Opportunities for clinicians

At The Institute of Cancer Research, London, we offer clinicians a variety of opportunities – from a taught master's course in Oncology, to fellowships providing protected time for research, and higher research degrees.

Clinicians make up one-third of research team leaders at the ICR. This essential link between basic scientific research and clinical practice helps to get treatments into patients sooner, while ensuring that clinical knowledge is fed back to researchers, who can then develop more effective treatments.

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MSc in Oncology

Our MSc in Oncology is a taught master's degree run as a day release course for medically qualified candidates who intend to pursue a career in clinical or medical oncology. The overall aim is to encourage proactive problem solving approaches and a reflective approach to medical or clinical oncology practice, producing graduates who are well equipped for leadership careers in twenty-first century oncology.

Find out more about MSc in Oncology

Clinical Academic Training Pathway

For those wishing to follow a clinical academic training path the following opportunities are listed in the order they would be undertaken.

NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowships

The ICR and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have a number of Academic Clinical Fellowships available as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Integrated Academic Training Programme. These are three-year posts for clinicians in the early stages of specialty training and provide trainees with 25 per cent protected time for research training.

Find out more about NIHR Academic Clinical Felllowships

PhD and MD(Res) for clinicians

There are two options available for clinicians who wish to pursue higher research degrees:

Doctor of Philosophy - PhD

The ICR offers PhD programmes to applicants eligible for full registration or who hold limited registration with the General Medical Council. These three-year fellowships are intended to develop the applicant’s potential to pursue a career as an academic clinician.

Doctor of Medicine (Research) - MD(Res)

The MD(Res) is a research programme specifically designed for clinically-qualified trainees, lasting a minimum of two years (or part-time equivalent). These provide clinical specialists the opportunity to work in a unique multidisciplinary environment alongside world leaders in cancer research and clinicians from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Find out more about PhD and MD(Res) for clinicians

NIHR Clinical Lectureships

NIHR Clinical Lectureships are aimed at those who are advanced in their specialty training, have completed a research degree and show outstanding potential for continuing a career in academic medicine. Clinical Lectureships allow clinical researchers to spend half of their time undertaking specialist clinical training and half undertaking research training.

Find out more about NIHR Clinical Lectureships

Latest ICR News

Silencing gene may combat formation of radiation-induced scar tissue, a new study reveals

04/06/25

A new study suggests that silencing CXCL12, a gene involved in tissue scarring and repair, could help reduce the formation of scar tissue that can caused by radiotherapy. Ultimately, the researchers hope this approach could improve treatment outcomes for breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and reconstructive surgery.
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ASCO 2025: One-time cell therapy offers long-term survival hope for patients with advanced melanoma

02/06/25

A one-time immunotherapy treatment using a patient’s own immune cells has shown long-lasting benefit for people with advanced melanoma, a serious form of skin cancer, according to new five-year follow-up data from a pivotal clinical trial.
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ASCO 2025: Next-generation breast cancer drug targets tumours before they have a chance to grow

01/06/25

A powerful new drug for advanced breast cancer can be used to treat emerging tumours, months before they have a chance to grow, helping to keep patients well for longer and delaying the need for later-line therapies including chemotherapy. Results of a global study, funded by AstraZeneca and co-led by researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institut Curie, Paris, were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago on 1 June 2025.
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Professor Nick Turner (right) in his lab at the Institute of Cancer Research, London
ASCO 2025: New therapy improves survival in advanced breast cancer and delays need for chemotherapy

31/05/25

A promising new therapy can help patients with aggressive advanced breast cancer live longer and delays the need for further chemotherapy, new research has shown. Final results of the INAVO120 study, led by an international team of researchers including scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, have demonstrated the potential of the new therapy combination for targeting PIK3CA-mutated hormone receptor positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-) breast cancer – a common form of the disease.
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