Professor Fadi Issa is Professor of Transplantation in NDS, and recently took up the divisional role of Academic Lead for Research Funding. In this interview, Fadi reflects on the importance of resilience and clarity of thinking, shares what the role involves, what is changing in the funding landscape, and offers practical advice for early career researchers navigating competition, rejection and the realities of grant writing.
Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your career to date?
I am Professor of Transplantation at Oxford, and clinically I am a plastic, reconstructive and burns surgeon. My route into research was slightly unusual. An early interest in hand and face transplantation led me into immunology, and from there into immune regulatory therapies and how we might use them to improve transplant outcomes. Alongside the science, I have become increasingly interested in the mechanics of research funding and how funding decisions shape both scientific progress and academic careers.
What does your role as Academic Lead for Research Funding involve?
It is a broad role. It includes helping to shape research funding strategy, coordinating major institutional bids, engaging with funders, reviewing fellowships and internal grants, and contributing through the Research and Innovation Committee to wider discussions at Council level. It also involves thinking seriously about equity, opportunity and how we make sure talented people are supported at every stage.
What is currently at the top of your to do list?
The main question is how Oxford stays ahead. Reaching the top is one thing, staying there is another. That means thinking strategically about where future opportunities will come from, where we could do better, particularly in European and PI-level industry funding, and how we coordinate larger bids more effectively. It also means paying close attention to government strategy and understanding what it is likely to mean for research funding over the next 5-10 years.
Read the full interview on the Medical Sciences Division website.