Postdoctoral Research Scientist in mRNA Cancer Vaccines for Paediatric Cancers

Location: Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ

Salary: Research Grade 7: Salary in range of £38,674 - £43,171 per annum. This is inclusive of a pensionable Oxford University Weighting of £1,500 per year.  

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Scientist to join a collaborative, translational research programme aimed at developing the first personalised mRNA vaccine for rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive paediatric and young adult cancer with significant unmet clinical need. This is a wet lab position based in the Centre for Immuno-Oncology within the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, under the supervision of Dr Felipe Galvez-Cancino. The post is part of a broader collaborative grant with Professor Bass Hassan at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, bringing together complementary expertise in cancer biology, RNA therapeutics, and tumour immunology.

As part of this role, you will focus on modelling rhabdomyosarcoma using advanced tumour cell lines and organoid systems to investigate the role of tumour-specific neoantigens, particularly those arising from translocation events and their capacity to stimulate anti-tumour immune responses. You will design and execute novel approaches towards experimental immunology and the development of mRNA vaccines for rhabdomyosarcoma, in collaboration with a team of postdoctoral scientists, research assistants and PhD/DPhil students. 

A major objective will be the validation of novel peptide candidates predicted to be presented by MHC molecules and capable of activating T cells, thereby informing the design of mRNA-based immunotherapies. The role will involve the use of a range of molecular and cell biology techniques, including immunological co-culture assays, flow cytometry, and peptide stimulation systems, working closely with computational partners who will provide candidate antigen predictions from tumour RNA and genomic datasets. 

It is essential that you currently hold a PhD/DPhil (or close to completion) in a relevant field such as cancer biology, immunology or molecular oncology. With evidence of a developed research career and previous responsibility for independent areas of research, you will have demonstrable experience with in vitro tumour modelling, antigen presentation studies and functional T cell assays. You will also be able to demonstrate experience with high-dimensional flow cytometry, ideally, designing complex panels for spectral flow cytometry. Excellent communication skills, including evidence of high-level scientific writing and publication is also required, given the active participation and collaboration for scientific reports and journal articles. 

Applications for this vacancy should be made online and you will need to upload a supporting statement and CV. Your supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. Please restrict your documentation to your CV and supporting statement only. Any other documents will be requested at a later date.   

This position is offered full time on a fixed term contract until 28 June 2028 and is funded by Alice’s Arc. The post offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to a first-in-kind immunotherapeutic strategy for paediatric solid tumours. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to Dr Felipe Galvez-Cancino (felipe.galvez-cancino@immonc.ox.ac.uk).

Only applications received before 12 midday on 1 September 2025 will be considered. Please quote 180863 on all correspondence.

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