Senior Translational Research Fellowship (STRF) scheme

The STRF scheme is an innovative approach to appointing professional researchers with an excellent scientific base and experience and the potential to become future leaders of world-class research. The aim is to appoint individuals involved in projects across faculties to maximise the impact of each appointment and ensure they can work collaboratively to promote translational research and build relationships across disciplines. For this reason also each Fellow has both an academic and an applied/clinical mentor, further strengthening the links between basic sciences and clinical practice.

STRFs are initially awarded a five year “tenure-track” post with tenured positions in the University/NHS after this time period on the provision that they develop a strong research profile and become financially independent through external research income.

Currently STRFs have been appointed in the following research areas:

• Nanostructured Electronic Devices for Biomolecular Sensing and Analysis
• Musculoskeletal Imaging
• Musculoskeletal Biotherapy
• Cancer Angiogenesis
• Medicinal Chemistry linked to Cardiovascular Disease
• Molecular Self Assembly for Targeted Drug Delivery
• Medicinal Chemistry for Targeted Drug Delivery
• Cancer Biotherapy

The STRFs appointed through the BHRC work collaboratively, meet regularly and share experiences. Through this mechanism they also engage their mentors in developing and expanding innovative new projects. A number of activities are regularly organised by the BHRC to help, support and stimulate these researchers and their groups and encourage multidisciplinary translational research. These also include events involving professionals from across the University and LTHT as well as from external, public and private, organisations. The STRF scheme is constantly growing with the success of the BHRC providing the possibility of creating additional posts to this scheme in the future.