NIHR Clinical Lecturer (CL)

CLINICAL LECTURER (CL) POSTS AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: 2023/2024/2025

All CL posts are aimed at providing post-doctoral research training, and ideally to facilitate an application for intermediate research fellowship or clinician scientist application, and progressing a clinical academic career.

All applications to these posts should be made through the Oriel online recruitment portal.  HEE manages recruitment to these posts on our behalf and enquiries about the application process should be made directly to HEE

There are CL posts available in a range of clinical specialties which will recruited to in the usual way (so called "response mode posts"). These are specific to individual clinical specialties, will be advertised in Oriel under the appropriate specialty, and would allow the candidate to develop a research interest in any area at Imperial College London within that specialty.

2024/2025 CL Response Mode Posts

 2024/2025 CL Research Theme Posts

We have CL post available in cross-disciplinary research themes to which candidates from a restricted selection of specialties may apply.   These “themed posts” will be advertised separately. These CL posts aim to achieve the same outcome, and are at post-doctoral level, however the proposed research will be restricted to that of the research "theme". Candidates would remain of course as a clinical trainee within their host specialty.

If therefore you win a CL post in a themed post, the research you explore in your CL years MUST be in this broad area at Imperial College London, but does not necessarily have to be that suggested in our outline proposal, although this will be the preferred route. All of our research themes were identified as being major strengths within Imperial College, likely to produce high quality research, and hopefully an outstanding clinical academic future.

Interviews for response mode and themed CL posts will be separate: interviews for response mode CL posts will be specialty specific, interviewing for all CL posts available in one specialty across London (e.g., Cardiology or General Surgery). Interviews for themed CL posts will be undertaken by research theme, and the best candidates appointed regardless of clinical specialty.

For all CL posts, clinical training will be provided in the NW London rotations, amongst the highest rated programmes in the UK, but may not always be in Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust depending on the needs of all trainees within a programme. It is likely (but not yet guaranteed) that these CL posts will become additional to current training programmes which should allow more flexibility of location of clinical training (within ICHT sites if appropriate).

Recruitment of all CL opportunities, on the Integrated Academic Training programme, is conducted via Health Education England regions and managed through Oriel, the national NHS online recruitment system.  For Imperial College London, recruitment to CL posts is coordinated by the London Recruitment team, based in the Operations Department of Health Education South London and overseen by NIHR. Details are available on the NIHR website  and the London LETBs Recruitment website .

Recruitment windows usually open in April for posts starting in the following year. CL opportunities at Imperial College London are available in different specialties each year.

CL posts are for a maximum of four years. The posts are designed to include 50% time carrying out academic research combined with 50% time in clinical training. The CL awards use clinical training opportunities on current GMC approved training programmes. Posts can continue beyond CCT date (with approval of NIHR). At Imperial College, these opportunities are available in most GMC defined medical specialties. Once in the programme, London academic trainees are administratively overseen by the Integrated Academic Training Team (IAT) in Health Education England (London and South East). The IAT team has good links with (and regularly liaises with) members of the Imperial College AHSC CATO team on matters relating to the administration of NIHR clinical academic training programmes. Day-to-day management is by clinical and academic supervisors and training programme directors at Imperial College.

This programme is aimed at medical trainees who possess a higher degree (PhD/MPhil) and have a commitment to an academic career.  The ultimate aim is to prepare trainees in obtaining a Clinical Scientist Fellowship or a Senior Clinical Lectureship post. Imperial College usually has around 5 CL opportunities available each year in a range of clinical specialties.  

• Appointment to CL programmes is usually at ST3 level and above, depending on the specialty.
  
  
• Before applying for a CL post you will need to read the person specification to assess your suitability and eligibility via the London LETBs Recruitment website and via the GMC Registration Eligibility web page.

CLs will have a contract with Imperial College London and an honorary contract with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Honorary contracts normally run concurrently with the substantive contract and are issued to allow trainees to work in the organisation where they do not have a substantive contract.

Contracts will be issued by the relevant HR Department and coordinated at departmental level by Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare Trust. There are a number of requirements, checks and different forms to fill out in order to finalise the contracts and it can take some time to complete, so trainees are advised to make contact early and establish who their departmental administrators are to assist them with these tasks. This is particularly important for trainees who are new to Imperial College or the Trust who will have to complete a more comprehensive process than those who have been employed by Imperial College before.

Clinical Academic trainees will also be required to complete other routine HR new starter and induction formalities, such as collection of ID cards, completion of induction training activities, Information Governance Training and other statutory and mandatory training sessions. 

For queries about contracts please contact the following:

• Imperial College Healthcare Trust

Human Resources Department, Medical Personnel Team (veronica.williams6@nhs.net and jasmine.haron1@nhs.net)

• Imperial College London

Human Resources Department (hrstaffhub@imperial.ac.uk)

There are currently three sources of funding available to Imperial NIHR  Clinical Lecturers to support their research. Each fund has a distinct purpose, eligibility criteria and application process - both are coordinated through the CATO team. Academic trainees are advised to consider their academic training, research consumables and skills development needs early on in their programmes in order to achieve maximum benefit from the funding available. See funding section for further information.

The three funding sources for CLs are listed below: 

• CLs are urged to apply for a Starter Grant from the Academy of Medical Sciences (AOMS).  This grant offers up to £30,00 over 1-2 years for research consumables.   CL’s applying for a CATO managed BRC research consumables bursary will be asked if they have applied for an AOMS grant as part of the BRC bursary application process.
• Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Funding
• National Institute of Health Research Bursary for Academic Trainees
• CATO Research Skills Short Courses Bursary

CATO trainee forums and meetings

During the course of each year, the CATO team organises a number of educational events and other activities which clinical academic trainees are strongly encouraged to attend. These are provided to disseminate information, present trainees with opportunities to ask questions, share information and encourage networking, social interaction and support.

During the course of their clinical academic training CLs can attend a range of generic courses to progress their academic and research skills, teaching skills and personal and professional development. These could be courses or workshops delivered internally by Imperial College London (People and Organisational Development Team , Education Development Unit and the Postdoc and Fellows Development Centre, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, or by external providers and other organisations. In many cases, trainees could apply for NIHR/CATO funding to cover the costs of attending these courses.
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Expectations of CLs

In addition to developing generic and research skills, trainees at Imperial undertaking CL posts will be expected to have applied for an intermediate fellowship or clinician scientist award within 2 years of starting their CL post.  This requirement will be monitored.

There are a number of individuals who can help and support doctors during their clinical academic training at Imperial, including the CATO team.

• Academic training leads
• Clinical training leads
• Academic supervisor/research project supervisor
• Clinical supervisor
• Mentors
• Buddying - for academic clinical fellows

Other clinical academic trainees

Through the events organised by CATO and other occasions arranged by each specialty/division trainees will have an opportunity to meet and network with other trainees following academic programmes at Imperial. Trainees are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities to meet and stay in touch with others who are in similar situations to themselves, to share experiences and offer and benefit from some peer support.

Departmental administrators

Each of the schools, institutes and departments at Imperial College has administrative divisional/specialty teams who will be able to help academic trainees during their time at Imperial College. To find an up to date list of contacts, visit the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine webpages and search for the administration teams in the Departments section of the Faculty of Medicine.