ECR Career Development Network
**A call for Cohort 2 applications is open - deadline 16:00 (BST) on 20 May 2024**
There will be a seminar about the VALIDATE ECR Career Development Network (ECDN), for members to hear more about the programme and its benefits to your career, as well as for you to ask any questions you may have. This will take place online on 1 May at 1400 BST (1300 GMT) - register to attend here.
VALIDATE recognises the challenges faced by post-doctoral and early PI researchers trying to progress their careers. As part of VALIDATE’s aim to encourage and support career progression amongst members, especially Early Career Researchers (ECRs), and to help address inequality in scientific career progression, we have created a two-year long ECR Career Development Network programme for VALIDATE members who identify as female or non-binary.
This ECDN call is for a second cohort (running July 2024-June 2026), after the success in 2022-2024 of our first ECDN Programme (see the bottom of this webpage for our first cohort members, their programme events, and feedback).
“ECDN has been amazing for career development… I already feel that my personal development and career progression have been positively impacted by this program and I can see future collaborations and possible job opportunities developing from this network.”
The ECDN programme will bring together ~20 VALIDATE ECR scientists into an engaged sub-group of VALIDATE, and provides:
- An engaged, connected network of Early Career Researchers, all wanting to develop their careers
- Extra support to accelerate their research career including:
- Group mentoring by a senior scientist
- Monthly virtual talks and workshops on topics helpful to your career progression (these alternate between an ‘Inspiring Careers’ talk by a senior scientist role model about their career path and their tips/advice to ECRs (giving you a great chance to meet and network with them, and to learn from them), and training courses e.g. leadership, career planning, learning to say no)
- Peer-support via accountability groups and programme events
- Individual career coaching by a qualified coach
- Opportunities to network and form new collaborations with each other
In addition, the ECDN cohort members will be invited to attend the 2024 VALIDATE Annual Meeting on 15-17 July 2024, where we will have a face-to-face ECDN kick-off meeting so the members can all meet each other. Your travel costs for this would be funded by VALIDATE (so please hold these dates in your diary).
Applicants must:
- Be an Associate or (early PI) Investigator member of VALIDATE (please note that Associate members will be prioritized)
- Be working on research directly related to vaccine development for VALIDATE’s focus pathogens (any aspect of research that will accelerate development of an efficacious vaccine is eligible, including biological, physical and social sciences, and humanities)
- Identify as female or non-binary
Successful applicants joining the programme will be expected to commit fully to engaging with all programme activities from July 2024 - June 2026, and to engaging with other members of the ECR Career Development Network. We estimate the programme will take a commitment of 1-3 hours per month, for 24 months. Any members who do not fully participate will be released from the programme.
All successful applicants will be expected to complete short reports during their two-year programme, for inclusion in Network outcomes and publicity (these may be anonymised and shared with our funders or in VALIDATE publicity).
To apply to join this programme, please submit the application form below, along with the requested additional documents, as a single pdf by 4pm (UK time) on the closing date to our Network Management Team at VALIDATE@ndm.ox.ac.uk. Do address any queries about your application to the VALIDATE team at the same address. Applications are reviewed by the VALIDATE Management Team. Members will be sent the outcome of their application around one month after the closing date.
