Collaborating for innovation through mentorship
Are you a clinician at Moorfields Eye Hospital with an interest in research, but aren't sure where to start? Or perhaps you are looking for a way to lend your clinical expertise to multidisciplinary research?
An impactful way to bridge this gap is by serving as a member of an IoO Thesis Committee (TC).
A Thesis Committee is an expanded supervisory team designed to support an MPhil/PhD student and their supervisory team throughout their research programme.
The committee typically consists of the student's Subsidiary Supervisor (who usually chairs the meetings) and one or two additional members with relevant expertise. Crucially, the student's Principal Supervisor is not part of the committee. This structure allows the TC to provide the student with an objective, independent review of their academic progress, offer diverse mentorship, and give them valuable experience explaining their work to an "outside" audience.
Translating research to patient benefit — By providing a clinical perspective, you can ensure that academic research remains focused on real-world clinical problems and patient outcomes.
Broadening Your Network — You will work closely with other academic experts, post-doctoral researchers, and supervisors outside of your immediate clinical sphere.
Career Recognition — Your valuable contribution as a TC member is formally recognised in staff appraisals, HR progression, and promotion processes.
A Stepping Stone into Academia — If you are looking to get involved in research, this is a structured and manageable way to ignite ideas and collaborate with researchers.
TC1 (3 months) — Reviewing the student's Preliminary Research Plan and initial aims.
TC2 (9 months) — A pre-upgrade meeting to review a short progress report and the student's plans to upgrade from an MPhil to a PhD.
TC3 (6–12 months post-upgrade) — Ensuring the student is on track and reviewing their progress since their upgrade examination.
TC4 (30 months) — A final meeting to review the student's Thesis Outline and outstanding experimental plans leading up to submission.
Simply read the student's short report (often around 1,000 words or a thesis outline) provided one to two weeks in advance. During the meeting, you will watch a 15–20 minute presentation from the student, participate in a discussion, and offer formative feedback on their research and personal development plan.
If you want to help support the next generation of researchers while building your own academic and cross-disciplinary network, we would love to have you on board.
Join our database via our online form.