Postdoctoral Research Fellow

The Opportunity

We are seeking an outstanding Research Fellow to join an ambitious translational oncology programme focused on improving precision treatment approaches for patients with gastrointestinal cancers.

This funded programme brings together laboratory scientists, clinicians, and molecular researchers to develop clinically relevant approaches for understanding therapeutic response and resistance in cancer.

The post offers a rare opportunity to contribute to a highly translational initiative operating at the interface of discovery science and patient care. The successful candidate will play a central role in shaping experimental strategy, generating clinically relevant biological insights, and supporting the progression of the programme towards future clinical application.

This is not a conventional postdoctoral role centred on a predefined set of experiments. It is an opportunity to contribute to the development of an evolving translational research platform with clear real-world relevance.

The Role

The Research Fellow will contribute to the scientific and translational development of the programme, including:

• developing and optimising advanced experimental cancer models 
• leading functional studies examining therapeutic response and resistance 
• integrating biological and molecular data to support translational interpretation 
• contributing to clinically relevant reporting and communication of findings 
• supporting regulatory, governance, and translational preparation activities 
• helping shape experimental direction in collaboration with clinical and scientific investigators 

The role requires a high degree of scientific independence, critical thinking, and translational judgement.

What we are looking for

We are seeking an individual with strong experimental expertise and an interest in clinically relevant cancer research.

Essential:

• PhD (or equivalent) in cancer biology or a related discipline 
• Strong background in experimental oncology or cellular/molecular biology 
• Experience developing or optimising complex biological assays or model systems 
• Ability to interpret multifaceted biological data critically 
• Excellent communication and organisational skills 
• Evidence of scientific writing and publication 

Desirable:

• Experience working with translational or clinically aligned research programmes 
• Familiarity with cancer therapeutics, resistance biology, or tumour modelling 
• Experience integrating molecular and functional datasets 
• Understanding of research governance, ethics, or regulatory frameworks 
• Experience working within multidisciplinary environments

The Environment

The successful candidate will join a collaborative multidisciplinary research environment spanning:

• translational cancer biology 
• clinical oncology and surgery 
• molecular profiling and computational analysis 

The programme provides access to established infrastructure, high-quality clinical material, and strong translational support across Southampton and partner clinical centres.

Why this role is different

This position offers the opportunity to work within a genuinely translational programme designed with future clinical application in mind.

You will contribute not only to experimental delivery, but also to the development of approaches capable of bridging laboratory discovery and clinical decision-making.

The role is particularly suited to candidates interested in:

• translational cancer research 
• clinically impactful science 
• multidisciplinary programme development 
• future leadership in translational oncology 

Career Development

The post provides excellent opportunities for career progression and scientific development, including exposure to:

• translational programme leadership 
• multidisciplinary clinical–scientific collaboration 
• clinically aligned research strategy 
• future grant and fellowship development

Informal enquiries

For informal discussion of the role, please contact the Innovation for Translation Research Group leads:

Professor Zoë Walters (Z.S.Walters@soton.ac.uk)
Professor Tim Underwood (T.J.Underwood@soton.ac.uk)

Further details:

• Job Description and Person Specification

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