HDBI Public Engagement Manager (Part Time, Fixed Term)
What makes us human? is the public engagement programme of the Wellcome-funded Human Developmental Biology Initiative (HDBI). HDBI is a human developmental biology consortium of sixteen research groups across seven UK universities/research institutes which aims to deliver fundamental knowledge about human development. Working with HDBI scientists, What makes us human? is providing a culture of engagement and new ways of working allowing the science to anticipate, include and respond to a broad range of societal insights and perspectives. What makes us human? focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and confidence of HDBI scientists and public engagement practitioners through an on-going programme of training and support. It is also developing long-term relationships with stakeholders, delivering specific engagement projects and is committed to on-going external evaluation and refinement of its programme.
We are looking for a part time HDBI public engagement manager who is eager to build on their existing experience to coordinate and deliver this ambitious multi-centre engagement project. The public engagement manager will be based at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge (www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk) and will work with Dr Emma Rawlins, the HDBI academic lead for public engagement (www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk/research/rawlins; www.hdbi.org/public-engagement).
The HDBI public engagement manager will coordinate a multi-stakeholder Insights Group to inform and improve our research, engagement and communications. They will coordinate a network of public engagement practitioners across the seven institutions of the HDBI and external collaborators/sub-contractors and manage the overall budget to ensure delivery of What makes us human? Working with the Insights group, they will develop and deliver bespoke training activities for all HDBI scientists. Working with the HDBI overall programme manager they will deliver internal and external communications relating to public engagement. Moreover, there will be an opportunity to work closely with HDBI scientists based at the Gurdon Institute to assist with development and delivery of local HDBI engagement activities.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 16 February 2026 in the first instance.
The post is available immediately.
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact HR@gurdon.cam.ac.uk.
We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other 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 PR45947 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- Dupree Group (Fixed Term)
Applications are invited from an enthusiastic and team-oriented researcher to join the laboratory of Professor Paul Dupree. The Dupree lab https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/dupree is internationally recognised as a leading team of researchers in plant cell wall biochemistry. We aim to understand how the biosynthesis and assembly of polysaccharides generates the remarkable plant cell wall that can be strong, and resistant to decay or, when appropriate, able to expand as the cells grow. We apply our discoveries in applications from human and animal dietary fibre, gut microbiome modulation, soil health and synthesis of cellulosic materials to replace petrochemicals in packaging and building construction.
The successful candidate will join a team working to understand the relationship between glucomannan structure and function, in a project selected as an ERC Advanced grant to Prof Dupree, and funded by UKRI.
Candidates should hold a PhD (or be close to completion) in Biochemistry or other relevant field, with a strong background in plant or carbohydrate biochemistry. A proven track record of research productivity and the ability to lead diverse but complementary projects to completion is essential.
Experience in Arabidopsis molecular genetics such as CRISPR/Cas9, molecular biological techniques, protein expression, carbohydrate structural analysis or enzyme assays would be desirable.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available immediately until 30 September 2027 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 welcome to be sent to Professor Dupree: pd101@cam.ac.uk
For queries regarding the application process, please contact: personnel@bioc.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PH45944 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.
PhD Studentship - MRC Integrative Toxicology Training Partnership (ITTP)
Project Title: Characterising clonal dynamics of somatic mutations in vivo for early prediction of carcinogenicity using advanced error corrected next generation sequencing
Supervisor: Dr Alex Cagan
Department: Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge
Industrial Partner: GSK
Somatic mutations drive cancer and may underlie many chronic diseases - yet current safety testing struggles to detect the earliest signals of carcinogenic risk. This PhD project aims to transform how we evaluate the potential for new drugs and chemicals to cause cancer, by tracking somatic mutations and clonal expansions in rodent tissues using cutting-edge, ultra-accurate error-corrected sequencing (ecNGS).
Working at the interface of evolutionary genomics and toxicology, the student will generate high-resolution maps of mutation burden and cancer driver mutation (CDM) dynamics in response to carcinogenic exposure. By integrating new computational and experimental approaches (e.g. Laser capture microdissection and ecNGS), and accessing samples and expertise through GSK's Investigative Toxicology group, the student will help develop a novel framework for early carcinogenicity prediction. This project offers the rare opportunity to translate high-resolution molecular data into practical tools for non-clinical drug safety and regulatory science. This has the potential to revolutionise our ability to detect and understand the carcinogenic impact of chemical compounds.
Based in the Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge and co-supervised by GSK, the student will receive hands-on training in ecNGS library prep, experimental toxicology, and bioinformatics. The student will also gain experience in working with industry partners, contributing to translational research in regulatory genomics and drug development.
The MRC Integrative Toxicology Training Partnership (ITTP) is a national PhD training programme for capacity building in Toxicology and related disciplines.
The safe development of new drugs, materials, chemicals and consumer products along with the assessment of risk from environmental exposure requires the integration of cutting-edge science with traditional toxicology. The ITTP provides a training platform to enable this and aims to bring together academia, industry and government agencies to provide the required expertise.
ITTP students attend a once yearly residential toxicology training course, have access to the MRC Toxicology Unit's Masterclass seminar series and attend toxicology and laboratory training in their host institutions.
We are looking for a motivated student with a strong background in genomics, molecular biology, or bioinformatics. This interdisciplinary project would suit someone interested in cancer biology, somatic evolution, toxicology, or the development of predictive models of disease. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical and collaborative skills, with the ability to work independently in a supportive research environment.
Full funding is provided for 4 years for UK home-fee eligible students, including: - UKRI stipend (£20,780 per annum for 2025/26) - University fees - £5,000 per year for consumables - £25 per year for society membership
To apply please visit: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/ and click 'Apply Now' selecting the following course:
- PhD in Genetics(Full-time)
- Start Date: 1st October 2025
- Project Supervisor: Dr Alex Cagan
- Project Title: Include title as listed above
- Research Proposal: Include project details as listed above
Applications should include: - Two academic references - Transcript - CV/resume - Evidence of competence in English (If required - you can check using our tool) - Statement of Interest outlining your suitability, why you are interested in a PhD in this area, your background and research interests. - School of Biological Sciences - Widening Participation Questionnaire (applicants are asked to complete an additional form to provide contextual information about their previous study. Find out more about our use of contextual information here: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/contextual-data
Completed applications (with ALL supporting documentation and references) to be submitted via the portal by 23:59pm (midnight) UK time on the 6th June 2025 at the latest. Interviews will be scheduled for the 18th June.
For queries related to this PhD studentship, please contact Dr Alex Cagan email atjc2@cam.ac.uk.
Please quote reference PC45937 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 in Functional Metagenomics- novel biocatalysts for a sustainable circular economy from ultrahigh throughput screening- Hollfelder Group (Fixed Term)
A postdoctoral position is available for 12 months in the first instance, with a possible extension, from 1 June 2025, to work with Professor Florian Hollfelder at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge. (https://hollfelder.bioc.cam.ac.uk/). The project is part of the Horizon Europe project BlueTools (https://www.bluetools-project.eu/) and involves collaborations with various EU and UK groups on harnessing marine microbiomes and marine culture collections for novel biocatalysts that may play a role in future sustainable processes with higher resource and energy efficiency.
We will develop ultrahigh throughput assays to screen metagenomic libraries for new catalysts for applications in recycling, bioremediation and green chemistry. Candidate enzymes are mechanistically investigated, structurally characterised and subsequently improved by directed evolution. Ultrahigh-throughput screening in microfluidic picoliter droplets allows us to interrogate enzyme libraries with more than 10 million members experimentally in a day, increasing the chances of success in catalyst discovery.
Applicants should thus have a first (or upper second) class degree in chemistry, biochemistry or a related, relevant subject, followed by a PhD. Familiarity with molecular and chemical biology techniques and specific skills in assay development, enzyme kinetics, DNA library generation, structural biology, organic synthesis, high-throughput screening, mechanistic enzymology, database searching and microfluidic engineering are advantages, as well as postdoctoral experience. Applications should contain a description of research interests as part of the cover letter, a detailed CV (with exam marks and all relevant practical experience) and a list of publications. Please also include the names and email addresses of at least two referees, who are familiar with your research work.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months starting 1st June 2025 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 welcome to be sent to Florian Hollfelder: fh111@cam.ac.uk
For queries regarding the application process, please contact: personnel@bioc.cam.ac.uk
Please quote reference PH45939 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 / Research Associate (Fixed Term)
The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a post-doctoral Research Associate to investigate how DNA features contribute to gene expression and how these can be used for the predictable design of synthetic constructs for engineering plants. The successful candidate will join the Patron Lab and will work in collaboration with researchers in the Queitsch lab (University of Washington, USA) and the Jores lab (University of Dusseldorf, Germany). Together, we will investigate regulatory sequences and engineer programmable and tuneable gene expression in plants. We will provide a supportive research environment with an emphasis on personal development, research excellence, integrity, and respect. More information about the Patron lab is available at www.patronlab.org.
Role overview The candidate will conduct experiments using bioinformatic, molecular biology and synthetic biology approaches to investigate expression-limiting features of DNA shape, torsional stress, and nucleosome occupancy. They will use this knowledge to develop strategies to engineer expression in plants, seeking to optimise yields from metabolic pathways.
Key skills The successful candidate must have a PhD in molecular or synthetic biology and a thorough understanding of eukaryotic genomes and gene expression. Applicants should be proficient in the design and assembly of synthetic constructs, and in the use of mass spectrometry for the identification and quantification of metabolites. Experience with plants is desirable but not essential.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 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.
Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.
Please quote reference PD44591 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.
