Research Assistant/Associate in Childhood Cancer Genomics

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary
Research Assistant £31,396 - £32,982 per annum
Research Associate £33,966 - £36,024 per annum

The Role
We seek an enthusiastic and ambitious Researcher to join our team in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute to work on a unique and exciting project.

Current combination therapies (i.e. surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy) ensure that ~80% of children diagnosed with a brain tumour will survive their disease. Nevertheless, successful treatment means a risk of lifelong detrimental therapy-related late-effects; a major determining factor being cranial irradiation of the developing brain. We have developed a model of radiotherapeutic injury in juvenile mice which mirrors treatment (dosing/scheduling, developmental stage) of children and recapitulates the associated late-effect profile, including significant deficits in neurocognition.

This project will build upon this unique model. You will help create and analyse a single-cell (scRNA-seq) transcriptional atlas detailing, in high resolution, the effect of radiotherapeutic injury upon individual brain cells in the juvenile mouse brain. Analysis will focus upon defining how cell types, lineages and transcriptional states are affected by cranial irradiation. This atlas will bring great added value to our model by providing a biological "ground-truth", allowing us to inform and benchmark future therapeutic interventions designed to mitigate radiotherapeutic injury or therapy- associated developmental cognitive deficits.

This is an opportunity to address a critical clinical problem affecting the lives of survivors of childhood cancer. It is also an opportunity to develop some key analytical and bioinformatic skills in a cutting-edge technology with strong potential for translation and high-impact publication. You will work as part of the multi-disciplinary Paediatric Brain Tumour Group at the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre within the Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, the focus of research excellence in translational cancer research at Newcastle with an annual research income of ~£10m and >400 researchers.

You will hold a PhD in relevant area (required for appointment at Associate level) or be close to submission of a PhD or Masters degree in relevant subject (for appointment at Assistant level) Experience of research including bioinformatic analysis including coding/scripting languages such as R and/or Python, preferably in the area of cancer research, single cell genomics and/or neuro-development experience to collate and securely manage large bioinformatic datasets is essential.

This post is a full-time position, fixed-term until 31st May 2026.

For informal enquiries contact: Daniel Williamson daniel.williamson@ncl.ac.uk or Debbie Hicks debbie.hicks@ncl.ac.uk.

Find out more about our research here:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/cancer/our-research/paediatric-oncology-and-haematology/brain-tumour-research/
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/cancer/our-research/paediatric-oncology-and-haematology/

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences and research institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ and https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/.

Advert information