Dr Rebecca Jensen

Dr Rebecca Jensen is a postdoc in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool, and was a member of the University of Liverpool's 2025 Prosper cohort.

We interviewed Rebecca about her career journey and experience with Prosper - read more below.

Role

Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool

Case study conducted

September 2025

What is your background as a postdoc?

I am a Pharmacologist in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of Liverpool. I have been working as a postdoc on this project for just over 2 years which I started straight after finishing my PhD.

My work is part of a clinical trial to improve HIV treatment outcomes in children, where I look at pharmacogenomic analysis to identify genetic predictors of drug efficacy and safety.

I've also just started working part time as a Lecturer, split with the postdoc position, to creating learning material for an online training platform for the British Pharmacology Society.

Why did you join the Prosper cohort?

I was in the last year of my postdoc contract and unsure of what to do next in my career.

I thought the prosper programme would be a good time and opportunity to think about what I want from my future career, and how I could achieve that.

How did you find the Prosper cohort?

I found Prosper helpful as it covered a variety of topics related to career development. The range of sessions included a mix of in person, group coaching and online workshops which allowed the program to be engaging.

During the group coaching sessions and meeting with my buddy groups, it was a great opportunity to speak to other postdocs who were facing similar challenges, with us able to offer each other advice and tips based on previous experiences or information that we had picked up throughout the cohort.

Which aspects of Prosper did you find most useful?

Sessions which offered practical advice were the most useful for me, especially as I was searching and applying for jobs during this time.

For example, one of the sessions during the group coaching focused on how to use AI to help find and apply for jobs, and another session focused on transferable skills and how to use the STAR method to demonstrate when we have used a particular skill in a real-life situation.

The one-to-one coaching session was also useful as it allowed me to have a tailored session to be able to get personalised support and guidance for my future career. I left the session with different career options to explore and an action plan of the next steps I need to take as part of my career development.

What are your future career plans?

After the career coaching session, I identified the skills and values I would like to take into my next role, and what I would like to avoid. My current contract has been extended, and the plan is to apply for some research grants to try and continue the work I have been doing as part of this project.

However, as this is not guaranteed, I now have some back-up options of different career pathways I can investigate for the future.

For now, I can continue to focus on my current project and look out for any opportunities that I can use to gain more transferable skills such as teaching, public engagement and leadership courses.

If there’s one bit of advice you could give to a postdoc that was in the position you were in before you joined Prosper, what would it be?

There is never a wrong time to start working on your career development, whether you have a permanent or temporary job, or are at the start or middle of your career. It is always a good idea to think about the future and the Prosper cohort is a good place to start.

It is also important to be open-minded and come to the sessions ready to self-reflect, which I found quite difficult at first.

To get the most out of the cohort, try to take away at least one action plan from each session that you can continue to work on.