Position Details 

School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences 

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK 

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

Grade 7

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

Closing date: 8 May 2024

Background 

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of  activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

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 prostate cancer and the importance of activity of the retinoic acid receptor gamma (for the active metabolite of vitamin A) 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 as model system and untransformed prostate epithelial cells as control. To investigate how retinoic acid receptor gamma regulates gene expression at DNA promoters and enhancers, we will perform genome wide sequencing techniques, such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and chromatin accessibility by DNase1-sequencing. The successful applicant will be trained in molecular biology techniques, including the genome wide techniques and their analysis.

Role Summary 

• Work within specified research project to collect research data
• Operate within area of specialism
• Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
• Contribute to public understanding of the discipline

Main Duties 

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation and literature reviews
• Analyse and interpret data
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, under supervision of the project leader
• Promote equality and diversity, fostering an inclusive working culture

Person Specification

• 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.

Further particulars can be found here.

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

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.