Early Career Mentoring Network
Welcome to the Early Career Mentoring Network, run by the Faculty of Medical Sciences.
The Early Career Mentoring Network provides the opportunity for early-career researchers (PhD students and Post-docs) to discuss career issues with people who may have relevant experience. Mentors are not there to solve your problems, but they can help you work through issues, give examples of similar cases (possibly their own) and give some advice. All interactions with Mentors are of course confidential.
On this page, you can find contact information of people across the different Institutes who have agreed to be approached. Each Mentor has some information listed next to their names which may help you with your selection.
When you have selected someone you would like to talk to, please start by sending them an e-mail message. This message should have something about mentoring in the Subject line, and should clearly state what you would like to discuss with this person. They will then reply to you with suggested times for a meeting. They may also request that you send them more information ahead of the meeting, allowing them to prepare. This will depend on the Mentor and the exact topic you want to discuss.
The Early Career Mentoring Network does not imply any expectation of long-term relationships between the Mentor and the Mentee. It is perfectly possible to have a single meeting with one of our Mentors to get a third-party perspective on a career issue you are struggling with. If you want to have more meetings with the same person in the future, this is between you and them to arrange. If you want to meet with more than one Mentor, this is perfectly fine as well.
If you have any questions about the Early Career Mentoring Network, please contact Tom Smulders () in the first instance.
NOTE: This is by no means a prescriptive list. If you want to contact someone not on this list and you feel comfortable approaching them, you should go right ahead.
Institute of Neuroscience (IoN)
Academic Mentors
Melissa Bateson (Professor)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate degree in Zoology with Biological Anthropology: University of Oxford, 1987-1990
DPhil, University of Oxford (Zoology), 1990-1993
Post-doctoral research assistant Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 1993-1995
Wellcome Advanced Training Fellow, University of Oxford and Department of Psychology, Duke University (USA) 1995-1998
Royal Society University Research Fellow, Department of Psychology, Newcastle University, 1998-2007
Lecturer, Newcastle University, 2007-2009
Reader, Newcastle University, 2009-2012
Professor, Newcastle University, 2012-
Family situation:
Married to another senior academic
Gavin Clowry (Senior Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience - Dental School
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Oxford 1979-83
DPhil at University of Oxford- 1983-1987
Post-doc at University of Oxford 1987-1989
Post-doc at University College London 1989-1994
Lectureship at Newcastle University in 1994
Family situation:
Married to High School Teacher
4 children
David Cousins (MRC Clinician Scientist)
Institute of Neuroscience – Wolfson Research Centre, CAV
Career path:
MBBS - Newcastle University Medical School (UK) 1990-1996
BMedSci - Newcastle University Intercalated 1994-1995
Central Newcastle Hospitals SHO general medicine 1997-2000
MRCP(UK) 2000
Northern Deanery Core and Specialist psychiatry training 2000-2011
MRCPscyh 2003
PhD - Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre 2006-2011
MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship 2006-2009
FSF Funded Clinical Research Associate 2009-2011
GMC Specialist register 2011
Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist Regional Affective Disorders Service 2012-ongoing
Family situation:
Married to a psychiatrist
2 lively boys (born in during my PhD!)
Peter Gallagher (Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Northumbria (UK) 1995-1998
Research Associate in Academic Psychiatry, Newcastle University 1999-2013
(Concurrently completing staff-registered MPhil (1999-2003) and PhD (2004-2010))
Lectureship in Neuropsychology at Newcastle University in 2013
Family situation:
Sold (subject to contract)
No children
Marcus Kaiser (Reader)
Institute of Neuroscience/School of Computing Sciences – Claremont Tower
Career path:
Undergraduate: Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) 1997-2002
PhD at Jacobs University Bremen (Germany) - 2002-2005
RCUK Academic Fellow at Newcastle University - 2005-2010
Visiting Associate Professor at Seoul National University (South Korea) - 2010-2012 (part time)
Readership at Newcastle University in 2010
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher
1 child
Andrew Jackson (Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellow)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Oxford 1994-1998
PhD at UCL – 1998-2002
Post-doc at University of Washington (US) 2002-2006
Moved to Newcastle in 2006, awarded Wellcome Trust fellowship at 2nd attempt in 2008
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher
No children
Domhnall Jennings (Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
BA, MA in Psychology – University College Dublin
PhD in Zoology – University College Dublin
Post Doc at University of York (Psychology)
Post Doc at University of Nottingham (Psychology)
Fiona Lebeau (Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience – Cookson Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: Sheffield University, UK 1988-1991
PhD at Newcastle University 1991-95
Post-doc at University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA 1996-1999
Post-doc MRC Unit, Oxford, UK 1999 – reloacted with supervisor to Leeds University 1999-2005.
Lectureship - Newcastle University 2005
Family situation:
No children
Other info:
Started Undergraduate degree as a mature student.
Chris Petkov (Reader)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: California State University, Chico (USA) 1992-1997
PhD at University of California, Davis (USA) - 1998-2004
Post-doc at Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics (Germany) - 2004-2008
Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University in 2008
Family situation:
Married with 2 kids
Jenny Read (Reader)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: BA in Physics at Oxford University (UK) 1991-1994
PhD (DPhil) in Theoretical Astrophysics at Oxford University (UK) - 1994-1997
Wellcome Trust Mathematical Biology Training Fellowship at Oxford University (UK) - 1997-2001
Post-doc at National Institutes of Health (USA) - 2001-2005
Royal Society University Research Fellowship at Newcastle University (UK) – 2005-2013
Readership at Newcastle University from 2013
Family situation:
Married, since 1995, to a schoolteacher
2 children
Other info:
6 months maternity leave with 2nd child in UK.
Unofficial 2 months period of poor work attendance with 1st child in US.
Candy Rowe (Reader)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
BSc Zoology, University of Nottingham 1991-1994
PhD, University of Oxford 1994-1998
Sir James Knott Fellow, Newcastle University 1998-2001
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow, Newcastle University 2001-2005
Lecturer, Newcastle University 2005-2008
Family situation:
Partner also an academic in IoN
1 child
Other info:
6 months maternity leave in 2010
Member of the BBSRC Training Awards Committee that assessed David Phillips applications (2010-12)
Current member of NC3Rs Grant Panel, and Core Member of BBSRC Grant Panel A
Tom Smulders (Senior Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience – HenryWellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Antwerp (Belgium) 1988-1992
PhD at Cornell University (USA) - 1992-1998
Post-doc at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (USA) - 1998-2000
Post-doc at Duke University (USA) - 2000-2002
Lectureship at Newcastle University in 2002
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher
2 children
Roger Whittaker(Clinical Senior Lecturer)
Institute of Neuroscience - Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Cambridge 1989-1995
NHS House officer 1995-1996
Research assistant Institute of Molecular Medicine, Oxford 1996-1997
NHS Senior House officer 1997-2002
Registrar Clinical Neurophysiology 2002-2005
PhD at Newcastle University 2005-2008
Consultant Clinical Neurophysiologist 2008-2013
Clinical Senior Lectureship at Newcastle University in 2013
Family situation:
Married to Consultant Neuroradiologist
3 children
Geraldine (Jeri) Wright (Professor)
Institute of Neuroscience – Henry Wellcome Building
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Wyoming (1990-1994)
DPhil University of Oxford (1994-1998)
Post-doc Ohio State University (1999-2005)
Lectureship at Newcastle University in 2005
Family situation:
Single, no children
Non-Academic Mentors
Andrew Baron
Scientist/ section head bioassay ELISA group at BioOutsource (Glasgow).
Career path:
Undergraduate: Pharmacology 2003-2007
Analyst with Covance 2005-2006
MRES in Medical and Molecular Biosciences 2007-2008
PhD Neuroscience 2008-2011
Roche Clinical Trials Assistant 3 month Jan-March 2012
Family situation:
Single
Email:
Lucinda Male
Office location:
Redburn,75 King William St, London
Current position:
Maternity leave from position as equity analyst
Career path:
Undergraduate: Cambridge University 1997-2000
Accountancy: ACA qualification whilst working at Arthur Andersen 2000-2003
PhD at Newcastle University 2003-2006
Business modelling in corporate finance at Deloitte 2006-2007
Equity analyst (stockbroker) at Redburn from 2007
Family situation:
Married
2 children (born in 2011 and 2014)
Career breaks:
Currently on maternity leave. Expected to be March 2014 to March 2015
Maternity leave from February 2011 to February 2012
Gap yr before undergraduate
Contact:
Fiona Randall
Scientist in Translational Neurogenomics Research Group (Electrophysiology Lead, Project Leader)
Eisai Inc., Massachusetts, USA
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Edinburgh, UK - Molecular Biology with an industrial placement year with Merck, Sharp and Dohme UK) 2000-2005
PhD at Newcastle University, UK, 2005-2008
Post-doc at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, Japan 2008-2010
Scientist at Glaxosmithkline, Shanghai, China 2010-2012
Senior Principal Researcher at Eisai, UK 2012-2014
Family situation:
Single
Email:
Claire Savy
Centre Manager for EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Fluid Dynamics at University of Leeds
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Sunderland 2003-2006
MSc: University of Teesside 2006-2007
Graduate Analyst at Sanofi-Aventis 2007-2008
PhD at Newcastle University 2008-2012
Internship at Staff and Departmental Development Unit (SDDU), University of Leeds 2012-2013
Course Coordinator at SDDU, University of Leeds 2013-2014
Centre Manager at University of Leeds 2014 to present
Family situation:
Engaged
Email:
Institute of Genetic Medicine (IGM)
Academic Mentors:
Prof Helen Arthur
Office location:
Cardiac Offices, 2nd floor, BioMedicine East Wing, Centre for Life.
Current position:
Professor of Cardiovascular Biology, IGM.
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Liverpool 1973-1976
PhD at University of Nottingham 1976-1980
Teaching Demonstrator Newcastle University 1980-1983
Lectureship at Newcastle University in 1983-1984
Resigned to become a part time postdoc when Claire was born
Postdoc at Newcastle University 1984-1986
Career Break 1986-1995
Research Associate Newcastle University 1996-1997
Wellcome Trust Research Re-entry Fellow 1998-2002
Senior Research Associate 2002-2003
BHF Lectureship 2003-2008
BHF Senior Basic Science Research Fellow 2008-2013
Personal Chair 2013-
Family situation:
Married to another academic
3 children
Career break:
11 years between 1986 and 1995 to bring up my young family
Dr Simon Bamforth
Office location:
Cardiac Offices, 2nd floor, BioMedicine East Wing, Centre for Life.
Current position:
University Lecturer, Institute of Genetic Medicine.
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of East London 1989-1992
PhD, University of London 1992-1996
Post Doc, Max Planck Institute, Bad Nauheim, Germany 1996 -1998
Post Doc, Oxford University 1998 - 2008
British Heart Foundation Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship, Newcastle University 2008 – 2013
University Lecturer at Newcastle University 2014 -
Family situation:
Married
2 children
Mike Briggs
Office location:
B202 West Wing Biomedicine IGM
Current position:
Professor
Career path:
Undergraduate: Liverpool (1985-1989)
PhD at MRC Clinical Research Centre & ICL (1989-1992)
Post-doc at UCLA (1992-1995)
Research Fellow at University of Manchester (1996-2004)
Senior Research Fellow at University of Manchester (2004-20012)
Professor at Newcastle University (2012-)
Family situation:
Married to a research nurse/midwife
3 children
Career breaks:
none
Dr Bill Chaudhry
Office location:
Cardiac Chambers, Second Floor, Biomedicine East Wing, Institute of Genetic Medicine
Current position:
Senior Lecturer
Career path:
Medicine: Newcastle University 1982-87
PhD at UCL 1995- 1998
Consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care 2002-2010
Senior Lecturer atNewcastle University in 2010
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher
3 children
Career breaks:
Several swaps between clinic and laboratory environments
Dr Joanna Elson
Office location:
Third floor of the BioMedicine East Wing at the Centre for Life
Current position:
Lecturer in Mitochondrial Genetics, IGM
Career path:
Undergraduate: University College London 1995-1998
PhD at University of Newcastle 1998-2002
MRC Bioinformatics Training Fellow, Newcastle University, 2002-2005
Research Associate, Newcastle University, 2005-2006
RCUK Academic Fellow, Newcastle University, 2006-2011
Lecturer in mitochondrial genetics, Newcastle University, 2011 – present
Honorary Professor North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa, 2012 – present
Family situation:
Married to another academic living in London, no children
Career break:
None
Dr Mike Jackson
Office location:
G220A (Institute of Genetic Medicine, ICFL East Wing)
Current position:
Senior Lecturer
Career path:
Undergraduate at University of Nottingham, Genetics. 1981-1984
PhD at Cambridge University, Genetics. 1984-1988
Post-doc at North Carolina State University, Genetics (USA). 1988-1990
Post-doc at Cambridge University, Pathology. 1990-1993
Royal Society Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Newcastle University. 1993-1998
Lecturer, Newcastle University. 1998-2001
Family situation:
Married
2 children
Career breaks:
none
Professor Simon Pearce
Information to follow
Professor Caroline Relton
Information to follow
Prof Maya Sieber-Blum
Office location:
B141, Centre for Life
Current position:
Professor
Career path:
Undergraduate: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich
PhD: The Biocenter, University of Basel, Switzerland
Post-doc: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Instructor (Lecturer): The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Assistant professor: The Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA
Associate professor: The Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA
Full professor with tenure: The Medical College of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, USA
Professor of Stem Cell Sciences (since 2008): Newcastle University
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher; divorced
2 sons (adult)
Career breaks:
None
Non-Academic Mentors:
Dr Gillian Borthwick
Office location:
B207 IGM, 2nd Floor West Wing
Current position:
NIHR CRN: genetics National Research Coordinator
Career path:
Undergraduate: Glasgow University 1976-1980
PhD at Glasgow University - 1980-1983
Post-doc at Bristol University - 1983-1990
Post-doc at Adelaide University (Australia) – 1990-1992
Post-doc/Research Fellow at Newcastle University- 1995-2008
Senior Grants Administrator & Assistant Grants & Contracts Manager, Newcastle University Research Office 2008- 2010
NIHR CRN: genetics National Research Coordinator , Newcastle University IGM 2010- to date
Family situation:
Married to another research scientist who has also left the lab, now works in bioinformatics
2 sons
Career breaks: 1992-1995 due to relocation from Australia to UK with young children
Dr Michelle Latham
Office location:
IGM, 2nd Floor West Wing
Current position:
Institute Manager
Career path:
Undergraduate: BSc (Hons) Medical Biology, Brunel University
Sandwich work placements: Hillingdon Hospital, Biochemistry Dept – Medical Laboratory Assistant. Harefield Hospital, Heart Graft Dept – Medical Researcher.
PhD, Liverpool University: Surface Analysis and in vitro Biocompatibility of Chemically Modified Ti and Ti-alloys
Liverpool University: Practical Demonstrator (during PhD)
Unilever: Part-time Quality Control Analyst (during PhD)
Ashby Scientific Medical Devices: Laboratory and Project Manager
National Blood Service: Tissue Bank Supervisor
NIBSC (Health Protection Agency), Biotherapeutics: Divisional Resource Manager
Moorfields Eye Hospital : Eye Bank Manager
UCL, Institute for Women’s Health: Institute Manager
Newcastle University, IGM: Institute Manager
Family situation:
No dependants
Career breaks:
3 months: Travel to Australia & NZ in 2008
Northern Institute for Cancer Research (NICR)
Academic Mentors:
Dr. James Allan
Office location:
Paul O'Gorman building
Current Position:
Senior lecturer
Career path:
Undergraduate: Liverpool Polytechnic (1988-1992)
Research Student: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals (1990-1991)
DPhil at York University (1992-1996)
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America Fellow at Harvard University (Boston, USA) (1996-1998)
Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund Fellow at Leeds University (1998-2003)
Independent Fellow at York University (2003-2007)
Senior Lectureship at Newcastle University (2007-present)
Family situation:
Married with two children.
Career breaks:
None
Dr. Olivier Binda
Office location:
Paul O'Gorman building, room 2.018
Current position:
Newcastle Fellow
Career path:
Undergraduate: Université Laval (Québec City, Canada) 1997-2000
PhD at McGill University (Montréal, Canada) 2000-2007
Postdoc at Stanford University (Palo Alto, USA) 2007-2009
Postdoc at Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (Montréal, Canada) 2009-2012
Family situation:
Family overseas.
Professor Steve Clifford
Office location:
Level 5, Sir James Spence Institute for Child Health, RVI
Current position:
Professor of Molecular Paediatric Oncology
Career path:
Undergraduate: Cardiff University (UK) 1988-1991; PhD at Newcastle University (UK) - 1991-1995; Post-doc at Cambridge University (UK) - 1995-1997; MRC Research Fellowship at Birmingham/Oxford Universities (UK) - 1997-2000; Lectureship at Newcastle University - 2000-2005; Senior Lectureship at Newcastle University - 2005-2009; Chair at Newcastle University - 2009-.
Family situation:
Married to a non-academic
3 children
Career breaks:
None
Dr. Kelly Coffey
Office location:
Floor 2 North (Paul O'Gorman Building)
Current position:
Prostate Cancer UK Career Development Fellow
Career path:
Undergraduate: Newcastle University (UK) 1998-2001
PhD at Newcastle University (UK) - 2001-2005
Junior Research Associate at Newcastle University (UK) - 2005-2007
Post-doc at Newcastle University (UK) - 2007-2008
Post-doc at Newcastle University (UK) - 2008-2011
Post-doc at Newcastle University (UK) - 2011-2014
Prostate Cancer UK Career Development Fellow - 2014
Family situation:
Married to a Proctor and Gamble Prestige Services Manager
No children
Career breaks:
None
Professor Nicola Curtin
Office location:
1st Floor Paul O'Gorman Building
Current position:
Professor
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of York (1972-5) PhD at University of Surrey - 1977-1981, RA at PHL (Newcastle) 1982-1985, RA (1985-1990), SRA 1990-1996, Lecturer 1996-2002, Senior Lecturer 2002-2006, Professor 2006 to present all at Newcastle University
Family situation:
Married to a mechanical engineer
1 child
Career breaks:
8 months travelling after PhD 1981-2
4 months following road traffic accident 1988
3 months maternity
Dr. Luke Gaughan
Office location:
Paul O'Gorman building
Current Position:
Senior lecturer
Career path:
BSc Biochemistry 1998: Newcastle University
PhD 2001: Newcastle University
Post-doc 2001-2006: Newcastle University
2006-2011: RCUK academic research fellow, Newcastle University
2011-2014: University Lecturer, Newcastle University
Family situation:
Married with three children
Career breaks:
None
Professor Olaf Heidenreich
Office location:
Paul O'Gorman Bld
Current position:
Professor of Molecular Haematopoiesis
Career path:
Undergraduate: University of Goettingen (Germany) 1984-1990
PhD at Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine (Goettingen, Germany) 1990-1993
Post-doc at Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, USA) - 1993-1995
SRA at Medical School Hannover (Germany) - 1996-1997
Lectureship at University of Tuebingen 1997-2007
Senior Lectureship at Newcastle University 2007-2012
Professorship since 2012
Family situation:
Married to another academic researcher
3 children
Career breaks:
None
Dr. Julie Irving
Office location:
Paul O'Gorman building
Current position:
Reader
Career path:
Undergraduate: Newcastle University- 1982-1985
PhD as staff member at Newcastle University - 1986-1991