Postdoctoral Researcher in Translational Oncology (Fixed Term) Full-time

Postdoctoral Researcher Position

We are looking for a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to join the Dev Group at the University of Cambridge Early Cancer Institute. We are focused on developing sensitive, specific and scalable approaches to early cancer detection and risk stratification, with particular emphasis on DNA methylation dynamics and circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in liquid biopsies. Our work sits at the interface of computational biology, molecular science and translational medicine, generating large multi-omic datasets that require robust, reproducible analysis to identify rare signals with high accuracy and recall.

The post-holder will work on a Prostate Cancer Research funded initiative in partnership with collaborators at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Imperial College London, aiming to map epigenetic evolution and early carcinogenesis in prostate cancer. You will also contribute flexibly to other high-impact studies in the group, including multi-omic tumour profiling, lineage tracing and liquid biopsy development.

This role is suitable for candidates with either (i) a computational background (e.g. bioinformatics, data science, computational biology) who enjoy working closely with experimental and clinical teams, or (ii) a hybrid profile combining wet-lab expertise (e.g. molecular biology, genomics, epigenetics) with computational skills and an interest in integrating multimodal data.

Depending on background and interests, the role may involve analysis of high-throughput epigenomic and genomic data from tissue and liquid biopsy samples; development of scalable, reproducible workflows using modern workflow managers (e.g. Nextflow, Snakemake) and version control; support for novel wet-lab protocols for DNA methylation analysis and nanopore sequencing; and development of predictive models for early-stage cancer using statistics and/or machine learning (including deep learning where appropriate).

You will join a vibrant and growing research group of 12 scientists (six postdoctoral researchers, two research assistants and four PhD students) embedded within a highly collaborative network across Cambridge and with external academic and industry partners (e.g. AstraZeneca). Your work will be supported by academic and clinical mentors, with substantial scope to drive impactful research, develop leadership skills, and contribute to high-quality publications and presentations.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

Closing Date: 28th February 2026

Applicants must have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant (Grade 5, Point 38 £34,610) moving to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon confirmation of your PhD award.

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. 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.

Please quote reference RD48576 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.