Postdoctoral Research Associate (Oncolytic Clostridia)

Location: Milton Keynes, UK; laboratory-based work requiring on-site availability, likely up to five times per week

Salary: £38,784–£41,064 per year pro rata for 0.5 FTE part-time hours

Company

hirify.global is a UK university combining flexible higher education with multidisciplinary research in life, health and chemical sciences.

What you will do

• Maintain cancer cell cultures, including models operated under hypoxic conditions.
• Generate, purify and quantify Clostridium spores and optimise heterologous expression of therapeutic proteins.
• Characterise the anticancer activity of Clostridium against prostate cancer using in vitro techniques.
• Conduct ex vivo analysis of cancer samples and interpret project data.
• Prepare research papers, share results with UK and international collaborators, and contribute to laboratory meetings.
• Handle material shipments, risk assessments and other project administration while supervising junior group members where appropriate.

Requirements

• PhD or equivalent qualification in molecular microbiology, cancer biology, molecular biology or a related discipline.
• Understanding of cancer biology and experience studying anticancer therapeutics involving microbes.
• Experience culturing cancer cells, handling obligate anaerobes and working with hypoxic conditions.
• Practical experience with PCR, molecular cloning and Western blotting.
• Track record of communicating research results, planning independent work and meeting deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to give and receive constructive criticism.

Nice to have

• Experience studying cell death mechanisms in cancer cells.
• Previous postdoctoral research experience.
• Contributions to research grants, fellowships or work as a named researcher or co-investigator.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative research environment within the Anaerobes in Medicine Lab.
• Work with academic and clinical collaborators based in the UK, Italy and USA.
• Flexible working arrangements may include job sharing, compressed hours or other agreed options.
• University staff benefits and policies supporting work-life balance.

Hiring process

• Submit a CV and a supporting statement of no more than 1,000 words.
• Shortlisted candidates are expected to interview in the week commencing 9 November.