PhD Studentship: Clinical Research Fellow in Biliary Tract Cancer Liquid Biopsy Translational Research

Salary: £65,048 - £73,992 per annum (according to relevant experience) aligned to NHS Resident Doctors Pay Scale

Post Start Date: January 2027

About The Fellowship

Applicants will undertake a 3-year fully funded PhD fellowship (The University of Manchester) in cancer research through the highly successful CRUK PhD programme, supervised by internationally recognised scientists and clinical academics. The fellowship will be predominantly laboratory-based with opportunities to gain experience in novel liquid biopsy technologies and training in bioinformatics and computational analysis whilst maintaining clinical engagement within the Hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) Medical Oncology Team at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

This PhD will investigate the development and clinical application of circulating nucleic acid biomarkers to improve the diagnosis, prognostication and treatment stratification of patients with biliary tract cancers (BTC). Despite advances in systemic therapies, BTC remains associated with poor survival and there is an urgent need for minimally invasive biomarkers that enable earlier diagnosis, molecular characterisation and real-time monitoring of treatment response.

The successful candidate will undertake translational laboratory research within the Nucleic Acid Biomarker Team at the CRUK National Biomarker Centre, working alongside leading scientists, bioinformaticians and clinician researchers. Supervised by Dr A Conway (Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology) and Dr A Clipson (Deputy Team Lead Nucleic Acid Biomarker Team), the project will focus on the development and validation of novel liquid biopsy approaches including circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), cell-free RNA (cfRNA) and other circulating biomarkers from blood and bile samples.

The fellow will gain extensive training in molecular biology techniques, next-generation sequencing technologies, biomarker assay development, experimental design, statistical analysis and bioinformatics. They will also have opportunities to collaborate with national and international research partners and present their work at major scientific conferences.

About You

We are seeking a talented and enthusiastic clinical academic, passionate about cancer research, who has a strong academic track record and a clear commitment to pursuing a career in clinical academia. The successful applicant will be intellectually curious, self-motivated and capable of working both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research environment.

You will have a Medical Degree (MB, ChB or equivalent), full General Medical Council (GMC) registration with licence to practise in the UK and MRCP, FRCP (or equivalent qualifications) along with relevant clinical or medical oncology experience. You will have previous laboratory-based research experience. Previous experience of management of patients in clinical trials would be an advantage.

You will possess excellent communication and organisational skills, with the ability to critically evaluate scientific literature, manage competing priorities and contribute effectively to collaborative research projects. Prior laboratory research experience is desirable but not essential, as comprehensive training and mentorship will be provided throughout the fellowship.

This fellowship is ideally suited to clinicians who aspire to become future leaders in translational cancer research and who are motivated to improve outcomes for patients with biliary tract cancer through innovative biomarker discovery and precision medicine.

Apply Now 

Please submit your online application by 18:00 on 07 September 2026 Monday  

For any informal enquiries about this post, please contact Alicia-Marie Conway, alicia-marie.conway@cruk.manchester.ac.uk or Alexandra Clipson alexandra.clipson@cruk.manchester.ac.uk

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