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The FSQ’s historical connection with Shostakovich is featured in this programme to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Join us for a timely and critical panel discussion on the centrality of the exploitation of race and migrant mobility in the name of Silicon Valley capital. Drawing from his new book, Dr Matt Mahmoudi will lead a conversation with Professor Myria Georgiou, Professor Graham Denyer Willis, and Dr Amy Gaeta, moderated by Professor Caroline Bassett.

It is an honour to welcome Raphael Wallfisch & Simon Callaghan, active for many years on the British and international scene, to Clare Hall.

A showcase of the Instrumental Awards for Chamber Music Scheme winners from the University, performing at Clare Hall.

A cross-disciplinary panel event on collaborative AI projects. Open to all researchers.

This talk is part of the Institute of Criminology's Lent Term 2025 Public Seminar Series.

Asthma and COPD are widespread chronic respiratory diseases that impose a heavy social and economic burden. Traditional treatments often follow a "one-size-fits-all" approach, merely suppressing symptoms without achieving true health improvements. The MSCA Doctoral Network RESPIRE-EXCEL is set to revolutionize this by introducing precision medicine tailored to individual patients. We are looking for 15 enthusiastic PhD students to join our innovative project. As a PhD student in RESPIRE-EXCEL, you will be part of a dynamic, international team of young researchers. You will undertake your own research project at your host organization, focusing on your specific area of interest. To broaden your expertise, part of your PhD will be conducted at other RESPIRE-EXCEL partner organizations via internships.

Our program offers advanced interdisciplinary courses led by top experts in Precision Medicine for Respiratory Diseases. You will gain cross-sectoral competencies and multidisciplinary knowledge, enabling you to collaborate effectively with industry, healthcare, and academia. The RESPIRE-EXCEL consortium includes numerous academic, industrial, and societal partners from across Europe and the UK, such as the European Lung Foundation and the European Respiratory Society. Are you ready to make a difference in the field of respiratory medicine? Explore the PhD positions available in the RESPIRE-EXCEL project and join us in shaping the future of precision medicine for asthma and COPD! For a more detailed description of the PhD projects please visit the website.

Charting Cellular & Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (Mechanisms)

To define asthma and COPD endotypes, we will study cellular and molecular mechanisms in lung tissue. Using existing datasets and advanced techniques, we will map gene regulatory networks and predict responses. We will analyze lung tissue with spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, and lipidomics to identify disease mechanisms and treatment targets. RESPIRE-EXCEL partners will support these integrated analyses.

Identifying Disease Endotypes for Patient Stratification (Biomarkers)

To stratify patients for precision medicine, we need biomarkers in nasal swabs or blood that reflect lung disease mechanisms. We will analyze samples from asthma and COPD patients using advanced techniques to identify patient clusters and link them to disease mechanisms. This will help distinguish asthma and COPD endotypes for targeted treatments.

Cellular & Molecular Basis for Treatment Responses to Biologicals (Treatment)

To achieve disease remission with precision medicine, we will identify which asthma and COPD endotypes respond to treatments like Tezepelumab, Dupilumab, and Mepolizumab. We will analyze patient samples before and after treatment using scRNA-seq, immunohistochemical analyses, and functional studies. This will help identify responder and non-responder endotypes, explore new treatments, and understand treatment responses.

Endotype-based Models for Validation of Targets and Biomarkers (Models)

Current treatments may not cover all asthma and COPD endotypes. We will identify and validate targets for additional endotypes. RESPIRE-EXCEL will create a comprehensive lung disease atlas, integrating various datasets. We will also develop COPD model atlases using scRNA-seq data from patients, cultured cells, and mouse models. This will guide target validation and drug discovery. Additionally, we will generate primary cell culture models to study endotype-specific mechanisms using air-liquid interface and 3D epithelial organoid culture models.

Please apply via the bleow link: https://werkenbijumcg.nl/-/vacatures/phd-positions-to-study-precision-medicine-for-respiratory-diseases/10419-02s0009emp

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.

Applications are invited for an Engagement and Development Manager to support the exciting 'Future Estates Programme' in the School of the Biological Sciences (SBS) at the University of Cambridge.

The successful candidate will be at the centre of the School's capital project-related activity, with responsibilities for engagement, project management and communication. Your role will be pivotal to ensuring the needs of the School are understood and people are engaged in the process.

You will have the opportunity to use a wide range of skills and experience including communication and stakeholder engagement, planning, organising, documentation and reporting. You will work with a variety of internal and external contributors and decision makers, including the SBS Leadership Team, academics and others across the School, Estates Division, and the wider programme team, including contractors and professional services consultants.

We are seeking an individual with experience of supporting change and the skills to work with a complex range of stakeholders. The successful candidate will need to have a good understanding of change management and be able to support the preparation and delivery of engagement workshops. You will have experience of communicating effectively, building relationships, and applying a strategic focus to planning.

The role is available either full-time or part-time at 80%, on a fixed-term basis for a period of 12 months. It reports to the Secretary of the School of Biological Sciences and is available immediately.

The University of Cambridge is committed to supporting our staff to thrive both professionally and personally. We aim to support a good work/life balance, whilst retaining the positive aspects of our unique in-person environment and culture. Elements of this role are suitable for hybrid working, where staff can split their time between in-person collaboration and remote working. The working pattern and frequency of the remote elements of the role can be discussed with the recruiting manager.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for flexible working arrangements.

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

Please quote reference PA44846 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 Sawarkar lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit is looking to appoint a Research Associate (Postdoctoral Fellow) to contribute to its programme on Epigenetics, tRNA transcription and Neurodegeneration. The project will use state-of-the-art genomic technologies to identify epigenetic determinants that lead to protein misfolding in neurons.

Using single-cell technologies for in vivo mouse models as well as embryonic stem cell differentiation models of neurodegeneration, the project will identify mechanisms leading to age-associated protein misfolding in neurons. The focus of the work will be on the role of tRNAs in neurodegeneration and protein misfolding. Your role will be to support the research activities of the group and conduct your own research projects within the remit of the research programme at the frontiers of molecular bioscience.

For further details, please see Leone et al (2024) Mol Cell and Mulroney et al (2024) Nature. You will need to hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in an appropriate field such as molecular cell biology/chromatin/transcription, together with proven skills obtained in a molecular cell biology lab (RNA work, mammalian cell culture, cloning and protein work). You will be able to work both independently and as part of a team, have excellent communication and organisational skills with full commitment to the publication of data.

The MRC Toxicology Unit is an internationally renowned institution focussed on the delivery of field-changing mechanistic insights into toxicology and disease. The Unit is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities including mass spectrometry, microscopy, and bioinformatics, and offers excellent opportunities for scientific career development.

Appointment to Research Associate is dependent on having a PhD. Where a PhD has yet to be awarded or submitted, appointment will initially be made as a Research Assistant and amended to Research Associate when the PhD is awarded.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available to 31st August 2026 in the first instance.

Previous applicants need not apply.

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 queries regarding the application process, please contact hradmin@mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk

Further information can be found on our website: https://www.mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PU44869 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.

Exploring interrelations between the idea of the gestural and the textural, with a particular focus on the written word.

Join us at this free family maths event for a morning of exciting hands-on mathematical activities, for ages 7 to 16. Volunteer staff and students from the Cambridge University Mathematics Faculty will be on hand to help out.

A wonderful and rarely-heard French repertoire featuring soprano Jessica Summers, flautist Helen Vidovich, and pianist Fei Ren.

A major study of botanic gardens around the world has revealed their struggles with one fundamental aim: to safeguard the world’s most threatened plants from extinction.

Researchers analysed a century’s worth of records - from 1921 to 2021 - from fifty botanic gardens and arboreta currently growing half a million plants, to see how the world’s living plant collections have changed over time. 

The results suggest that the world’s living collections have collectively reached peak capacity, and that restrictions on wild plant collecting around the world are hampering efforts to gather plant diversity on the scale needed to study and protect it.

There is little evidence that institutions are managing to conserve threatened plants within collections, on a global scale, despite accelerating rates of elevated extinction risk.

The findings imply that tackling the loss of biodiversity has not been prioritised across the world’s botanic gardens as a collective - a fact the researchers say must be urgently addressed.

Curator of Cambridge University Botanic Garden Professor Samuel Brockington, who led the work, said: “A concerted, collaborative effort across the world’s botanic gardens is now needed to conserve a genetically diverse range of plants, and to make them available for research and future reintroduction into the wild.”

In their report, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers say the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has effectively halved the level at which plants are being collected from the wild, and also created obstacles to the international exchange of plants.

Brockington, who is also Professor of Evolution in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences, said: “The impact of the Convention on Biological Diversity is a remarkable demonstration of the power and value of international agreements. But it seems to be preventing individual botanic gardens from working with many globally threatened plant species that we could help save from extinction.”

Collective thinking

As much as 40% of the world’s plant diversity is at elevated risk of extinction. Acceptance that individual collections have limited capacity to single-handedly prevent species extinction demands a rethink as to how they collaborate to store and safeguard diversity in living collections.

The researchers say it will be vital for the living collections to be considered as a ‘meta-collection’ in future: only by working closely together will the world’s botanic gardens be able to hold the range of plants needed to make a meaningful contribution to conservation efforts. This will include sharing data and expertise and supporting the development of new collections in the global south, where much of the world’s biodiversity is located. 

The researchers point out that some individual institutions, like the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, have successfully targeted and measurably conserved threatened conifer species. Similarly, Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) has established numerous global conservation consortia. However, these initiatives are the exception.

Wild decline

Plants must be regularly replaced or propagated within living collections: the average lifetime of a specimen is just 15 years. But the team’s analysis found that the number of wild-origin plants - those collected in the wild - in the collections peaked in 1993 and has been in decline ever since. 

“It is certainly not getting any easier to sustain the diversity of our collections. This is especially true for wild-collected plants, and they’re the most valuable for us in terms for supporting research, and in finding solutions to the twin challenges of climate change and global biodiversity loss,” said Brockington.

Weather worries

As climate change alters growing conditions in different regions of the world, it will become more challenging for individual botanic gardens to continue to grow such a diverse range of species.

Brockington said: “Climate change affects our work directly by altering local weather conditions - we’ve already seen record-breaking temperatures in Cambridge in recent years. That’s going to affect how well our plants survive, so we need to think rationally and collectively about the best locations to hold different species across the global network of living collections.” 

On 25 July 2019, Cambridge University Botanic Garden reached 38.70C - the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK at that time.

Diversity is key

Genetic diversity is important when it comes to protecting plants at risk of extinction, because it allows for breeding populations of species that can adapt to future challenges.

The more individual plants of a particular species in a collection, the greater the genetic diversity is likely to be. 

The team says data from the International Conifer Conservation Programme, run by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, shows that living collections can make a valuable contribution to conservation efforts - given the right resource and focus. By distributing threatened species across a network of safe sites, the trees are grown where they grow best, and as a whole they represent a strong sample of the genetic diversity of this important group.
Ethical collecting

Last year, Cambridge University Botanic Garden advertised for a new ‘Expedition Botanist’ to lead global plant-collection expeditions and contribute to vital conservation efforts. 

Brockington says these expeditions remain vital to work to safeguard and study the world’s plant species. He suggests that collaborative collecting work is possible, in a fair and ethical way, that builds equitable international partnerships. 

The CBD is a global agreement, signed by 150 government leaders in 1992, dedicated to promoting sustainable development. It makes each country responsible for protecting its own biodiversity, and supports fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the use of that biodiversity.

There are 3,500 botanic gardens and arboreta worldwide. They exist so that scientists can study, conserve and provide access to the world’s plants, as well as showcasing them to the public.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is a charity whose purpose is to mobilise botanic gardens and engage partners in securing plant diversity for the wellbeing of people and the planet.

Reference: Cano, A. et al: ‘Insights from a century of data reveal global trends in ex situ living plant collections.’ Nature Ecology and Evolution, January 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02633-z
 

The world’s botanic gardens must pull together to protect global plant biodiversity in the face of the extinction crisis, amid restrictions on wild-collecting, say researchers.

A concerted, collaborative effort across the world’s botanic gardens is now needed to conserve a genetically diverse range of plants.Samuel BrockingtonHoward RiceCambridge University Botanic Garden

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We have an exciting opportunity for a personable and effective administrator to work in the newly restructured Client Services function of the Queen's Veterinary School Hospital (QVSH). This position is full-time and operates on a rota system to cover the hospital reception's opening hours, which are currently Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 7:00pm.

The Client Service Administrator is the first point of contact within the Small Animal Hospital aiming to provide a first-class customer service, rotating between front desk and telephone to provide all front-of-house services, therefore a friendly, calm and confident communicator is essential. You will be responsible for receiving incoming calls and emails, processing payments, booking appointments, and liaising with clients, referring veterinary practices, QVSH clinicians, nurses and students. You should have experience of working in a busy administrative role, have excellent customer care skills, be numerate, accurate and have an eye for detail.

You must be efficient and experienced in Microsoft Office packages and have the ability to establish professional and effective working relationships with the wider team. Excellent organisation skills, attention to detail and flexibility are all essential parts of the role.

There may also be a requirement to participate in a weekend working, for which additional remuneration will be made in line with the University Policy.

Detailed information about the role and the Department of Veterinary Medicine can be found on our official website: www.vet.cam.ac.uk.

For informal inquiries, please contact the Clinical HR Team via email at qvsh.hr@vet.cam.ac.uk. Kindly include reference PP44848 in your application and all correspondence related to this vacancy.

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

Closing date for applications: Midnight on Monday, 10 February 2025.

Interviews will be held in late February 2025.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications or extend it if we do not receive a sufficient number of applications. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

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 looking for a dedicated and versatile Deputy Building Services Manager, with excellent team coordination skills to support the Building Services Manager in ensuring the effective maintenance of the Zoology buildings.

The Department of Zoology is a thriving, friendly, and dynamic community of staff and students. Our facilities include teaching areas, laboratories, offices, and the Museum of Zoology, spread across five buildings primarily located in Central Cambridge. We pride ourselves on offering a welcoming work environment where staff are valued, supported, and encouraged to grow professionally and achieve their full potential.

In this role, with the Building Services Manager, you will oversee mechanical and electrical services through specialist contractors. You will manage reactive building maintenance, and help ensuring compliance with security, fire, and water safety regulations. Additionally, you will take direct responsibility for managing a team of eight cleaners.

We are looking for a proactive and effective team player, who communicates well and can recognise and respond to the diverse needs of research groups and professional support staff.

This varied and rewarding role is ideal for someone with management experience, strong interpersonal skills, and advanced knowledge of building services. A working knowledge of health and safety and fire safety legislation is essential.

This full-time position requires the post-holder to work on-site Monday - Friday, and availability for attendance for out-of-hours work may be necessary on occasions

What we can offer you:

• Competitive pay rates with automatic service-related pay progression and annual cost-of-living increases.

• Generous annual leave allowance to support your work-life balance.

• Family-friendly policies, including maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave, as well as workplace nursery options.

• A generous pension scheme, with substantial employer contributions.

• Travel benefits and retail discounts at over 2,000 local and national stores.

• Support for relocation or accommodation, where applicable.

If you have the skills, experience and personality to succeed in this role we would be delighted to hear from you. Informal conversations are welcomed please contact Glyn Theobald gt465@cam.ac.uk to hear more about this role. For more details, please refer to the Further Information below.

Interviews will be held during the week beginning 3 March 2025.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a basic disclosure (criminal records check) check, a health assessment and a security check.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Flexible working requests will be considered

We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

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 queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF44777 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.

Join the Intellectual Forum at Jesus College to explore issues of the day and changes for tomorrow at the IF Retreat. Discover the intellectual nourishment and reflective space you need to chart your next chapter during a weekend filled with stimulating conversation, intellectual engagement, relaxation, dining, and camaraderie.

Join Dr Moritz Mihatsch for the launch of his new book Shifting Sovereignties, which explores practical manifestations of sovereignty from antiquity to the Anthropocene.

Journalist and former editor of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, will share insights from his long and distinguished career in journalism.

Explore the AI revolution and its potential social and political impacts at this participatory workshop.

This is an exciting opportunity to become the Finance and Research Grants Coordinator in the School of Biological Sciences. The School of the Biological Sciences (SBS) is one of the six Schools in the University. The school comprises of nine academic Departments, plus five major research Institutions and an animal hospital. The school has a population of around 2000 staff and around 1000 postgraduate students, with a total spend in excess of £180m.

Working within the School Finance Office this role will contribute to the delivery of the school's academic vision by co-ordinating and managing both the general ledger and grant activity within the school office. This is delivered by advising budget holders, grant holders and professional services staff on financial and grant procedures. The postholder will be a high-level user of financial and grant administration systems and will also be undertaking financial and grant management activities across the remit of the School of the Biological Sciences.

The successful candidate will provide high level grant administration and finance advice to aid the planning, implementation and management of both the School finance and research grants held by the school, in order to ensure activity complies with the requirements of both the University and/or the relevant external grant funders. To provide analysis and advice for future applications for external grant funding from the school. Assisting the School Finance Business Partner and Senior Finance Advisor in financial management activities across the school and its departments.

The successful candidate will have excellent organisational skills and experience of working with research grants. As the role involves liaising with members of the Institute at all levels and occasionally external agencies and sponsors, in addition to acting as a point of contact for financial queries, it is essential that you have excellent communication skills. You should be able to work as part of a team but also to work independently. Knowledge of university finance systems would be an advantage, to enable you to provide cover for the team during holidays of other team members.

We are seeking an enthusiastic team player, who is willing to learn and develop as part of a wider group of friendly and highly skilled professional services staff.

Informal enquiries should be addressed to Bhavna Shah (Senior Finance Advisor) at bhavna.shah@admin.cam.ac.uk.

This position is permanent and available immediately.

We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for flexible working arrangements.

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

Please quote reference PA44845 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.