how to join
We are people first before scientists. Mentorship lies at the heart of the Lai Lab. Alvina knows first-hand how important it is for early career researchers to receive good mentoring.
All lab members can expect Alvina to support their career development and to achieve personal milestones. Your successes will be celebrated and Alvina wil offer moral support in times of failure. Alvina believes in opening pathways to new opportunities; she frequently writes persuasive letters of support for applications and nominate early career researchers for awards. As a scientist and researcher who has broken new ground in her field, Alvina cares about each lab member's future, research goals and importantly, happiness.
What are the steps to join? Scroll down for instructions.
Success is a two-way street.
To be successful as a team, lab members are to communicate their needs and ideas transparently and effectively, armoured with a positive mentality. We look for self-starters who have intense desire to learn and engage in teamwork, and help one another while maintaining autonomy and independence. Every lab member should be supportive of their peers while keeping the lab's atmosphere in good spirits; be kind to one another (no bad attitude allowed!) Lab members who are postdoctoral colleagues are to be proactive by being clear to Alvina about what they need to realise their career ambitions.
reasons for joining the lai lab.
A top priority of the Lai Lab is mentoring the next generation of data scientist. You will receive exceptional mentoring from Alvina and also benefit from peer mentorship from other lab members. The Lai Lab operates on a transparent and supportive environment to ensure that each lab member is able to reach their full potential as a researcher and individual.
PHD students
Prospective students are invited to contact Alvina to discuss your hopes and aspirations for a career in research. Please send a copy of your latest CV and include [Prospective PhD student] in the subject line and a summary of your research goals. PhD students can apply for fully funded placements via:
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UCL CDT in AI-enabled healthcare
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UCL Birkbeck MRC DTP
Looking to join the group as a postdoctoral colleague? Email Alvina at alvina.lai@ucl.ac.uk with your:
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Reasons for wanting to join the group and summary of your research aims
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One representative first-author publication for Alvina to read
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Potential routes of funding (if it’s not through an advertised position)
Alvina endeavours to provide feedback to all enquiries within three working days. To be competitive for a fellowship, you will need at least one first-author publication in a reputable international journal.
postdocs
We encourage individuals with data science expertise and excellent communication skills to apply. Open vacancies are advertised on this page. We also support funding applications to a variety of postdoctoral fellowship schemes. If this is what you would like to do, please do contact us in advance because there are often just a few deadlines a year. Some fellowship examples include:
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EMBO Long-Term Fellowship (for overseas individuals wanting to do research in the UK)
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Human Frontier Science Program Fellowship (for overseas individuals wanting to do research in the UK)
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Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship
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Royal Society Newton International Fellowship (for non-UK scientists)
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BHF Advanced Training Awards (for individuals who are entering cardiovascular science from a different discipline)
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BHF Immediate Postdoctoral Basic Science Research Fellowships
Visiting scientists
We welcome data scientists who are keen to collaborate contact Alvina to explore potential routes to join the group as a UCL visitor.