SUSTAIN

The year-long programme offers interactive skills training and career development sessions, tailored mentoring and the opportunity to network with research leaders. It is designed so that participants are part of a unique cohort to share learnings and includes:

• Interactive career development workshops

The programme starts with a 2.5 day residential workshop in London on 11-13 March 2020, followed by three one-day workshops spread across the next twelve months. A wide range of issues are addressed at these workshops, including media training, publishing strategically, finding your work-life blend and developing a personal leadership style. Each session is tailored to support attendees through the challenges of combining research, teaching, clinical practice and caring responsibilities. Additionally, participants are introduced to research leaders at an Inspiring Women event on one evening of the residential workshop.

Hotel accommodation in London is provided for two nights for the period of the residential workshop, and for the other workshops if necessitated by travel requirements. Travel costs can be claimed in accordance with the Academy’s policy for travel. Childcare support, if needed, is available for the workshops. 

• A peer support network 

The cohort is small by design and are matched in co-coaching trios to enable ongoing peer support and safe discussion of issues/challenges. Small group work at each workshop helps to embed and put into practice key learning points.

• One-to-one mentoring

Participants are mentored by a Fellow of the Academy. Bespoke training on how to get the most out of mentoring, and ongoing support is provided to both mentees and mentors over the course of the programme.

The fourth round of SUSTAIN will support 24 women for a period of one year. Only award holders from partner organisations are eligible.

To be eligible to apply for the fourth round, applicants have to hold one of the following awards or fellowships:

Medical Research Council 

• Career Development Award
• Clinician Scientist Fellowship
• New Investigator Research Grant (NIRGs)

Royal Society

• Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship
• Sir Henry Dale Fellowship
• University Research Fellowship

Academy of Medical Sciences

• Academy of Medical Sciences/The Health Foundation Clinician Scientist Fellowship
• Springboard Award
• Starter Grant Award for Clinical Lecturers

Royal Academy of Engineering   

• Research Fellow
• Engineering for Development Research Fellows

Selection process

The 24 participants are selected by a computerised randomisation method, stratified to ensure they were selected from each partner organisation, fellowship cohorts and represent clinical researchers, engineers and scientists from other backgrounds across the UK.

Participants in round 3 (2019-20)

• Dr Karin Tuschl, UCL
• Dr Samantha Terry, King's College London
• Dr Sarah Alderson, University of Leeds
• Dr Nisreen Alwan, University of Southampton
• Dr Maud Lemoine, Imperial College London
• Dr Jia Li, Imperial College London
• Dr Lucy Davidson, Royal Veterinary College
• Dr Karen Forbes, University of Leeds
• Dr Julie Aspden, University of Leeds
• Dr Kate Baker, University of Liverpool
• Dr Gemma Nixon, University of Liverpool
• Dr Helen Stagg, University of Edinburgh
• Dr Jelena Bezbradica Mirkovic, University of Oxford
• Dr Huiling Tan, University of Oxford
• Dr Catarina Veiga, UCL
• Dr Melanie Jimenez, University of Glasgow
• Dr Gemma Modinos, King's College London
• Dr Jennifer Steeden, UCL
• Dr Myriam Chimen, University of Birmingham
• Dr Kirsti Ashworth, Lancaster University
• Dr Jennifer Tomlinson, University of Leeds
• Dr Yvonne Grunder, University of Liverpool
• Dr Mahima Swamy, University of Dundee
• Dr Eva Gluenz, University of Oxford

A number of reports over the past decade have highlighted the relative paucity of women researchers in science securing senior leadership posts in the UK due to barriers and hidden biases[1][2][3]. Although the number is slowly rising, the Academy believes that a more concerted effort is needed to ensure women are appropriately supported along their career trajectory to enable them to secure those senior positions.

Reference group members

• Professor Moira Whyte OBE FMedSci, Professor of Respiratory Medicine, University of Edinburgh (Chair)
• Professor Eva Hoffman, Novo Nordisk Foundation Young Investigator, University of Copenhagen
• Dr Elizabeth Sapey, Clinician Scientist, University of Birmingham
• Professor Jim Smith FRS FMedSci, Director of Science, The Wellcome Trust
• Dr Zania Stamataki, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow, University of Birmingham
• Professor Susan Wray FMedSci, Professor of Physiology, University of Liverpool