Director of the Oxford Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership
We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated individual to the role of Director of the Oxford-MRC Doctoral Training Partnership (MRC DTP). The role is available from the start of HT26 and is tenable for three years in the first instance.
Overview of the role
The appointee will be a senior academic in the medical sciences, with appropriate experience and institutional standing, who will lead the delivery of the Oxford-MRC DTP. The Director will also help support the University’s preparation of future bids for MRC DTP funding (including iCASE studentships), with the next bid due for submission in February 2026, with a panel interview in the summer, and will also support Oxford-based groups applying for Centres of Research Excellence (CoREs). The appointee will be an experienced supervisor of MRC-funded research students with a thorough understanding of the MRC’s expectations for postgraduate training and their priorities for skills provision. The Director will ideally have experience of applying for MRC grant funding and/or grant applications involving multiple stakeholders, coupled with knowledge of research policy, strategy and funding in the medical sciences. They will have highly effective negotiating skills and experience in the delivery of collaborative activity and will also have experience of, and enthusiasm for, skills development.
The Director of the MRC DTP will be a member of a small Executive Group for the Graduate School. This group is led by and supports the Director of the Graduate School in matters relating to graduate studies in the Medical Sciences Division. The other members of the group are the Chair and Vice-Chairs of the Division’s Graduate School Committee (GSC) and the Director of Skills Training and Researcher Development.
The Graduate School Office, under the direction of the Assistant Registrar (Graduate School), Chris Higham, and with the support of the Graduate School Officer, Lauren Wild who is secretary to the MRC DTP Steering Group and the Graduate School Support Officer (UKRI Funding), Aga Bush, provide advice and support for the Director of the MRC DTP. No secretarial support or office space is provided for the Director and as such they will be expected to manage their own secretarial needs and to carry out their duties from their existing place of work.
How to apply
The role is available to internal applicants only, who are expected to remain employed by the university for the duration of the tenure. The Director of the MRC DTP is accountable to the Director of the Graduate School for the performance of their duties. A responsibility allowance is available in recognition of the additional duties attached to the Directorship. The terms of the appointment will be agreed between the Head of Division and the appointee, after discussion with the appointee’s Head of Department.
Queries about the role may be addressed to christopher.higham@medsci.ox.ac.uk. All enquiries will be treated in strict confidence; they will not form part of the selection decision.
Expressions of interest including a short CV and a cover letter (no more than 2 pages, including the contact details of two referees) explaining what you will bring to the role, your previous experience and what you would hope to achieve, should be emailed to christopher.higham@medsci.ox.ac.uk not later than 12.00 noon on Wednesday 3 December 2025. It is expected that interviews will take place in mid-December.
Responsibilities/duties
- chair the Oxford-MRC DTP Steering Group;
- advise the Division on MRC studentship funding policy and requirements;
- lead on applications to the MRC for renewal and expansion of the DTP which includes iCASE studentships
- have oversight and management of the Oxford-MRC DTP (including iCASE allocations- there are two Academic co-leads for the MRC iCASE Enterprise Studentships);
- liaise with the MRC, and with MRC DTPs at other institutions;
- lead on all aspects of the Oxford-MRC DTP programme, including cohort building, training events, induction events and annual symposia;
- keep DTP policy and activities under review, and lead on proposals for new developments;
- attend the MSD Graduate School Committee and the Graduate School Executive Group
About the Oxford MRC DTP
The Oxford MRC Doctoral Training Partnership provides comprehensive support for graduate students undertaking medical research. This includes generous funding and access to outstanding training opportunities. All MRC-funded students (DTP, iCASE,Unit-based or CoRE) and Clinical Training Fellows at Oxford University are members of the partnership. A key feature of the partnership is its flexibility. DTP-funded students can undertake one of several different types of DPhil course on offer in any area within the remit of the Medical Research Council. Approximately 12 new DPhil students are funded each year through the partnership, undertaking projects in a wide range of areas, with a particular focus on four core themes: infection and immunology; neuroscience; cancer; and population health, genomics and genes. In addition, 8 Enterprise (iCASE) studentships are also awarded each year by the DTP.
The MRC is the single largest funder of doctoral training in the Medical Sciences Division. The current Oxford-MRC DTP provides in excess of £1.5m p.a. studentship funding which covers five cohorts of students (for 2022-2026 starts). The standard DTP awards are pre- allocated by the Division as part of the Graduate School Studentship Competition, which awards over £7m p.a. in total by combining a variety of funding sources to ensure that the Division’s studentship funds are awarded to the best applicants. It is anticipated that the MRC will invite bids for future DTPs in late 2025 for cohorts starting in 2027, and the Director will play a key role in leading on submission of Oxford’s bid, in collaboration with DTP associate partners in the MPLS Division, MRC Units and the recently established CoREs. Oxford also receives supplementary MRC DTP funding (ca. £200k p.a.) which is used to make awards to support skills and partnership training for MRC-funded students and early career researchers, administered through a separate, lighter-touch competition.