About the role:

The mission of the CRUK National Biomarker Centre (NBC) is to discover, develop, validate and qualify biomarkers that support optimised treatment of patients with cancer. An exciting opportunity exists to become the Deputy Team Lead of the NBC Preclinical Pharmacology (PP) Team. We seek an innovative and accomplished translational scientist with significant post-doctoral experience in cancer therapeutics and biomarker development to strategically develop our portfolio of preclinical cancer models and ex vivo approaches. 

Your goal is to enhance our mission to validate and credential new drug targets, to determine therapeutic efficacy, toxicity and resistance mechanisms and to discover and develop predictive, pharmacodynamic and response-monitoring biomarkers. You will have expertise in preclinical models of cancer (patient-derived and immune-competent models) and be well-versed in drug efficacy and resistance studies. You will bring innovative ideas and have expertise in a range of ex vivo protocols to interrogate drug mechanisms and cellular impacts of drug/target interactions. You will work closely with the PP Team Lead, influencing the strategic direction and oversee day-to-day operational aspects of the PP Team’s research with line management responsibilities. You will be an effective networker, engaging collaborators in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech industry and will drive and contribute to grant submissions and publication outputs. You will relish the opportunity to interact with the other biomarker teams in the NBC (https://cruknbc.org/), to collaborate with investigators at the CRUK Manchester Institute and will maximise the location of the NBC within the Manchester Cancer Research Centre.  

About You:

You should have a PhD in Biological Sciences, ideally in cancer pharmacology or cancer biology and/or a related discipline. You will possess comprehensive knowledge of personalised cancer medicines and will have experience in designing and running both in vitro and in vivo preclinical cancer therapeutics studies. You will have experience in management of integrated multidisciplinary project teams and an ability to effectively communicate between different specialists. This role is the perfect opportunity for an ambitious, collaborative and self-motivated individual looking to accelerate the success of the PP team with independent ideas and contribute to its strategic direction within the NBC mission.

What you will get in return:

• Fantastic market leading Pension scheme

• Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme

• Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays

• Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers

Why choose the CRUK National Biomarker Centre?

Within the University of Manchester (www.manchester.ac.uk),  we are an internationally recognised cancer biomarker centre closely aligned to the world leading Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute (www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk). Both The CRUK National Biomarker Centre and CRUK Manchester Institute are core funded by Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org), the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world. We are partnered with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe.  CRUK, The University of Manchester and The Christie are strategically aligned under the umbrella of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) forming a vibrant, patient facing, multi-disciplinary ecosystem for Cancer Research.

The CRUK National Biomarker Centre is located within the New Paterson Building, a £150 million flagship purpose-built biomedical research facility directly attached to The Christie hospital in South Manchester. Situated across the third floor, the NBC offers world-class research facilities with a bespoke suite of laboratories adjacent to exceptional discovery, translational and clinical research collaborators including the Christie’s clinical trialists, offering unrivalled opportunity for biomarker research.

How to apply? 

To apply for this position please visit our website: https://www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk/recruitment/candidate/searchvacancies

Please ensure you detail the names of three referees and ensure you submit your application before 10 May 2026 Sunday. Please note this vacancy will close for applications at 18:00 hours on the closing date specified.

Informal enquiries to the NBC Director Prof Caroline Dive, Email: caroline.dive@cruk.manchester.ac.uk and PP Team Lead Dr Kathryn Simpson, Email: Kathryn.simpson@cruk.manchester.ac.uk.