Researchers Careers in Not-For-Profit Research Management and Funding Panel

*THIS EVENT IS FOR RESEARCH STUDENTS AND RESEARCH STAFF ONLY*

This panel aims to help PhD students and other researchers with their career planning by providing an opportunity to hear from, and network with, those working across various sectors in Not-For-Profit Research Management and Funding. Each speaker will share about current role, the organisation they work for, the type of PhD level roles available to researchers in this sector, personal career path, day to day role, any advice that may be relevant to researchers and how they used their PhD to enhance their careers.

Learning Outcomes

• Gain awareness of non-academic career options for researchers within Not-for-Profit Research Management and Funding
• Engage with professionals from within these sectors with Q&A and informal networking
• Understand how to use Researcher  qualifications and experience to an advantage in this field

Panel:

Dr Mathew Tata (he/him) – Funding Policy and Governance Manager, Cancer Research UK 

Dr Mathew Tata (he/him) works in the Funding Policy and Governance team at Cancer Research UK (CRUK). He completed his PhD at UCL in 2016 and then undertook an EMBO postdoctoral fellowship in Sweden in 2018 before returning to the UK in 2021. He then moved away from the laboratory bench to pursue a career in research policy, working first for the non-profit organisation Vitae, before starting his role at CRUK in early 2023.

Whilst conducting research in developmental and stem cell biology, he led several research advocacy initiatives, including as the chair of the institutional and national postdoc associations in Sweden and also serving in the board of the international NGO Eurodoc. At Vitae, he coordinated the ‘HR Excellence in Research Award’ process for over 100 higher education institutions, which helped him develop a strong understanding of UK universities’ current priorities and challenges. His work at CRUK involves him evolving funding policy to promote a healthier research culture in cancer research and more broadly, something he is deeply passionate about and he sees the role of a funder as vital to delivering a more effective, equitable and sustainable research system.

[More panellists to be added closer to the event date...]