Starting as a fellow amidst a cohort of five individuals was invaluable for Rebecca - a unique hiring initiative that created an immediate peer network which provided mutual support in various stages of the Fellows’ academic pursuits. Regular interactions, collaborative application reviews, and participation in University workshops further strengthened this professional community.

Rebecca commented: “Much of my success is down to being on the Birmingham Fellowship Scheme - partly because of having that sort of peer support. It meant that even when you did get setbacks, such as grants being rejected, there were other people going through the same thing and could all learn from each other. That made a big difference.”

Initially, the University of Birmingham did not register on Rebecca's academic radar, but a Birmingham professor encouraged her to visit - revealing a remarkable alignment with Rebecca’s research interests. The beautiful, leafy campus also played a big part in her to selecting Birmingham as first choice. Rebecca was doing postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health in the United States and it was a big move for her to come to Birmingham.
“It was quite a stressful move, but I was well supported by the University,” she explained. “They covered all my relocation costs and flights for me and my partner. The first couple of weeks were tricky as we were living in a hotel but managed to find a flat quite close to the university and got settled.” A standout feature of the Birmingham Fellowship was the promise of a permanent position post-probation, setting it apart from other institutions - a secure career trajectory, which played a pivotal role in Rebecca's decision.

“Birmingham offered a fair startup package, but the prospect of a permanent position was something that a lot of other universities weren’t offering,” said Rebecca. “Research resources were good too - I received some initial startup money which was flexible. I used that for setting up initial experiments.” “I also had access to PhD and Masters students, who could come in and act as extra pairs of hands to help me get my research up and running. I also had the opportunity to attend leadership courses, workshops, networking lunches and other events to develop my soft skills.”

Rebecca's positive perception of Birmingham as welcoming and diverse, reminiscent of her home city of Glasgow, underscores the city's appeal. “I really like Birmingham, it's a friendly city and very diverse with many multicultural aspects,” said Rebecca. “I really like Digbeth – it’s great for gigs and quite cool art installations and things done in that direction.” Rebecca appreciates the University's collaborative ethos, emphasising the accessibility of academic communities - a collaborative spirit extending across disciplines and departments that enables fruitful interactions and interdisciplinary research endeavours. It is this collaborative spirit that Rebecca believes will help to support her future aspirations.

“I’d like to establish an international research program focussed on regions affected by infections, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America,” she explained. “Birmingham offers the conducive environment and necessary resources to help me to make this vision a reality.” “We’re really fortunate to have all sorts of people here at Birmingham, who have experience of creating similar things – for example BactiVac, the Bacterial Vaccines Network, which brings together members based in academic, industry and policy sectors to accelerate the development of vaccines against bacterial infections relevant to low and middle income countries (LMICs).”

Rebecca's journey at the University of Birmingham is typical of the nurturing environment and supportive network provided by the Birmingham Fellowship Scheme. The University’s collaborative nature and global outlook, makes it an ideal home for researchers with international aspirations who want to deliver impactful research and secure academic success.