I am a University Lecturer in the Department of Paediatrics, arriving in Cambridge from Imperial College London in 2013.

The returning carer funds I received allowed me to get past the obstacles of a new job, in a new study having just had a second child.

It provided me with money to pump prime a study on gut health in critical illness, which has led to some fantastic collaborations within and outside of Cambridge, interesting data leading to publications and most importantly preliminary data is the key to getting substantive grant funding.

So for me, the returning carer fund was the first block for me to start building my research group in Cambridge, and to develop a programme that attracts funding and people who want to work with me.