The Steering Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving research proposals for EMI funding. Typically, EMI projects will address research questions in a range of therapeutic areas:
- Design and conduct of challenge studies in human healthy volunteers or patients with tool compounds for purposes of understanding the role of particular pathways in human pathophysiology
- Characterisation of ex vivo responses of blood and tissue samples from genotyped individuals for purposes of understanding the effects of genetic polymorphism on response to industry compounds in development
- Development of biomarker methodology (including imaging) for use in clinical trials
- Development of systems biology models integrating PK and PD data for modelling and simulation of trial outcomes.
PhD projects will be developed jointly by industry and academic partners and should include at least one Experimental Medicine study involving giving a drug or challenge agent to human subjects. Other components may include mechanistic or laboratory-based analyses as well as biomarker discovery, development or validation. All PhD students will have joint University and industry supervisors, with an option to spend up to a year based with the industrial partner or other university departments.
Clinical Lecturers will be expected to develop their own research programme in an area of joint interest to the University and the Industry Partner, with a strong emphasis on human studies or clinical trials.
Information for academic, clinical academic and industry supervisors
The Steering Committee welcomes expressions of interest (EoI) from academics, clinical academics and industry investigators. To be eligible, an EoI should have a named academic and industry partner, as well as secured funding for the clinical project. If an academic-industry collaborative partnership has not yet been established, please contact the EMI programme manager (Dr Luis Pennanen) so that mutual interest can be matched with academic or industry scientists. Suitable proposals will typically include the following:
- Secured collaboration and funding for the project with an industry partner
- Project meets the strategic interest of both the industry partner and the EMI programme
- Project is sufficiently advanced to be deliverable within the designated timeframe.
Information for applicants
Once approved, PhD studentship and Clinical Lectureship opportunities are advertised on the University’s Job Opportunities page. Interview panels will typically include the academic supervisor (for PhD studentships) or an academic mentor from the host department (for CL positions), along with the industry partner and the EMI programme director.
Informal enquiries may be directed to the EMI programme manager (Dr Luis Pennanen) at any time.