International Agency for Research on Cancer Visiting Researcher Fellowships Open for Application
The IARC – the World Health Organisation’s specialist cancer research agency – is inviting postdoctoral researchers and mid-career researchers from LMICs to work at its base in Lyon, France, to conduct projects in cancer prevention research.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialised cancer research agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO). From its base in Lyon, France, the IARC hosts both epidemiology and laboratory research groups in support of its mission to co-ordinate and conduct research on the causes of human cancer, explore the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and develop scientific strategies for cancer prevention and control.
The IARC is inviting applications for its Postdoctoral Fellowships and a new Mid-Career Visiting Scientist Award to enable researchers from Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) to spend up to two years in France working on research into the causes and mechanisms of cancer to better understand prevention.
Research funded by the IARC must align with its fundamental priorities or emerging priorities:
Fundamental Priorities
- Data for Action – Who gets cancer, where and when?
- Understanding the Causes – Why do people get cancer?
- From Understanding to Prevention – How to prevent cancer effectively?
- Knowledge mobilisation – How to mobilise the knowledge gained and strengthen global capacity in cancer science?
Emerging Priorities
- Evolving cancer risk factors and populations in transition
- Implementation research
- Economic and societal impacts of cancer
The major areas of activity are focused on understanding cancer aetiology (including infections, nutrition, lifestyle, environment, radiation, genetics), developing strategies for cancer prevention (primary prevention, screening, implementation research) and elucidating the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis through studies of molecular and cell biology, molecular genetics, epigenetics and molecular pathology.
The Postdoctoral Fellowships in Cancer Research are for recently-qualified postdoctoral researchers and early-career scientists from low- and middle-income countries (including upper-middle-income countries and those with dual nationality with a higher income country) to spend up to two years working within an IARC research group based in Lyon.
Candidates are required to have obtained a doctoral degree in the five years preceding the start date of the fellowship. Candidates in the final year of PhD studies are eligible but must have been awarded their degree by the time of starting the fellowship. Candidates with an MD are also eligible to apply but should have an MPH degree or similar additional training and already have research experience.
For the 2022/23 application round, two Postdoctoral Fellowships will be co-funded by Children with Cancer UK to fund Fellows working on research focusing on paediatric cancers or teenagers and young adults cancers (up to 24).
The Postdoctoral Fellowships provide an annual stipend of €2820 per month for up to 24 months and travel costs.
The Mid-Career Visiting Scientist Awards enable qualified and experienced researchers who are from and are currently working in an LMIC to spend between 6 and 12 months working within a research group at IARC in France on a collaborative project in an area related to the Agency’s programmes and current research strategy.
Applicants must be a member of staff of a university, research institution or public institution and be able to confirm that they will return to their post at the end of the award period. Candidates must have obtained their doctoral degree no less than five years and no more than fifteen years prior to the start date of the award. Candidates with an MD are also eligible to apply but should have a PhD or MPH degree and similar research experience.
The Mid-Career Visiting Scientist Awards will fund a stipend of €2820 per month for up to 12 months and travel costs.
Applications for fellowships to commence in 2023 must be submitted by the deadline on 10 December 2022 (midnight CET).
(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)