Departmental Administrator
The School of Biological Sciences, a flourishing academic community that enjoys a world-class reputation for both teaching and research, has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated and experienced administrator to join the team as Departmental Administrator at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge. The Departmental Administrator is responsible for effective and efficient delivery of all operational and administrative functions within the Department and supports the Head of the Department in achieving the Department's strategic aims and objectives in relation to governance, policy and business operations in support of teaching and research.
As an experienced manager, you will advise, manage, and motivate the Department's professional services staff, who deliver key support services in HR, finance, grants administration, teaching, buildings and facilities, health and safety, IT, internal and external communications, compliance, and other operational areas. You will also interact with both undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking taught and research-based courses with the Department.
You will utilise your communication and interpersonal skills, not only to build effective working relationships within your team, but also to develop and maintain effective working networks within the School of the Biological Sciences and the University's central administration. Experience of strategic planning and risk management, compliance, committee management, mentoring/coaching, project management, change management, problem solving, and conflict resolution is highly desirable.
The ideal candidate will have good time management, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a strong ability to build relationships at all levels of the organisation. A proactive approach, persuasive tactfulness, and an enthusiastic attitude towards their work are qualities we deem essential for the appointed candidate.
Educated to at least degree level, the ideal applicant will be able to engage with the values and aspirations of a research-intensive Department, School and University. You will join us with the ability to handle a diverse and varied workload, with the ability to manage both projects and operational tasks concurrently. Experience in a senior administrative role within a Higher Education environment would be beneficial.
Further details can be found in the Further Particulars document.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
If you have any questions about this vacancy, please contact Ms Thury Agustsdottir (ta421@cam.ac.uk).
Any queries regarding the application process can be directed at the HR Team (hr@phar.cam.ac.uk).
Please quote reference PL41064 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Laboratory Support Technician
Based in the heart of Cambridge, the Department of Pharmacology prides itself in being a thriving, dynamic and friendly department within the School of Biological Sciences, dedicated to the pursuit of world-class research, teaching and learning.
With the number of research and academic staff growing, so are our Professional Services teams and we are now looking to appoint a knowledgeable and dedicated Research Laboratory Support Technician to join our department.
Reporting to the Facilities and Safety Manager, the Research Laboratory Support Technician will be essential to our research and teaching staff by providing specialist technical support and ensuring the smooth running of a workshop facility.
The role is varied and dynamic, with duties ranging from manufacturing and preparing specialist equipment in support of research project and setting up equipment for teaching or research, to providing technical advice to research students and researchers. The post holder will discuss work requests to ascertain the aims and technical requirements of the request/project; construct, test and modify specialist equipment and provide technical specifications based on rough drawings and sketches or verbal instructions. The Research Laboratory Support Technician will carry out research into new technologies and manufacture methods, whilst monitoring laboratory resources within a set budget.
Therefore, excellent communication and problem-solving skills are required in order to work in this active and interesting role. We would expect the post holder to be pro-active and have a high degree of precision and accuracy. IT skills are essential to this role.
Applicants should hold a qualification equitable to HND/HNC, level 4/5 vocational qualifications or an equivalent level of practical experience. It is also essential that applicants demonstrate factual and theoretical knowledge relevant to the post, as well as being up to date with current regulations and practices.
It is expected that this role will be based in the Department in order to be able to provide in-person support.
In return, we are offering: - Competitive rates of pay with automatic service-related pay progression and annual cost of living increases; - Generous annual leave allowance of 36 days paid leave (including bank holidays); - Generous maternity, adoption and shared parental leave entitlement and other family friendly schemes; - An auto-enrolment pension scheme , with a generous employer contribution; - A clear training and induction plan to ensure you are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve success; - Access to University personal development training courses to support your ongoing learning and development; - A supportive and inclusive working environment that encourages collaboration and supports wellbeing.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
All applications must submitted via the University Recruitment System - please note that we cannot accept applications that are submitted via post or email.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact our HR team at hr@phar.cam.ac.uk.
Please quote reference PL41029 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Assistant (Fixed Term)
We seek to recruit a highly enthusiastic and motivated full-time Research Assistant to work with Dr.Lay Ping Ong (https://www.cardiovascular.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-lay-ping-ong) on a jointly funded MRC/Astra Zeneca project, hosted by Dr Catherine Wilson, Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge (https://www.phar.cam.ac.uk/research/Wilson). The goal is to develop novel therapeutics (e.g. stem cells-based, RNA therapeutics) to accelerate cardiac regeneration and treat heart failure.
After a heart attack, there is irreversible loss of cardiac tissue with ensuing heart failure. To recover the heart function, we aim to replace the lost cardiomyocytes via stem cells-based approaches using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)-derived cardiomyocytes i.e. primary remuscularization. Invoking key developmental events, we improved cardiac function by co-delivery of a key stromal cell type, hESCs-derived epicardium. However, significant barriers to integration with the failing host heart remain. The Wilson lab pioneered the use of a novel RNA therapeutic - modRNA (Myc and Cyclin T1) to coax cardiomyocyte proliferation and recover cardiac function in the infarcted adult mouse heart. The MRC/Astra Zeneca project aims to identify the key barriers to cardiomyocyte integration in ischaemic heart failure and develop novel therapeutics (e.g. stem cells-based, RNA therapeutics) to accelerate cardiac regeneration. The novel therapeutics will be tested using in vitro engineered heart tissues. We now seek a research technician to assist these studies.
The Research Assistant position will provide scientific and research support to Dr.Ong within the Wilson Lab. You will support experimental work across the lab and can develop your skills in several areas including stem cell culture, molecular biology, bioengineering, histology, microscopy, transcriptomics, and laboratory management.
As the work is highly collaborative in nature (Professor Sanjay Sinha at Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Professor Charles E Murry at University of Washington, USA, and Astra Zeneca), there will opportunities to visit other research sites for knowledge exchange.
The successful candidate should have at least a BSc in the biological, bioengineering, or biomedical sciences and must have some experience of stem cell research. Experience of molecular biology and bioengineering, and MSc in Biological Sciences are desirable. Candidates are expected to be excellent communicators, collaborative, attention to detail, be organised and able to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team.
This appointment is subject to a security check. Whether an outcome is satisfactory will be determined by the University.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Informal enquiries about the project and the role can be made to Dr Lay Ping Ong (lpo20@cam.ac.uk). Queries regarding the recruitment process itself should be directed to the HR team (hr@phar.cam.ac.uk).
All applicants must apply directly via the web recruitment portal; no agency applicants will be accepted.
Please quote reference PL40959 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Research Associate x 3 (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited for three PDRA positions to be part of an interdisciplinary team spanning the Departments of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Chemistry, University of Cambridge. The aim is to create Modular Activator and Silencer Therapeutics (MAST) by developing novel platforms of antibodies, E3 ligase-mediated degraders, and proteases, to advance drug discovery. We are looking for motivated scientists with a strong team spirit to work on achieving the goals of MAST, with mentorship support from the labs of Laura Itzhaki (degraders; PMID 33623657), Paul Miller (ion channel antibodies; PMID 35140402), Florian Holfelder (proteases; PMID 36765057), Mark Howarth (antibodies; PMID 36865256), Catherine Wilson (degraders; PMID 32286286), and Pietro Sormanni (antibody design; PMID 37024501). See the document below for more info on groups.
This project provides opportunities for creative protein engineering, including database mining (to build structural antibody/ligase/protease libraries), machine learning (AI) approaches to antibody design and interpretation of directed evolution trajectories of proteases, phage display, structural biology (X-ray/cryo-EM) of ion channels and ligases to understand antibody modulation, cell biology and advanced degrader/protease kinetic analysis, and directed protein evolution.
The applicants will have completed a PhD (or soon to be awarded one) and will have appropriate experience in at least one or more of the approaches described above and/or foundational skills in molecular biology/cloning, biophysics, protein expression and purification, biophysics & synthetic biology.
The funds for this post are available from 14th May 2024 with flexibility in the precise start date and continue for 24 months.
Successful candidates who have not been awarded their PhD by the appointment date will be appointed as a Research Assistant at Grade 5 (£29,605-£33,966). Upon the award of the PhD the individual will be promoted to Research Associate, Grade 7 (£36,024-£44,263).
The University of Cambridge is a signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), and will in recruitment assess research on the basis of its merits rather than the journal or venue in which it is published. Applicants should not include Journal Impact Factors or uncontextualized metrics in their applications. For more information: https://www.biology.cam.ac.uk/files/dora.pdf Appointment will be based on merit alone.
Online or in-person interviews are anticipated to take place in April.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
The online application requires you to include your personal details, names and addresses of referees, as well as your CV, research publications list and cover letter to describe you interests and ambitions. Please state in the cover letter the areas of the MAST project that most interest you, i.e. antibodies, ligases or proteases, specific techniques etc.
Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Dr Paul Miller (pm676@cam.ac.uk). For enquiries about the online application process please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PL40636 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry are part of the School of Biological Sciences, which holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award, demonstrating a commitment to provide equal opportunities and to advance the representation of women in science subjects. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, but we particularly encourage women and individuals from under-represented groups to apply.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Business Administrator
The Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, is seeking two efficient, organised and dedicated Business Administrators to join our Professional Services team. These are new roles created due to the need of supporting our growing department.
The job holder will provide a reception and administrative support for the Department in order to provide a welcoming and efficient service to visitors and staff, as well as facilitating the smooth operation of the professional services team.
The Business Administrators will provide front-of-house services to anyone visiting the Gleeson building. In addition to the more common front-of-house responsibilities, such as managing meeting rooms and parking space bookings, coordinate post and deliveries, assist with taxi bookings, be first aid trained, etc., the Business Administrator will assist with other general administrative duties. These include dealing with incoming queries, photocopy, print and scan documents, assist with data input when required, minute taking, produce reports and assisting with organising events.
The ideal candidate will have previous administrative experience/following office procedures and be competent in standard software packages (in particular Word, Excel and Outlook). A confident IT user with excellent organisational skills, the candidate should also possess good time management, communication and interpersonal skills. We are looking for someone who is service-oriented and pro-active, able to use their own initiative as well as adhering to the collaborative environment that our department fosters. Candidates must be educated to at least A-level standard or equivalent, including English and Mathematics at GCSE level.
Further details can be found in the Further Particulars document.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact the HR Team (hr@phar.cam.ac.uk).
Interviews will take place in March 2024.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please ensure that in the "upload section" of the online application you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), research publications list, 2-page covering letter (on professional experience and how you will fit with the Department, contribute to teaching, and encourage diversity and inclusion), and 2-page research proposal. If you upload any additional documents that have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Thury Agustsdottir (DA@phar.cam.ac.uk).
Please quote reference PL40449 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The School of Biological Sciences holds an Athena SWAN bronze award, demonstrating a commitment to provide equal opportunities, values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
