Early Stage Researcher at University of Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK 

Full time starting salary is fixed at £43,922 per annum (includes family allowances). No increments or pay awards will be payable.

Full Time / Fixed Term Contract for 36 months (to commence from 1 September 2024)  

Closing date: 8 May 2024 

The University of Birmingham is pleased to announce a position for an early-stage researcher (ESR) to undertake a project within the EU-funded Doctoral Network eRaDicate (https://www.eradicate-project.eu/) for 36 months. The successful candidate will join a large network of 11 PhD students (ESRs), joining leading teams from academia and industry. The network will provide a unique and complimentary training opportunity in the fields of cancer biology and pharmaceuticals with a view to the development of new anticancer drugs. A strong industrial presence will allow ESRs to bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and translation and provide experience of industry practices. The aim of our multidisciplinary and intersectoral programme is to empower young scientists to become specialist in cancer and drug R&D, while developing new therapies for cancer.

The research project will focus on the importance of activity of the retinoic acid receptor gamma (RARg) to the survival and proliferation of prostate cancer cells. We have developed a synthetic compound that switches off the activity of this receptor. It kills the prostate cancer stem cells without affecting normal cells. Understanding why the cancer stem cells die, whereas normal cells are unaffected, is important to developing the compound for use to treat patients. The project will utilise prostate cancer cell lines and untransformed prostate epithelial cells. To investigate how RARg regulates gene expression, we will perform genome wide sequencing techniques, such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and chromatin accessibility. The successful applicant will be trained in molecular biology techniques, including their analysis.

The successful candidate will be trained to perform original and independent research on an internationally competitive level, and to develop a creative, critical, and entrepreneurial mindset. He/she will be required to carry out and manage the individual research project.  He/she will participate in the eRaDicate training and network activities, participate in national and international scientific meetings, and undertake a research stay at an external research laboratory or a company site.

The attributes we are looking for are:

• A first degree (class 2.1 or above honours) in biomedical science, or related area/subject.
• High level analytical capability, incl. independent problem-solving.
• Knowledge of the principles of cancer biology.
• Experience of cell culture models and general molecular biology techniques.
• Good communication skills and team spirit.
• An interest to learn new techniques.
• Willingness to travel and to participate in outreach and extracurricular activities.
• The successful candidate must be eligible to enroll on a PhD program. This requires English proficiency (IELTS 6.5; no less than 6.0 in any band) and the researcher must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity in the UK for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to recruitment.

Informal enquiries to Dr Maarten Hoogenkamp, email: m.hoogenkamp@bham.ac.uk or Professor Geoff Brown, email: g.brown@bham.ac.uk.

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the above ‘Apply’ button. Please quote Job Ref 103819 in all enquiries.