Last Date: 18 September 2023
Job description
Job summary
The Division of Cancer in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London is significantly expanding its research in the field of cancer immunology and the tumour microenvironment. We wish to address key questions: how do cancers evade immune destruction? How do specific genomic alterations in cancer cells drive changes in the immune microenvironment? What is the basis for immunotherapy sensitivity?
We are looking to recruit a skilled, reliable, and enthusiastic Research Associate funded by the Ovarian Cancer Action to investigate the specific role of specific gene mutations (in particular PTEN) in shaping the microenvironment in ovarian high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). The post will build on previous work from the McNeish lab that has identified populations of resident macrophages specifically in omental tumours lacking expression of Pten, a key negative regulator of PI3K pathway signalling.– see http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/07/19/2023.07.18.549474.abstract.
Duties and responsibilities
The postholder will extend this work to understand how loss of PTEN expression drives appearance of specific macrophages populations, including using mass-spectrometry to identify tumour-generated factors that shape the microenvironment and co-culture to investigate the importance of stromal cells, including cancer-associated fibroblasts. Additional key questions include the role of LYVE1+ macrophages in therapeutic responses. The project will also involve identification of additional therapeutic opportunities in tumour-associated macrophages in HGSC.
You should hold (about to hold) a PhD in Cancer Biology and Cancer Immunology or a closely related discipline. You should have knowledge of cancer immunology and practical experience in a broad range of techniques including flow cytometry and mouse models of cancer. You must be organised, highly self-motivated, have excellent communication and relish working towards milestones.
Essential requirements
- PhD in cancer biology and cancer immunology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience
- Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals
- Knowledge of research methods and statistical methods
- Knowledge of cancer immunology
- Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a high standard of work
- Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision
Further information
For informal discussions about the post, please contact Professor Iain McNeish, the Head of the Division of Cancer, at [email protected]
Closing date: 4 weeks from publication date
Documents
About Imperial College London
Imperial College London is the UK’s only university focussed entirely on science, engineering, medicine and business and we are consistently rated in the top 10 universities in the world.
You will find our main London campus in South Kensington, with our hospital campuses located nearby in West and North London. We also have Silwood Park in Berkshire and state-of-the-art facilities in development at our major new campus in White City.
We work in a multidisciplinary and diverse community for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle the big global challenges our complex world faces.
It’s our mission to achieve enduring excellence in all that we do for the benefit of society – and we are looking for the most talented people to help us get there.
Additional information
Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to follow the Imperial Values & Behaviours framework. Our values are:
- Respect
- Collaboration
- Excellence
- Integrity
- Innovation
In addition to the above, employees are required to observe and comply with all College policies and regulations.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex, or sexual orientation. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Disability Confident Leader and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.
For technical issues when applying online please email [email protected].
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