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.

patient-and-clinician

 


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

How advances in microscopy are transforming structural biology at the ICR

07/08/25 - Robbie Lockyer

At The Institute of Cancer Research, London, our ability to visualise the intricate inner workings of cancer is going from strength to strength. Robbie Lockyer spoke with scientists using cutting-edge imaging techniques to uncover how these tools are helping us understand cancer in unprecedented detail.
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Dame Stella Rimington
Dame Stella Rimington, former Chair of the ICR, dies aged 90

06/08/25

Dame Stella Rimington, who served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, from 1997 to 2005, died on 3 August 2025.
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A picture of an MRI scanner
New MRI scan can spot tiny traces of blood cancer after treatment

04/08/25

Whole-body MRI scans provide powerful insights into treatment effectiveness and long-term outcomes for patients with myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer.  Results from the iTIMM study led by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, London have shown that whole-body MRI scans (WB-MRI) can detect tiny traces of the disease, known as minimal residual disease (MRD), in the bone marrow after treatment. This can provide a crucial insight into how well patients with multiple myeloma are responding to treatment and whether they might relapse - offering a potential new standard in how this complex blood cancer is assessed. 
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Small fragments, big impact: discovering the 'shearosomes' that drive cancer's spread

30/07/25

A collaborative study reveals an unexpected way cancer spreads through the body – by shedding tiny, previously unidentified fragments called shearosomes as tumour cells squeeze through narrow blood vessels. Shearosomes appear to actively influence their surroundings, supporting the growth of secondary tumours, offering new insights into how cancer spreads.
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