Clinical Research Fellow – Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy – 106051 – Clinical Full-time

Job Title

Nelson Clinical Research Fellow

Job Description

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medicine and Health

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full-time starting salary is normally in the range of £45,943 to £77,196

Grade: Clinical

Full-time, Fixed-term contract up to July 2027

Closing date: 11th June 2026

2 positions available

Background

The University of Birmingham and University Hospitals of Birmingham NHS Trust are one of the largest providers of clinical care and research into cancers of the pancreas, biliary tract and liver (HPB). The medical oncology grouping see close to 550 new cases of these cancers a year. There is a large active clinical trials programme that spans phase 1 to phase 3. These patients have a poor prognosis and this clinic forms the basis of a significant translational programme with the university spanning several scientific research groups. A private foundation has given the university a sizable donation that has created the Nelson clinical research fellows. These are one year posts which allow a clinically trained individual to embed themselves in the HPB medical oncology team to help deliver clinical care and trials and also integrate themselves into a research group at the university where they can generate preliminary data to eventually apply for PhD funding.

Role Purpose

The post-holder will contribute to the working of the HPB medical oncology team by supporting clinical trials which include late phase trials in the HPB space or early phase trials. Additionally they would also have dedicated research time to integrate themselves in a university research group which is aligned to the HPB medical oncology clinic where they can work on a translational project and eventually generate preliminary data for a PhD. Examples of programmes on-going include using peripheral immune cells to predict immunotherapy response in biliary tract and liver cancer and using circulating tumour DNA to look at chemotherapy response in the neoadjuvant setting.

The post is funded for 12 months in the first instance, with the potential for extension. The post-holder will be supported to apply for further funding if they wanted to pursue a higher degree.

Main Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruitment of patients to trials, including patient identification and consent and performance of trial-related procedures where relevant
• Assist with trial set-up and obtaining necessary local and national approvals (ethics, MHRA) and contribute to site file and data management under guidance of the trials coordinators and lead investigators.
• Carry out a literature review of the topic area.
• Undertake prescribed research tasks and collection of research data
• Prioritise tasks within the agreed work schedule to ensure that projects are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Suggest and contribute to the development of research techniques and methods in collaboration with colleagues.
• Contribute to writing bids for research grants.
• Disseminate research findings using appropriate and effective media such as publication, research seminars, etc.
• Provide guidance to other staff and students.
• Contribute to the production of research reports and high impact publications.
• Plan and develop research contributions to subject area using methodologies, critical evaluations, interpretations, analyses and other appropriate techniques.
• Participate in departmental public engagement activities and initiatives

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience Required

Essential:

• Full General Medical Council Registration with a Licence to Practice.
• Understanding and experience of research methods and processes.
• Medical degree.

Desirable:

• Demonstrable research experience
• Understanding and experience of research methods and processes related to cancer and trials.
• Research publications.

Job Features

Planning and Organising

• Plan for the use of research resources as appropriate.
• Contribute to the planning of research projects.
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort.
• Prioritise responsibilities and various undertaken work-streams.

Decision Making

• Critical decision making on appropriate amendments to experimental design and progress to ensure optimal output.
• Plan for the use of research resources as appropriate.
• Contribute to the planning of research projects.

Informal enquiries to Lisa Powell, email: l.h.powell@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.