Building a Clinical Academic Career: Lessons, Opportunities and the Power of Putting Yourself Out There

Building a Clinical Academic Career: Lessons, Opportunities and the Power of Putting Yourself Out There

By Dr Natalie Jones.

When people see a research-active clinician, they often imagine a carefully mapped-out career path: scholarships, strategic moves, perfectly timed opportunities. But here’s a secret that most clinical academics don’t say out loud:

Clinical research careers are rarely linear.

There’s rarely a blueprint.

More often, they’re built one building block at a time.

Looking back on my own journey, I can trace a trail of moments that nudged me forward, none of which were guaranteed, and all of which required putting myself out there. This blog is an invitation to anyone curious about research to start shaping their own path.

And yes, you can start now.

Research Careers Are Built, Not Delivered

My route into research wasn’t the result of a masterplan. It was a collection of nudges, chances, ideas and brave leaps. Opportunities don’t usually come knocking; you often have to go hunting.

Some of my most important building blocks were simple acts of curiosity:

• getting involved in audit and applying national guidelines

• starting with tiny service improvement projects

• presenting ideas to colleagues

• asking questions

• opening research studies for others

I became a Principal Investigator long before I felt “ready”, supporting a national trial using the Nintendo Wii for stroke rehabilitation. That step, as small as it seemed, was pivotal, because it changed how I thought about myself and my career.

Here’s the truth most people don’t hear early enough:
small beginnings count.
They’re the foundations for everything that comes next.

Apply for tiny pots of funding.
Join research networks.
Approach people whose work inspires you.
Seek mentors.
Explore MSc programmes in research methods.
Test your ideas in safe spaces.

And while success rates for grants can be low — sometimes less than 50% — every application is practice, and every “yes” genuinely can feel like winning the lottery. Each award I’ve received has been career-changing.

The Career-Changing Impact of NIHR Awards

In the past eight years, I’ve been fortunate to receive more than £500,000 in funding. Not all at once,  but piece by piece:

• Master’s in Clinical Research

• PPI development grants

• Bridging awards

• and eventually, Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship Awards

• Small grants funding my own research

Those grants didn’t just buy time; they bought mentorship, skill-building, professional visibility, space to think, freedom to read, the joy of involving patients meaningfully, and the confidence to push my ideas further.

If you’re even considering applying for an NIHR award, my advice is simple:
Start preparing now.
You don’t need a perfect plan, just momentum.

The 3 Ps: Building Blocks for a Research Career

There are three ingredients that shape every successful clinical academic application. The NIHR calls them the 3 Ps:

Person.
Project.
Place.

No matter where you are in your journey, you can start strengthening these today

1. The Person

This is you, your experience, skills, curiosity, and potential.

Some practical steps:

✨ Create a career development plan
It doesn’t have to stretch 15 years ahead. Even knowing your next step is enough.  Check out the Vitae Research Development Framework https://vitae.ac.uk/vitae-researcher-development-framework/

✨ Identify gaps
What will strengthen your CV?
A research mentor can help you identify and plan towards them.

✨ Practice academic writing
It doesn’t need to be in high-impact journals.
My first publications were in professional news and magazines. That’s how you learn the craft.

✨ Build your network
Attend conferences.
Introduce yourself to researchers.
Ask questions.
Be visible.

✨ Say yes to opportunities
Even the tiny ones. Especially the tiny ones.

Research careers grow by accumulation, not by grand leaps.

2. The Project

When the time comes to apply for funding, you’ll need a clear, compelling research idea. Begin now by sitting with some key questions:

• What problem do I want to solve?

• Why does it matter?

• What is my research gap?

• What benefits will it bring, and to whom?

• What outcomes can I realistically expect?

• How does this fit into my longer-term career story?

If you can explain your idea in a three-minute lift journey, you’re halfway there.

And remember, a meaningful project is grounded in lived experience.

Patient and public voices shouldn’t be an afterthought or a token gesture. They should be the thread running through everything, like lettering in a stick of rock.

Apply for small PPI grants.
Ask people what matters to them.
Test ideas early.
Listen deeply.

It will make your research sharper, more ethical, and more compelling.

3. The Place

Finally, surround yourself with the right environment,  because research is rarely a solo sport.

Choose your future collaborators wisely:

• the organisations you want to be part of

• the people whose thinking inspires you

• the supervisors who will challenge and nurture you

• the methodologists who will stretch your skillset

• the peers who will cheer you on

Seek mentors who’ve walked the path.
Find role models who raise your ambition.
Collect champions who see your potential.

And recognise this:
There will be periods where time is tight, pressures rise, and life gets complicated. In those moments, even one meaningful conversation with a colleague can keep the momentum alive.

Every conversation, every email, every new connection is a step forward.

Reach for the Stars (And Apply Anyway)

Something I wish I’d known earlier:

You do not need to be extraordinary to start a research career.
You only need to be curious and persistent.

Most researchers didn’t begin with complete confidence.
They began by trying, applying, failing, asking, and trying again.

And every grant, publication, project, workshop, connection or tiny spark of progress matters.

If you want to develop as a clinical academic:

• seek out opportunities

• take risks

• ask for help

• keep learning

• believe you have something valuable to contribute

Because you do.

And who knows, maybe in years from now you’ll look back at the building blocks you created today and realise just how far you’ve travelled.

Reach for the stars. You might be surprised where you land.

NIHR career development funding is available through the NIHR Academy at different career levels, from undergraduate to professorships. Our funding is for all professionals across health and social care.

 https://www.nihr.ac.uk/career-development/research-career-funding-programmes