Nurturing talent: Highlights from the inaugural BRC Career Development Conference

On Tuesday 17 September, the NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) hosted its inaugural Career Development Conference at the Edgbaston Park Hotel. This event brought together early career researchers, senior investigators, and support staff for a day of insightful presentations, networking, and professional growth.

The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from our Interim Director, Professor Paul Moss, who highlighted the role of the BRC within the national research landscape and the importance of discovery science to improve health outcomes. “Use this opportunity, and be creative with your science,” he said as he highlighted our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive research environment.

The BRC Academic Career Development Lead, Professor Trish Lalor, then introduced the BRC core team and their offer to support researchers at any stage of their careers. Afterwards, Research Fellow Justin Aunger took centre stage to give an overview of the work of the NIHR Midlands Patient Safety Research Collaboration and the Applied Research Collaboration, highlighting the potential for collaborations within the wider local NIHR infrastructure.

We were also joined by Emily Lam, a BRC patient and public research partner, who spoke about her personal experience with patient involvement and the importance of Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) to increase transparency, accountability and acceptability of research among the general public. “I used to think that research was something done behind closed doors, in laboratories, by researchers who I’d never meet,” she explained. “We need to change people’s perception: it’s not an elite vs everyone else, and bringing research out into the open will help get people on board so they can tap into, and benefit from, the knowledge of researchers like you.”

The morning session then featured inspirational and refreshing talks from Dr Matt Armstrong, Consultant Hepatologist at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust, and Misti McCain, Laboratory Technical Specialist at the Newcastle BRC. While the primary aim of their talks was to give attendees a glance into different potential careers in research, as an NHS clinician and a lab technician respectively, they also shared many useful tips and learnings derived from their own career journey.

While taking opportunities as they present themselves is key, they both highlighted how that should only happen when opportunities align with our interests, ambitions and priorities – whether these are being present for a growing family or choosing a level of responsibility and a place to put down roots that suit us. “Not everyone wants to be a superstar PI,” said Ms McCain, who is currently studying her PhD. “I wanted to stay in Newcastle and not move around, and I chose a path that allowed me to do that, while also working on what I find interesting.”

A key highlight of the day was the abstract presentations by early career researchers, which showcased the breadth of innovative research being conducted at the BRC and provided a platform for researchers to share their findings and receive valuable feedback. We heard from:

• Dr Jayna Mistry, Clinical Research Fellow within the BRC Thrombo-inflammation theme, about her work to improve investigation and management for people with bleeding disorder of unknown cause;
• Viorelia Stoica, Clinical Fellow within our Oral, Intestinal & Systemic Health theme, who presented her research into how salivary meta-transcriptomes can predict inflammatory bowel disease status;
• Chiemelie Ngonadi, NIHR Clinical Research Fellow working with our Inflammatory Liver Disease theme, who delivered an excellent talk about the ExaLT trial;
• Anni Georghiou, 1^st year PhD student within our Cancer Inflammation theme, who illustrated her investigation of the determinants of immune-related adverse events following immune checkpoint blockade in solid cancers​;
• Dr Harry Harvey, BRC Fellow within our Oral, Intestinal & Systemic Health theme, who is developing next generation probiotic formulations to combat periodontal disease​.

The afternoon session continued with more inspirational talks by Dr Mark Singh, Non-clinical Manager at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Dr Nicola Anderson, Lead Nurse in Research, Development and Innovation at UHB and Research Fellow. With their insights into non-clinical and clinical career trajectories, pros and cons and red flags to look out for while investigating potential opportunities, and a wealth of tips – including how to gain confidence and manage imposter syndrome – they provided valuable guidance for attendees considering their future career paths.

After hearing from Bridget Bell, Clinical Academic Training Programme Manager and Tim Giles, Researcher Development Manager at the University of Birmingham, about the training and funding opportunities available via Birmingham Health Partners and the University, the conference concluded with the presentation of awards for the best speaker and best poster, recognising the remarkable contributions of the participants. Congratulations to Chiemelie Ngonadi and Dr Asgher Champsi on winning our ‘Best speaker’ and ‘Best poster’ prizes respectively!

The event was very well received by attendees, with feedback highlighting how much they enjoyed the informal community atmosphere and the variety of speakers and topics. Professor Trish Lalor remarked: “This conference has been a testament to the incredible talent and potential within our research community. It is crucial for us to support and nurture these brilliant early career researchers as they embark on their professional journeys.”