Research Assistant/Associate (Fixed Term)

Applications are invited for a Research Assistant or Assistant/Associate role in the lab of Dr. Heather Machado, jointly in the Departments of Pathology and Genetics, University of Cambridge. Appointment will be made on the basis of successful candidate's experience and education.

The Machado Lab studies how tumour and immune cells co-evolve during cancer progression. We combine approaches from evolutionary genetics with single-cell genomic, transcriptomic and multiomic datasets to address fundamental questions in cancer immunology, including when anti-tumour immune responses arise, how inflammation reshapes those responses, and how immune cells evolve during immunotherapy.

We are seeking a computational biologist or genomicist to analyse single-cell genomic and transcriptomic datasets to investigate the somatic evolution of T cell responses to cancer. The successful applicant will have experience analysing genomic and/or multiomic data, along with excellent written and oral communication skills, strong organisational skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.

Relevant analytical approaches may include variant calling, artefact filtering, mutational signature analysis, phylogenetic inference, mutational timing analysis, and selection analysis.

Fixed-term: The post is available for one year in the first instance starting September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter and subject to a 6-month probationary period.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

Please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), a motivation letter detailing project and career development plans and include a publications list in the upload section of the online application. Please provide contact details, including an email address for two referees. At least one of your referees should be someone who is familiar with your work in your primary research field.

Appointment at the Research Associate level is dependent on the award of a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will be appointed at the Research Assistant level, Grade 5 (£34,610- £35,608), which will be amended to Research Associate, Grade 7 (£37,694- £46,049) once the award of the PhD has been confirmed.