So you want to be a Principal Investigator

Are you considering becoming a PI?

What does it mean to be a PI and what are the routes to becoming one?

The session will explore the perspective of the funders and of departments. Both are critical in enabling the transition from postdoc to research independence. There is no single route to becoming a PI at Oxford, so the session focuses on what you can do to increase your chances of making the most of any opportunity that arises and of what you might need to do to create such an opportunity.

It also looks at what the life of a PI is like, drawing heavily on research that Oxford Learning Institute did in 2015 on the transition from DPhil to PI and using the words of those who have made that transition. There is no set of steps or rules that guarantee success, so the emphasis is on exploration and on learning from those who made the transition, and from each other. There is an element of ‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ as we look at the first year or so in the life of a PI and the challenges they face to keep going.”