http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/?unit=u00203&format=rss

A Research Assistant position is available in the group of Prof. Walid T. Khaled at the Department of Pharmacology and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge.

This position is part of PreBRCATx, a major new project funded by the European Research Council (ERC), focused on developing therapeutic interventions to prevent hereditary breast cancer. Building on the Khaled Lab's expertise in tumour initiation and early transformation, this project aims to intercept breast cancer before it starts, with a particular focus on individuals carrying high-risk mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2. Through advanced single cell genomics, in vivo modelling, and immune profiling, the team will study early molecular and cellular changes that occur in high-risk breast tissue. The team will test the ability of known and near-clinical drugs to reverse or block these changes and ultimately aims to develop a preventive breast cancer vaccine for individuals with inherited predisposition. This role offers a rare opportunity to contribute to cancer interception science at the frontier of personalised prevention, with strong translational potential.

Requirements To deliver on this exciting project the team is looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic Research assistant with demonstrable experience working with GEMMs. It is essential you hold an active PIL as you will be responsible for the maintenance of the GEMM colonies, performing in vivo experiments and the collection and analysis of the data. Previous experience working with breast cancer in vivo models would is preferable but not essential. You will need to be an effective communicator, organised, team player and keep excellent records.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years 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.

To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply' button below. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form. Informal enquiries are welcomed to Prof. Walid T. Khaled, wtk22@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL48068 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.

The group of Florian Merkle at the University of Cambridge is seeking a technician experienced in mammalian cell culture to help generate and characterise human cellular models of obesity. Specifically, we generate appetite-regulatory neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including neurons that respond to hormones such as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) that form the basis of leading anti-obesity therapies. We now aim to work with an industrial partner (NovoNordisk) to characterise their responses to the hormones insulin and leptin and develop in vitro models of resistance insulin and leptin resistance. These experiments will provide a powerful new model system to understand the mechanistic basis of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, and potentially also neurodegenerative diseases that feature central insulin resistance.

The successful candidate will have a strong track record of working with mammalian cell culture and molecular biology, and have outstanding record-keeping and communication skills. It is desirable, but not required, for candidates to have experience with stem cell and neuron culture, cloning and gene editing, assay development and protocol optimisation, on-boarding and troubleshooting new technologies, image-based cellular assays, and/or data/statistical analysis. However, it is expected that the candidate has the aptitude, passion, and perseverance to learn new things. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with postdocs who can help provide on-the-job training in new skills.

This position will be based at the University of Cambridge at the Department of Pharmacology and will involve regular virtual and physical meetings with our collaborators at the NovoNordisk Research Centre Oxford. Our group is also affiliated with the Institute of Metabolic Science and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and we collaborate closely with groups throughout the university and nearby institutes such as the WT-Sanger Institute. Overall, this project represents and outstanding opportunity for a highly-motivated applicant to build their career and engage with cutting-edge techniques in a highly collaborative and stimulating environment.

Please see further particulars for more details about the role specification.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance, with likelihood of extension when project milestones are hit.

Proposed start date: 02 February 2026, with some flexibility.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Applications should include a full CV and a cover letter describing your suitability and reasons for your interest in this position. Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Dr Florian Merkle , fm436@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL48051 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.

We are seeking an outstanding postdoctoral researcher with entrepreneurial drive to carry out experimental work to support the development of a spin-out company focused on anti-obesity target discovery and drug development. Obesity is a highly heritable condition, and genes associated with obesity are highly concentrated in regions of the brain that regulate appetite, such as the hypothalamus. Our collaborators have identified novel genes associated with obesity that could make attractive new therapeutic targets. To study human appetite-regulatory hypothalamic neurons, the Merkle group at the University of Cambridge pioneered methods to generate them from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), and demonstrated that these neurons closely resemble their counterparts in the brain in their morphology, patterns of gene expression, and function. We developed tools and assays to measure neuronal phenotypes directly relevant to the regulation of appetite at scale to facilitate both unbiased discovery and targeted validation. For example, we showed these neurons respond strongly to relevant metabolic factors, hormones, and drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy).

We will now leverage the human genetic background, genetic and environmental accessibility, scalability, and disease-relevance of this model system to discover and validate novel targets for anti-obesity therapeutics, and follow up on lead candidates nominated by emerging human genetic evidence both iPSC models in vitro and in mouse models in vivo. The potential of this approach has been recognized by a Golden Ticket award from NovoNordisk and a funding from the Technology Investment Fund from Cambridge Enterprise to support commercialisation. We are seeking a postdoctoral candidate with the qualities listed below to help realise this vision in our academic laboratory, with the aim of transitioning to a future role in the resulting start-up company.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in neuroscience or a related field, and practical and theoretical expertise in cellular biology (e.g. mammalian cell culture, fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry) and molecular biology (e.g. bacterial cloning, Western blotting, gene editing), and an interest in commercialisation. Excellent communication skills are essential, as are the ability to independently manage time, to independently design and execute experiments, and to collaborate effectively. The ideal candidate will also have practical expertise with hPSC and neuronal culture, high-throughput cell-based functional assays, experience working in biotech or pharma, and expertise in statistical analysis and data visualisation. The position will be based in the group of Florian T. Merkle in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, and will involve regular meetings with collaborators. Please see the Further Particulars for more details about the role specification.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 18 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.

Applications including a full CV, a cover letter describing why you believe you are a good fit for the position, should be submitted online. Informal enquiries about the position can be made to Dr Florian Merkle, fm436@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47922 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.

A creative postdoctoral researcher is sought to work in Mark Howarth's group on a project funded by BBSRC at Cambridge University Department of Pharmacology. The Howarth group has broad interests, including synthetic biology, biotechnology and entrepreneurship (www.howarthgroup.org). The project relates to engineering a rainbow of protein superglues to enable diverse applications, including in medicine, biotech and fundamental research. SpyTag is a genetically-encoded peptide created by the Howarth lab, which forms an irreversible covalent bond to its protein partner SpyCatcher. SpyTag provides a unique resource for molecular assembly and has been applied by >1,000 groups around the world for basic research and biotech, as well as reaching clinical trials. This project will devise and engineer a panel of Tags/Catchers with selective and rapid reaction, for robust construction of new devices both in cells and in vitro. According to the interests of the appointed postdoc, there will be the opportunity to apply these superglues to overcome challenges in gene therapy, cell therapy of cancer, vaccines for global health, green biotransformation, or in diagnostics.

The project will involve directed evolution and protein optimisation, applying molecular biology and biophysics. Researchers will be supported to develop skills in the latest AI or machine learning tools for protein design. According to the development of the project, there may be the chance to learn other methods of interest including cell biology and structure determination. We will provide all relevant training in unfamiliar methods.

Responsibilities include managing research activities, generating high quality data, and devising new project approaches. You will be expected to draft scientific manuscripts and may be involved with day-to-day supervision of Masters or PhD students. Candidates should have an enthusiastic approach to science. You will hold a PhD, or be near completion of a PhD, in an area of molecular biosciences. You will be skilled at presenting your data, verbally and in writing. You should be committed to collaborative and interdisciplinary research and be able to work both independently and as part of a research team. Substantial experience either with recombinant protein expression or cell biology is essential.

Successful candidates who have not been awarded their PhD by the appointment date will be appointed as a Research Assistant at Grade 5 £33,002 - £35,608. Upon the award of the PhD the individual will be promoted to Research Associate, Grade 7 £37,694- £46,049. The salary can be supplemented by contributing to Undergraduate teaching.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 36 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 are welcomed to Prof Mark Howarth mh2186@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47607 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.

Experimental and computational framework for optimising dosing strategies to mitigate T-cell exhaustion in T-cell engager therapies

Applications are invited for a fully funded 4-year non-clinical PhD studentship jointly supervised by Prof Graham Ladds (Pharmacology) and Dr Alberto Ippolito (AstraZeneca) with the successful applicant having the opportunity to work across both sites.

Project details: T-cell engager (TCE) therapies are increasingly prevalent in the clinical pipeline of pharmaceutical companies. While TCEs are promising therapeutic agents due to their high potency, a major pitfall is T-cell exhaustion, which reduces therapeutic effect of TCEs so preventing rapid regression of the tumor lesion. In this project you will evaluate the concept of "dosing holidays" and how they may mitigate T-cell exhaustion.

You will combine interdisciplinary approaches of extensive in-vitro experiments that quantify effector cell kinetics with translational pharmacokinetic pharmacodynamic modelling to inform, evaluate and design potential schedules to mitigate T-cell exhaustion.

Candidate and Eligibility: We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual able to think critically and to work both independently and as part of a team. You should have or expect to obtain a first or upper second-class degree in a relevant subject from a UK university, or equivalent standard abroad. Prior research experience, for instance in pharmacology, modelling and immunology would be a plus, but is not essential.

This position is open to UK citizens or overseas students who meet the UK residency requirements (home fees) or can augment the funds to cover the extra costs associated with international student fees through scholarships or funding schemes. Students will not be allowed to supplement fees via self-funding.

Funding: This four-year studentship covers University composite fees (at home fees rate), a stipend (£21,500/year) and dedicated consumables and travel budgets.

Full details of the University's entrance requirements and scholarships are specified on the following link: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/

Application process: Apply for a PhD in Pharmacology via the University's Applicant Portal (https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/blphpdphc/apply).

Quote the project title (Experimental and computational framework for optimising dosing strategies to mitigate T-cell exhaustion in T-cell engager therapies) and supervisor (Professor Graham Ladds) and select Michaelmas Term 2026 (October 2026).

Your application should include: a) Academic transcripts, b) CV (max two pages), c) Statement of interest (max 1000 words). Ensure you explain why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the skills and research experiences you will bring to the role, d) Two academic references, to be submitted by the application deadline (14 November 2025). It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the references are in place by the application deadline, otherwise the application will not be processed.

The application portal will also ask for a research proposal, however, since the project is already defined, you may copy the project details from this advert.

Deadline: 14 November 2025 with interviews to be held in December

The University supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. It values teamwork, diversity, and a supportive research culture, enabling students to thrive and achieve internationally recognised research excellence.

For informal enquiries, contact Prof Graham Ladds (grl30@cam.ac.uk), or Postgrad@phar.cam.ac.uk for questions about the application process.

Please quote reference PL47379 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.

Project Title: Robust hypothalamic cellular models of neurometabolic disease

We invite highly motivated students to apply for a fully funded 4-year PhD studentship jointly supervised by Dr. Florian Merkle (University of Cambridge, Pharmacology) and Dr. Bilada Bilican and Dr. Alice Adriaenssens (AstraZeneca, Gothenburg and Cambridge). The successful applicant will have the opportunity to work across both sites.

In this position, you will receive advanced on-the-job training in cutting-edge methods involving human pluripotent stem cell culture, computational analysis, genome engineering techniques, and functional analysis.

Project details - Obesity is a major global health issue with a strong genetic component that largely acts via neurons that regulate appetite, including POMC and AGRP neurons of the hypothalamus. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into hypothalamic neurons that closely resemble their counterparts in the brain. In this project, you will work to generate hypothalamic neurons more quickly, efficiently, and reproducibly by introducing candidate transcription factors (TFs) involved in cell type specification and maturation. This project will produce insights into the biology of human neuron specification, develop deeply characterized cellular models to facilitate discovery science, and benefit from AstraZeneca-supported facilities such as the FGSL to reveal new therapeutic targets.

Funding: This four-year studentship fully covers University composite fees (at home fees rate only), a tax-free stipend (£21,500/year), and dedicated consumables and travel budgets to support your experimental work and career development.

Eligibility: You should have or expect to obtain a first or upper second-class degree in a relevant subject from a UK university, or equivalent standard abroad. This position is open to UK citizens or overseas students who meet UK residency requirements, as well as overseas students who are able to augment the funds to cover the extra costs associated with international student fees through scholarships or other funding schemes (self-funding is not permitted). For more details please see here.

Candidate characteristics: You should be highly motivated, enthusiastic, curious, able to think critically, and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively. You should have a strong theoretical background in cellular and developmental biology and ideally also have prior relevant research experience, but most importantly you should be excited to learn new skills and grow as an independent researcher.

Key dates: 31st October 2025, application deadline; Mid-November, interviews; Early December, outcomes announced; October 2026, start of PhD studentship

Application Process: Apply for a PhD in Pharmacology via the University's Applicant Portal using course code BLPH22. Quote the project title and supervisor from this advert, select Michaelmas Term 2026 (October 2026), and copy the project details from this advert when prompted for a proposal. Your application should include: 1) Statement of Interest detailing your suitability and motivation for pursuing a PhD in this area (maximum 1000 words) 2) CV (maximum two pages) 3) full academic transcripts 4) 2-3 academic references submitted by 31st October 2025. It is your responsibility to ensure the references submitted on time.

For enquiries about the project, please contact Dr. Florian Merkle (fm436@cam.ac.uk). For enquiries about the application process, please contact Postgrad@phar.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference PL47443 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.

Title: Delivering biological proximity-inducing degraders - a comparative analysis of viral, RNA and protein therapeutics

Applications are invited for a 4-year PhD studentship based in the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge and the new AstraZeneca Discovery Centre at Cambridge.

The student will be working on a collaborative project jointly supervised by Dr Cathy Wilson and Prof Laura Itzhaki in the Department of Pharmacology & Gurdon Institute and Dr James Hunt at AstraZeneca, and they will have opportunity to work across all sites.

Conventional approaches to cancer drug discovery have proven incapable of tackling many key targets, hence new strategies are urgently required. Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) is one such strategy, growing at a remarkable rate but severely constrained by the limited availability of small-molecule ligands. Biologic-based PROTACs (bioPROTACs) are especially valuable because peptide- and protein-based ligands are available for many targets that are currently intractable to a small molecule approach and can be readily engineered to create novel degraders. Our research has established key principles to drive the discovery of bioPROTACs against such targets. It is now crucial to harness the capabilities of our novel bioPROTACs as a therapeutic approach, and the development of novel delivery methods is the goal of this PhD project.

Candidate - We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual capable of thinking and working independently. Applicants should have or shortly expect to obtain a first or upper second-class degree from a UK university, or an equivalent standard from an overseas university, in a relevant subject such as biochemistry, biology or chemistry.

These positions are open to UK citizens or overseas students who meet the UK residency requirements (home fees) or are able to augment the funds to cover the extra costs associated with international student fees through scholarships or funding schemes. Students will not be allowed to supplement fees via self funding. Full details of the University's entrance requirements and scholarships are specified on the following link: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/

Funding- Full funding covering maintenance fees at £21,500 per annum and the University Composition Fee is provided for the studentship, with effect from 1 October 2026.

Application Process - All applications will need to be made through the University Application Portal: www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/blphpdphc/apply

Quote the project title and supervisor (Delivering biological proximity-inducing degraders-a comparative analysis of viral, RNA and protein therapeutics, Dr Cathy Wilson and Prof Laura Itzhaki) and select Michaelmas Term 2026 (October 2026). Please note that the course code for PhD applications to Pharmacology is BLPH22

Your online application will need to include: 1) Two academic references, to be submitted by the application deadline 31/10/2025. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the references are in place by the application deadline, otherwise the application will not be processed. 2) Academic transcripts 3) CV 4) Statement of interest (max 400 words). Please ensure you explain why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the skills and research experiences you will bring to the role within your statement of interest

The application portal will also ask for a research proposal, however, since the project is already defined, you may copy the project details from this advert.

Deadline Application deadline is the 31st of October 2025. Interviews will be held week commencing the 17th of November. Outcomes will be announced by early December.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Catherine Wilson chw39@cam.ac.uk and Prof Laura Itzhaki lsi1@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47444 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.

The group of Florian Merkle is seeking an outstanding postdoctoral fellow to help develop models of insulin and leptin resistance in human neurons. This collaborative project is funded by NovoNordisk, providing an exciting opportunity to work with colleagues who have access to large-scale screening facilities and expertise in target discovery and drug development. In this role, your work will provide insights into metabolic disease to facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic targets and the ultimate aim of developing novel treatments for diabetes and insulin.

Your project will focus on cell populations in the hypothalamus essential for regulating food intake, which we can reliably generate from human pluripotent stem cells. These cells closely resemble their counterparts in the brain in their morphology, patterns of gene expression, and functional responses to nutrients, hormones, and drugs. We will now study their responses to the hormones insulin and leptin, and develop in vitro models of insulin resistance and leptin resistance. These models will likely not only reveal insights into their basic biology with the potential for generating high-impact publications, but will likely also generate platforms for therapeutic discovery with the potential for having a real-world impact on patients suffering from obesity and diabetes.

This position will be based at the University of Cambridge at the Department of Pharmacology and will involve regular virtual and physical meetings with our collaborators at the NovoNordisk Research Centre Oxford. Our group is also affiliated with the Institute of Metabolic Science and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. Overall, this project represents and outstanding opportunity for a highly-motivated applicant with a PhD in Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Cellular Biology, or a related field applicant to build their career. Please see Further Particulars for more details about the role specification.

Responsibilities and expectations: Plan and execute research projects to facilitate target discovery at scale in a fast-paced dynamic environment; Analyse, interpret, visualise, and present experimental data to the leadership team; Optimize and validate assays for measuring signal transduction in cellular models; Ensure that projects are delivered on time and on budget; Stay up to date with the latest scientific literature and technological advances in the field to apply best practices and innovative approaches; Author technical reports, patents, and scientific publications related to research findings; Collaborate and communicate effectively with academic and pharma partners verbally and in writing.

Applications including 1) a full CV, 2) a cover letter describing your suitability and reasons for your interest in this position should be submitted online. Thank you for your interest!

Proposed start date: 17 November 2025, with some flexibility.

Fixed Term: Due to the collaborative nature of this role, funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance, with likelihood of extension when project milestones are hit.

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 position can be made to Dr Florian Merkle , fm436@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47283 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.

A Research Assistant position is available in the group of Prof. Walid T. Khaled at the Department of Pharmacology and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge.

This position is part of PreBRCATx, a major new project funded by the European Research Council (ERC), focused on developing therapeutic interventions to prevent hereditary breast cancer. Building on the Khaled Lab's expertise in tumour initiation and early transformation, this project aims to intercept breast cancer before it starts, with a particular focus on individuals carrying high-risk mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2. Through advanced single cell genomics, in vivo modelling, and immune profiling, the team will study early molecular and cellular changes that occur in high-risk breast tissue. The team will test the ability of known and near-clinical drugs to reverse or block these changes and ultimately aims to develop a preventive breast cancer vaccine for individuals with inherited predisposition. This role offers a rare opportunity to contribute to cancer interception science at the frontier of personalised prevention, with strong translational potential.

Requirements To deliver on this exciting project the team is looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic Research Assistant with a BSc degree in biological sciences that has demonstrable experience working with GEMMs. It is essential you hold an active PIL as you will be responsible for the maintenance of the GEMM colonies, performing in vivo experiments and the collection and analysis of the data. You will need to be an effective communicator, organised, and keep excellent and detailed records.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months in the first instance (funded by ERC) subject to a probation period and performance review.

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter highlighting relevant experience to this project. You will also need to upload a CV and include the names of two referees as part of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application. Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to Professor Walid T. Khaled (wtk22@cam.ac.uk).

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47143 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.

We seek to recruit a highly enthusiastic and motivated full-time Research Assistant to work on a British Heart Foundation-funded translational project in the Wilson group in the Department of Pharmacology (https://www.phar.cam.ac.uk/research/Wilson), based at the Gurdon Institute. The goal of this project is to optimise a novel, transformative cardiac regenerative therapeutic.

After a heart attack, there is an irreversible loss of cardiac tissue with ensuing heart failure. The Wilson group has pioneered the use of a novel RNA therapeutic to coax cardiomyocyte proliferation and recover cardiac function in the infarcted heart. Our strong in vitro and in vivo studies indicate a realistic potential to repair and remuscularise a damaged adult heart. This project will design and test mRNA sequence structures to enable optimal therapeutic outcomes and pioneer a transformative cardiac regeneration therapy to eventually eradicate heart failure and its complications.

The successful applicants will develop and test novel RNA-based therapeutics in vitro and in vivo. The candidates will be experienced in cardiovascular research and have experience in molecular and cellular biological techniques, including bacterial cloning, mRNA synthesis, tissue culture, including ES cells and differentiation, histological expertise and microscopic image analysis. Experience in, or a willingness to learn, in vivo biology is essential and holding a Home Office Personal Licence is desirable.

The project is a translational milestone-driven project, and key responsibilities include managing research activities and generating high-quality data. You will be expected to present your data and update the project team monthly. You will be expected to work collaboratively with our external partners. You will be expected to take a lead in your area of research and contribute intellectually to the direction of the research project.

Candidates should hold or be close to completing minimally an MSc degree in an appropriate field or have relevant experience at an equivalent level, ideally with proven hands-on lab experience. Candidates should be highly motivated and productive with an enthusiastic approach to science. You will have exceptional organisational skills. You will be skilled at presenting your data, verbally and in writing. You should be committed to collaborative and interdisciplinary research and be able to work both independently and as part of a research team.

Fixed term for 12 months in the first instance, but further funding is available for 18 months and dependent upon successful accomplishment of milestones

Applications are particularly welcome from women, black and minority ethnic candidates.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a publication list and a covering letter in the Upload section of the online portal. Please also include names and contact details (e-mail and phone number) of two referees. Any other unsolicited documents will not be considered.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Catherine Wilson chw39@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47151 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.

We seek to recruit a highly enthusiastic and motivated full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on a British Heart Foundation-funded translational project in the Wilson group in the Department of Pharmacology (https://www.phar.cam.ac.uk/research/Wilson), based at the Gurdon Institute. The goal of this project is to optimise a novel, transformative cardiac regenerative therapeutic.

After a heart attack, there is an irreversible loss of cardiac tissue with ensuing heart failure. The Wilson group has pioneered the use of a novel RNA therapeutic to coax cardiomyocyte proliferation and recover cardiac function in the infarcted heart. Our strong in vitro and in vivo studies indicate a realistic potential to repair and remuscularise a damaged adult heart. This project will design and test mRNA sequence structures to enable optimal therapeutic outcomes and pioneer a transformative cardiac regeneration therapy to eventually eradicate heart failure and its complications.

The successful applicants will develop and test novel RNA-based therapeutics in vitro and in vivo. The candidates will be experienced in cardiovascular research and have experience in molecular and cellular biological techniques, including bacterial cloning, mRNA synthesis, tissue culture, including ES cells and differentiation, histological expertise and microscopic image analysis. Experience in, or a willingness to learn, in vivo biology is essential and holding a Home Office Personal Licence is desirable.

The project is a translational milestone-driven project, and key responsibilities include managing research activities and generating high-quality data. You will be expected to present your data and update the project team monthly. You will be expected to work collaboratively with our external partners. You will be expected to take a lead in your area of research and contribute intellectually to the direction of the research project.

Candidates should hold (or be close to completing) a PhD ideally with proven hands-on lab experience. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant with promotion to Research Associate on attainment of PhD.

Candidates should be highly motivated and productive with an enthusiastic approach to science. You will have exceptional organisational skills. You will be skilled at presenting your data, verbally and in writing. You should be committed to collaborative and interdisciplinary research and be able to work both independently and as part of a research team.

Fixed term for 12 months in the first instance, but further funding is available for 18 months and dependent upon successful accomplishment of milestones.

Applications are particularly welcome from women, black and minority ethnic candidates.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV) including a publication list and a covering letter in the Upload section of the online portal. Please also include names and contact details (e-mail and phone number) of two referees. Any other unsolicited documents will not be considered.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Catherine Wilson chw39@cam.ac.uk

For enquiries about the online application process, please contact the HR Team, hr@phar.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PL47149 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.