Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the Role

The post-holder will investigate the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during the evolution of drug resistance in ovarian cancer. The ovarian cancer tumour microenvironment (TME) and ECM change dynamically during cancer progression and treatment to influence tumour stiffness as well as cancer cell morphology, growth, invasion and survival. However, the immunotherapies that have transformed the treatment of certain cancers are not effective in ovarian cancer and the ECM has not yet been targeted therapeutically. Our preliminary data show that ECM co-evolves with cancer cells and contributes to chemotherapy resistance. We hypothesis that unravelling this relationship mechanistically, will enable us to target the ECM therapeutically and restore chemo-sensitivity.

About You

The candidate will have a relevant PhD, a strong background in wet-lab research and experience with a range of standard cell biology experimental/analysis techniques. They should be confident to plan, deliver and critique their own work and to supervise students/junior team members. There will be opportunities to develop new experimental techniques and to collaborate with a biotech partner. The candidate will work effectively within an extended team and be willing to contribute to the life of the institute more broadly.

About the Institute

The candidate will be supervised by Prof Lockley, whose lab is based in the Centre for Cancer Evolution at Barts Cancer Institute (BCI), Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. The BCI is a focus of world-leading cancer research aimed at driving meaningful progress for people with cancer and a key partner in the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) City of London Centre.

Prof Lockley is a Clinician Scientist specialising in ovarian cancer, whose research focuses on understanding how drug resistance evolves with a strong emphasis on therapeutic discovery. One example is ACTOv (Adaptive ChemoTherapy for Ovarian cancer, Lockley Chief Investigator), a multicentre, randomised clinical trial testing an evolution-informed approach to cancer drug therapy. ACTOv was directly informed by discoveries made in the Lockley lab. Prof Lockley has recently been awarded a Programme Foundation Award from Cancer Research UK, which will fund several new posts in her team including this role.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

Benefits

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

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