Key features
Our new Post-Doctoral, Post CCT Research Fellowship for doctors provides :
- Three years (maximum, full time) time to conduct clinical research
- Consultant clinical academic salary (up to a maximum 5 year post-CCT (or equivalent) threshold)
- Research expenses
The Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) Post-Doctoral, Post-CCT Research Fellowship (APPRF) is a rare opportunity for Consultant level doctors aspiring to progress their research careers at Imperial University. The award funds high quality clinical academics to work towards intermediate fellowship/clinician scientist programmes.
The APPRF Fellowships are funded jointly by the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine academic Departments and our NHS clinical partners.
For the 2025/26 recruitment round the following APPRF opportunities are available:
- Cardiometabolic medicine – for applicants with CCT (or equivalent) in Cardiology, with clinical work at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, hosted academically by the National Heart & Lung Institute
- Adult Psychiatry – for applicants with CCT (or equivalent) in General Adult, Older Adult and Forensic Psychiatry (must be discussed and agreed with clinical division and DBS), with clinical work at Central and North West London NHS, hosted academically by the Department of Brain Sciences
- Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery – for applicants with CCT (or equivalent) in General Surgery, with clinical work to be agreed with Head of Department of Surgery and Cancer, research hosted by Department of Surgery and Cancer
These are the only opportunities available; applications linked to any other department will not be considered.
Through the Fellowship, available in these specific clinical and research areas only, you will receive funding for up to 3 years protected time to conduct research (both salary and consumables) and write applications for your next fellowship, alongside a 50% clinical role within an AHSC linked NHS Trust. This opportunity is available in defined specialty areas and designed for individuals with the potential to become leaders in academic medicine with a commitment to conducting research at Imperial College London.
To be eligible you must have been awarded a PhD or MD before starting the APPRF and hold a CCT or be within 1 year of completing Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) (or equivalent) at the time of application and have CCTd by the time of starting, OR be up to a maximum of 5 years post-CCT (or equivalent).
The award is for a maximum of 3 years undertaking part-time research whilst maintaining clinical work ~2.5 days per week (subject to being offered an Honorary contract at one of our partner NHS Trusts, which will require you to undergo some additional clinical consultant processes to meet Trust and Royal College requirements).
About the APPRF Programme
Recruitment to the APPRF awards will open in November/December 2025, with a view to successful candidates taking up the fellowships from September 2026.
The APPRF application process consists of two stages. Before submitting any documents, interested applicants must contact the relevant department within the Imperial Faculty of Medicine (FoM) and NHS clinical department to discuss their research interests and confirm support for their application. FOM Departments and NHS clinical divisions will contribute 50% each of the fellowship cost.
- Stage 1: Securing Departmental and NHS Support, deadline Wednesday 18 February 2026
Applicants must first gain support from the proposed ‘host’ Department in the Faculty of Medicine and NHS Clinical Department using the APPRF Application form and CV before finalising and submitting their applications to the Job Applicants section of the Imperial College London website.
*Applicants to contact Imperial College Faculty of Medicine Academic Depts and NHS Clinical Departments to identify potential projects, get confirmation of support and Worktribe costings for including in APPRF application form with CV (before submitting formal ‘job’ application).
The deadline for submission of completed APPRF application forms to Imperial and NHS Clinical Departments will be specified. Please note that each department may set a different closing date, and applicants are strongly advised to contact departments and divisions as early as possible to allow sufficient time for departmental approval. See ‘Further information’ for guidance and Award application form template.
NOTE: Only applicants who receive full support at Stage 1 are permitted to proceed to Stage 2 of the process.
- Stage 2: Job Application Submission, deadline Wednesday 25 February 2026
Once departmental support is confirmed, applicants are required to submit their final application via the Imperial College London Job Applicants portal. Applicants must submit the signed/approved APPRF application form, and upload their CV and completed Job Application via the Job Applicants section of the Imperial College London website by the application deadline.
* Applicants to submit finalised application documentation online via Imperial College London Job Applicant section.
Documents typically required include:
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A completed Job Application Form (submitted online)
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A CV (maximum 5 pages)
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A completed and Faculty/NHS Clinical Department-approved APPRF Application Form (including Worktribe costings)
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Disclaimer:
The documents provided below are for illustrative purposes only and relate to the APPRF recruitment process. Please note that the eligibility criteria, application process, and associated templates may be amended in future recruitment rounds. Applicants are advised to refer to the most current documents available at the time of application.
Departmental support
Applicants must gain support from the proposed ‘host’ Department in the Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine (FoM) and NHS Clinical Department using the APPRF Application form before finalising and submitting their applications. They should contact the relevant Departmental Research Manager/contact and Head of Department/Division to discuss their application as early as possible.
Remember to check the latest date that applicants can approach departments, each department may set an earlier deadline for internal departmental review. Applicants are advised to make contact as early as possible to give enough time for department approval. Please contact your Departmental/Divisional research and clinical contacts for more information.
Applicants not currently affiliated with Imperial College London are eligible to apply, but the research proposed MUST be undertaken in an Imperial College Faculty of Medicine academic department and with an Imperial University research group, and will require the applicant to move into a University site, but can be collaborative with other universities.
APPRF in Cardiometabolic Medicine
| Imperial Faculty of Medicine Department Contacts |
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Contacts |
|
National Heart & Lung Institute Alun Owen, Research Manager a.owen@imperial.ac.uk Prof Barbara Casadei, Head of Dept Dr Gareth Hyde, Director of Operations |
Prof Sadia Khan - sadia.khan@imperial.ac.uk Consultant Cardiologist (C&W Trust) and Professor of Practice (NHLI/Imperial) Prof Jonathan Valabhji - j.valabhji@imperial.ac.uk Clinical Chair in Medicine (Imperial) and Honorary Consultant Diabetologist (C&W Trust) |
APPRF in General Adult/Old Age/Forensic Psychiatry
| Imperial Faculty of Medicine Department Contacts | Central & NW London Foundation Trust Contacts |
|---|---|
|
Celia Domingues, Research Manager Prof Sameer Jauhar Clinical Associate Professor in Affective Disorders and Psychosis sameer.jauhar@imperial.ac.uk Prof Allan Young, Head of Dept Emma Watson, Director of Operations |
Dr Simon Edwards - simon.edwards2@nhs.net Deputy Chief Medical Officer |
APPRF in Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery
| Imperial Faculty of Medicine Department Contacts | Clinical/NHS Contacts |
|---|---|
|
Department of Surgery and Cancer Rita Carvalho Research Manager Prof George Hanna, Head of Dept Elsa Paul, Director of Operations |
Applicants to liaise with Prof George Hanna for location of clinical component of role. |
Disclaimer:
The documents provided below are for illustrative purposes only and relate to the APPRF recruitment process. Please note that the eligibility criteria, application process, and associated templates may be amended in future recruitment rounds. Applicants are advised to refer to the most current documents available at the time of application.
APPRF recruitment useful documents:
Eligibility Criteria and Application Process: Please refer to the APPRF Job Description and APPRF Applicant Guidelines.
Applicant Award Application Template
For queries about the Fellowship please contact: cato@imperial.ac.uk
Useful links
Contact us
The CATO Team and Radiographers Incubator work on a Hybrid model, combining days in the office with days working from home – the best way to reach us is by email.
cato@imperial.ac.uk
radresearch@imperial.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 3313 7397
