potential to become leaders in the field of diabetes in subsequent years.

Please note that while we will consider all applications the funding provided for the Clinical Research Training Fellowship will only cover home/EU DPhil fees. More information on fees at the University of Oxford can be found here.

Please note that applicants from Denmark and Scandinavian countries would be particularly welcome.

For the postdoctoral fellowships

The following criteria are essential for the post:

• A PhD in a medical/biological subject (to be completed by the time the post is taken up), together with relevant experience
• Be no more than 3 years post PhD at the start of the fellowship (Spring 2017). This condition will be relaxed proportionately for applicants who have had a career break
• The ability to manage your own academic research and associated activities
• A strong CV, having published in high impact journals and presented at international meetings
• Ability to contribute ideas for new research projects and research income generation
• Ability to work with meticulous attention to detail
• An enthusiastic interest in diabetes research
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills and leadership, with the ability to communicate research ideas and results in a clear and logical way and the ability to confidently and effectively interact with colleagues and the broader research community
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• A conscientious and enthusiastic working approach
• Excellent planning, organisational and problem solving skills
• Computer proficiency in all relevant areas

It would be desirable if you had previous experience of research related to type 2 diabetes and/or related conditions.

For the clinical research training fellowship

The following criteria are essential for the post:

• Have prior research experience (typically a BSc), a medical degree and some specialist experience, typically having obtained MRCP or equivalent, but not CCT or consultant status
• Have a strong academic record (e.g. prizes, 1st class degree etc.)
• Registered with or qualified to register with General Medical Council
• A strong CV, as evidenced by publications in international journals
• Ability to work with meticulous attention to detail
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills and leadership, with the ability to communicate research ideas and results in a clear and logical way and the ability to confidently and effectively interact with colleagues and the broader research community
• Committed to a career in diabetes or metabolic medicine, clinical practice and research
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• A conscientious and enthusiastic working approach
• Excellent planning, organisational and problem solving skills
• Computer proficiency in all relevant areas

The following criteria are desirable for the post:

• Previous experience of research related to type 2 diabetes and/or related conditions.
• Experience of working in a research team (case reports, presentations, methodologies etc.)
• Experience of working in a clinical environment centred on delivering care to people with diabetes

  Timeline for future recruitment of fellows

  The timeline for the recruitment of fellows will be as follows over the coming years, with 4 Fellows (3 postdoctoral and 1 clinical research training fellow) being recruited in each cycle:

  Fellowships advertised	Fellows will start
  March 2016	Autumn 2016
  September 2016	Spring 2017
  March 2017	Autumn 2017
  September 2017	Spring 2018
  March 2018	Autumn 2018
  September 2019	Spring 2019

  A diverse range of projects will be available at each recruitment cycle.
  Any researcher in Oxford with an interest in diabetes & metabolism can submit a project for consideration, during the annual call for projects (towards the end of each year). The Steering Committee then select the best projects for advertising.

Contact Details

Prof Hugh Watkins is the Chair of the Programme Steering Committee.

Dr Ruth McCaffrey is the Programme Manager who is responsible for the day to day co-ordination of the Novo Nordisk programme and any enquiries should be directed to her by email or phone (Tel: +44 1865 234649).

Dr Serena Briant also assists Ruth with administration of the Novo Nordisk fellowship programme. Any queries can also be directed to Serena via email or phone (Tel: +44 1865 231348).

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