Postdoc to PI: Securing an Independent Research Position in the UK Webinar
Is your next goal to lead your own lab? Don’t miss this.
- Date: 22 April 2026
- Time: 16:00–17:00 BST
- Format: Webinar
- Secure your free place
Securing an independent academic position in the UK and establishing your own research group is a major career step, and one you want to get right.
You’re expected to demonstrate independence, funding potential, and strategic fit, while presenting a clear research vision that aligns with departmental priorities. With so much at stake, knowing where to focus and what hiring panels value can make all the difference.
As part of our Postdoc to PI webinar series, this UK-focused session offers a clear, honest view of how to position yourself as a competitive applicant.
Real, Honest Advice from Experience
Drawing on their experience in recruitment, mentoring, and academic leadership, our speakers, Professor Gareth Miles and Professor Gavin Woodhall, will share what UK hiring panels are really looking for and how you can position yourself to succeed. You can also ask your questions directly and gain practical insight to help you focus your time and effort where it matters most.
What will be covered?
- How the UK academic hiring system works - and what makes it different
- What UK panels look for when appointing new PIs
- How to demonstrate independence, funding potential, and departmental fit
- How applications are assessed, from CVs to shortlisting decisions
- What to expect from UK interviews, job talks, and teaching requirements
Who should attend?
- Postdoctoral researchers aiming to secure an independent academic position in the UK
- Early-career researchers preparing to apply for PI roles or fellowships
- Researchers who want a clearer understanding of how UK hiring decisions are made
Professor Gareth Miles
Assistant Vice-Principal (Dean of Science) and Professor of Neuroscience, University of St Andrews
After completing his PhD at the University of Auckland in 2003, he undertook postdoctoral research at Dalhousie University, Canada, before joining the University of St Andrews in 2007 as a Lecturer. It was here that he established his independent research group, the Neural Control of Movement Lab.
Professor Gareth Mile's research focuses on understanding how neural circuits within the spinal cord and brainstem generate and adapt movement, as well as how these circuits are disrupted in neurological conditions, particularly Motor Neuron Disease. His extensive experience in academic leadership, mentoring, and participation in UK hiring and promotion processes provides valuable insight into what universities look for in new Principal Investigators.
Professor Gareth Miles, Assistant Vice-Principal (Dean of Science) and Professor of Neuroscience, University of St Andrews
Professor Gavin Woodhall
Professor of Neuropharmacology, Aston University
Dr Gavin Woodhall is Professor of Neuropharmacology at Aston University and a long‑standing electrophysiologist, having begun his career in 1991 during his PhD at the University of Southampton, where he studied metabotropic glutamate receptors. He went on to hold postdoctoral positions in leading international laboratories, including work on inhibitory interneurons and calcium imaging with Prof Jean‑Claude Lacaille in Montréal, and studies on presynaptic NMDA receptors and mGluRs in the entorhinal cortex in Bristol.
After thirteen postdoctoral posts, he joined Aston University as a Lecturer in 2004, where his research has centred on neuronal network oscillations across hippocampal, entorhinal and somatomotor circuits, using LFP, patch clamp and in vivo telemetry to understand how rhythms in the brain are generated. His more recent work includes models of epileptogenesis, investigations into AMPA receptor trafficking and synaptic scaling, and studies of foetal valproate syndrome. Since 2010, he has also led a major programme using live human brain tissue from paediatric epilepsy surgery to explore mechanisms of epilepsy and novel therapeutic strategies, working closely with industry partners including Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
Gavin’s research has been funded by NC3Rs, MRC, the Wellcome Trust and Epilepsy Research UK, and his laboratory uses a wide range of electrophysiological, imaging and behavioural approaches. He has served on the Scientific Advisory Panel for Epilepsy Research UK, reviewed grants and fellowships across all major UKRI funders, and represented neuroscience on the UK government’s Animals in Science Committee, bringing extensive experience of UK academic evaluation and research governance to this webinar
Professor Gavin Woodhall, Professor of Neuropharmacology, Aston University
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