About me Steven Penfield URF 2006 I worked

About me: Steven Penfield, URF 2006 I worked as a post-doc at York University studying seeds. During this time I realised that temperature responses were really important in seeds, but that nobody had ever researched them before. I identified the first known genes to be involved in temperature perception and responses in seeds. Now run a world-leading research program in Biosciences, and have received over £ 3 million in research funding. In 2011 I was awarded the triennial prize for best early career international seed scientist. All this was made possible by my URF.

What is it like being a royal society URF? Totally the best thing that can happen to you! Time and freedom. Access to high quality training. Minimal oversight. Meet the country’s best and most interesting scientists, plus those from other countries. Become involved with Royal Society activities. Some research income: for some disciplines all you will need, for others a springboard for grant proposals. Travel money. Portable in the UK, and can be used as leverage for permanent appointments.

Who should be thinking about applying? You will be committed to a career in academic science. Your ambition should be to be a future leader in your chosen field, internationally. You will already have some idea what direction your future research will lead. You need to able to argue that this will be timely, important and interesting. You need to identify the best place to do the work.

Planning an application Start 3 years or so before you intend to apply. Identify your research goals and align these with the type of research outputs that will allow you to stand out from the crowd. 2 years before. Build your professional networks, Attend national and international meetings. Meet the people in your field show your potential and commitment. Build your brand. 1 year before. With your publications and networks in hand, identify the project, maybe even make some preliminary investigations in your spare time. Avoid teaching and wasting time on activities not aligned to your goals.

Your application Should clearly be world-leading research. Timely, applying new technology, or addressing particularly important questions, taking a field in a new direction. As a test: you should be able to quickly and easily explain why the work is timely and important to people outside of the field. Convince the panel the work is the foundation for a whole career, not a 5 year project.

When applying Do get as much feedback on your proposal as you can. Write it far enough in advance! Take advantage of the experience and knowledge of local RS fellows. Get feedback from somebody outside of your field. At the interview stage, do practise, and get your supervisor or Do. R to arrange a mock interview for you. It will be gruelling so be prepared! Even if you are not successful all this is perfect practise for job interviews.