Currently, The School is ranked 4th in the world for the quality of its research, even though it is significantly smaller than many of the other leading medical schools. With the Rising Stars programme, The School will be able to fund 16 new lectureships. Our funding will be used to establish a new generation of researchers who will shape the next decade of research.

Our Chief Executive Fiona Miller Smith, says, “Planning for the future of research is fundamental to the future of innovation in the London and the UK. We are proud to be able to contribute to this by supporting The School to grow their talent base by investing in Rising Star researchers.” 

It is unusual for so many young researchers to be taken on at the same time in this way. The benefit of this is that there is a ready-made cohort of peers, people who can provide not only a challenge to academic research ideas, but who can be a much-needed personal support at what can be a difficult time in a researcher’s career.

The Rising Stars programme aims to repeat the success of a similar scheme The School ran in 2013. Then, it recruited 18 early career researchers, of whom 14 are still at the medical school and now in tenured positions. Those researchers have published dozens of research papers and have secured millions of pounds in additional funding.

 “Starting your own lab is tough. Overnight I went from focusing only on doing my science to writing grants, managing staff and juggling all of the other responsibilities that come with being a faculty member,” said Trevor Graham, who received one of the 2013 awards and is now a professor at the Barts Cancer Institute, one of The School's five institutes. “Having a good start-up package was a tremendous help: I could hire a team and fund their experiments, kick-starting our lab. But it was also invaluable to be part of a group of new lecturers all dealing with similar issues at the same time.  We have become valued colleagues and friends.”

Mauro Peretti, Dean of Research at The School, says, “We are very excited about this programme of recruitment generously supported by Barts Charity. Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary is an excellent place to start a successful academic career: we foster talent and invest in our people, ensuring that their reach their full potential. We look forward to working with talented scientists to build the future of medical research, with the ultimate aim of delivering cutting edge science to improve healthcare outcomes for people in London, the nation and globally.”

More news