Crick Africa Network Career Acceleration Fellowships for Early-Career Scientists 2024

The Crick Africa Network (CAN) is offering African Career Acceleration Fellowships supported by LifeArc for early-career biomedical scientists to develop translational scientific programs and become independent scientists.

About Crick Africa Network (CAN)

The Crick’s mission is discovery without boundaries. We don’t limit the direction our research takes. We want to understand more about how living things work to help improve treatment, diagnosis and prevention of human disease, and generate economic opportunities for the UK.

In our institute more than 2,000 staff and students use their wide-ranging knowledge and expertise to work across disciplines and explore biology at all levels, from molecules through cells to entire organisms.

Benefits of CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships

1. Fellows will have the opportunity to be supported by one or more of Crick’s 21 science technology platforms (STPs). LifeArc will also deliver translational development courses and host fellows for three to 12 months at one of their UK laboratories.
2. Mentorship from the chosen African partner institute, the Crick, and LifeArc will support with grant writing, publishing, research ethics, and translation.
3. There is a strong ethos of collaboration and interaction across the network and fellows will be encouraged to learn from one another, as well as their mentors. The fellowships will cover salary, research costs, research assistant salary, and travel and subsistence costs.

Requirements for CAN Career Acceleration Fellowships Qualification

1. Citizenship or permanent residency status for an African country
2. A PhD in a relevant field with two to five years of postdoctoral experience, or a clinical PhD (MBChB) with at least three years of relevant research experience
3. A strong track record indicating potential as a scientific leader on the African continent
4. A strong translational science proposal in one of the CAN research areas
5. Approached and reached an agreement regarding your proposed science with your mentor in your chosen African partner institute and your chosen mentor at the Crick before submitting your scientific proposal.

The fellows will also be expected to spend some time in the United Kingdom, to use the research and laboratory facilities at the Francis Crick Institute and LifeArc.

Research themes for Crick Africa Network Career Acceleration Fellowships for Early-Career Scientists 2024

1. human genetics
2. disease pathogenesis and immunogenetics
3. pathogen genomics or bioinformatics
4. host-pathogen interaction
5. diagnostics and biomarkers
6. pandemic preparedness
7. antimicrobial resistance (AMR), or
8. drug and vaccine discovery for development.
9. Before submitting your application, you must read the application notes (PDF).
10. If you have questions about the translational potential of your proposed research idea and how LifeArc could support development, please contact Andy Merritt, LifeArc project lead and head of academic engagement, at andy.merritt@lifearc.com.
11. Applicants must have identified a mentor at their chosen African partner institute and the Crick before making an application. Crick research labs can be found in our A-Z lab listing.
12. Applications should be submitted through our online academic recruitment portal.
13. Only fully completed applications will be considered.

How to Apply

1. Applications will be checked for eligibility including the nationality of the applicant, number of years of postdoc experience and the translational elements of the proposal.
2. Proposals will be assessed by the chosen African partner institution, the chosen Crick mentor, as well as an external peer reviewer.
3. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by the chosen African partner institution.
4. An expert panel will convene to assess all interviewed applicants and agree on the successful fellows. Applicants will then be informed of the outcome.

Application Deadline

November 12, 2023.