Research Fellow in Laboratory and Computational Systems Biology Cancer research

Research Fellow in Laboratory and Computational Systems Biology Cancer research

School/department: Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Hours: full time or part time hours considered up to a maximum of 1 FTE. Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).

Contract: fixed term for 4 years

Reference: 4890

Salary: starting at £33,797 to £40,322 per annum, pro rata if part time.

Placed on: 30 October 2020

Closing date: 2 December 2020. Applications must be received by midnight of the closing date.

Expected start date: 1 January 2021

• Join a ground-breaking project as part of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.

• Interdisciplinary role combining laboratory science with computational biology.

• Work towards the future of personalised medicine.

• Benefit from strong clinical and computational collaborations.

A unique and exciting post-doctoral research opportunity is available at Brighton and Sussex Medical School; a joint venture between the University of Sussex and University of Brighton.

The project is part of a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship project and is supervised by Dr Simon Mitchell, a systems biologist, and Prof Chris Pepper, a cancer cell biologist. Both Simon and Chris’ groups form part of the vibrant interdisciplinary Haematology Research Group. The initial appointment is for 4 years, and there may be an option to extend for a further 3 years, contingent on funding and the demonstration of satisfactory progress.

The project will use systems biology approaches to understand B-cell lymphomas. These are relatively common cancers, occurring when mutations cause a loss of regulation of molecular signalling pathways. While lots is known about the mutational landscape of B-cell lymphomas, there is still a significant knowledge gap in our understanding of how mutation-driven dysregulation of molecular signalling pathways modifies cancerous cell fates. This project is designed to address this gap with the ultimate aim of identifying druggable molecular targets tailored for individual subsets of patients.

We recently published computational models predicting new molecular interactions, and targets to control B-cells, that led to informative laboratory experiments. We now want to test model-predicted targets to improve treatments for B-cell lymphoma, predict treatment failure, and avoid the development of treatment resistance.

The successful candidate will:

· Gain true interdisciplinary experience by iteratively performing cellular and molecular biology experiments and using computational models.

· Characterise the effects of novel targeted approaches on B-cell lymphoma cells.

· Work with experts in computational modelling.

· Translate insight towards clinically adoptable approaches.

The research will take place in a vibrant and collaborative research environment at BSMS and the successful applicant will benefit from opportunities for national and international collaboration and conference participation. In addition, a wealth of scientific and computing resources are available to support the work as well as the experience and expertise of the supervisory team.

The successfully candidate will work in the beautiful and diverse seaside city of Brighton and Hove, 1 hour from London by train; some work may be performed remotely initially due to COVID-19-related restrictions.

Please contact Dr Simon Mitchell, S.A.Mitchell@bsms.ac.uk for informal enquiries.

The University is committed to equality and valuing diversity, and applications are particularly welcomed from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Medicine and Mathematics (STEMM) at Sussex.

For full details and how to apply see our vacancies page

www.brighton.ac.uk/jobs www.bsms.ac.uk