Research Associate Division of Cancer, Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London

Location: Hammersmith Campus

Job Summary

The Division of Cancer in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London is significantly expanding its research in the field of cancer immunology and the tumour microenvironment. We wish to address key questions: how do cancers evade immune destruction? How do specific genomic alterations in cancer cells drive changes in the immune microenvironment? What is the basis for immunotherapy sensitivity?

We are looking to recruit a skilled, reliable, and enthusiastic Research Associate funded by the Ovarian Cancer Action to investigate the specific role of specific gene mutations (in particular PTEN) in shaping the microenvironment in ovarian high grade serous carcinoma (HGSC). The post will build on previous work from the McNeish lab that has identified populations of resident macrophages specifically in omental tumours lacking expression of Pten, a key negative regulator of PI3K pathway signalling.– see http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2023/07/19/2023.07.18.549474.abstract.

Duties and Responsibilities

The postholder will extend this work to understand how loss of PTEN expression drives appearance of specific macrophages populations, including using mass-spectrometry to identify tumour-generated factors that shape the microenvironment and co-culture to investigate the importance of stromal cells, including cancer-associated fibroblasts. Additional key questions include the role of LYVE1⁺ macrophages in therapeutic responses. The project will also involve identification of additional therapeutic opportunities in tumour-associated macrophages in HGSC.

You should hold (about to hold) a PhD in Cancer Biology and Cancer Immunology or a closely related discipline. You should have knowledge of cancer immunology and practical experience in a broad range of techniques including flow cytometry and mouse models of cancer. You must be organised, highly self-motivated, have excellent communication and relish working towards milestones.

Essential Requirements

• PhD in cancer biology and cancer immunology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

• Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals

• Knowledge of research methods and statistical methods

• Knowledge of cancer immunology

• Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a high standard of work

• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision

Further Information

For informal discussions about the post, please contact Professor Iain McNeish, the Head of the Division of Cancer, at i.mcneish@imperial.ac.uk