"Postdoctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term)"

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) in the Centre for Pandemic Risk Management. The Centre brings together an interdisciplinary team of scientists, social scientists and public policy researchers to inform and build pandemic risk policy and practice in the UK.

The role-holder will contribute to a research project examining the impact of artificial intelligence and automation on laboratory practice in pathogen molecular biology, including virology research. The ideal candidate will be trained in Science and Technology Studies or similar and have experience of lab ethnography.

The life sciences are undergoing significant changes due to the increased use of big data, artificial intelligence and automation. With a focus on laboratory research in microbiology and virology, this project seeks to understand the nature, scale and impact of these shifts. The research may thus involve questions that examine different parts of the scientific method and process, the kinds of knowledge that are sought and produced, and how these are used.

The role will primarily be based in CRASSH (the Centre for Research in Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities).

Funds for this post are available until 31 March 2029.

Informal enquiries about the role are welcomed and should be directed to Dr Lalitha Sundaram on LS299@cam.ac.uk or Dr Robert Doubleday on rvld2@cam.ac.uk. Questions on the application process should be directed to the School's HR Team on sahhr@admin.cam.ac.uk.

The closing date for applications is midnight (BST) on Sunday 3 May 2026. Interviews are planned for the week commencing 11 May 2026, subject to change.

Please quote reference VM49238 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

Click the 'Apply' button to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not done so already) and apply online.

Department/location: Centre for Research in Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

Salary: £37,694-£46,049

Reference: VM49238

Category: Research

Date published: 27 March 2026

Closing date: 3 May 2026