"Research Associate (Fixed Term)"

The MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge is offering an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral research fellow with an interest in the development of novel statistical methodology with clinical applications. The post-holder will work in Dr Oscar Rueda research group, which is part of the Precision Medicine BSU research theme, and will contribute to the development of a prognosis and monitoring system for breast cancer patients. The project involves extending the methodology of Rueda et al (Nature 2019) and combining concepts and techniques from multistate survival analysis, latent variable analysis and machine learning approaches. Integration of different datasets (clinical, genomic, transcriptomic, image-based) will be required to build a model that can be clinically useful.

Candidates for this position should have a PhD in statistics or a relevant discipline. Scientific computing skills and R/Bioconductor proficiency are required. Experience in cancer research, including a working understanding of computational approaches for cancer genome analysis using next generation sequencing data, would be desirable but it is not essential. Due to the nature of this project, a cooperative approach to working is needed for this position, as well as an ability to communicate and interact with colleagues with other backgrounds.

This post is funded by Cancer Research UK through a Career Development Award, and it is available for two years.

The MRC Biostatistics Unit is one of Europe's leading biostatistics research institutions. Our focus is to deliver new analytical and computational strategies based on sound statistical principles for the challenging tasks facing biomedicine and public health. The Unit is situated on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, one of the world's most vibrant centres of biomedical research, which includes the University of Cambridge's Clinical School, two major hospitals, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and the world headquarters of Astra Zeneca.

The Unit is actively seeking to increase diversity among its staff, including promoting an equitable representation of men and women. The Unit therefore especially encourages applications from women, from minority ethnic groups and from those with non-standard career paths. Appointment will be made on merit.

The Biostatistics Unit is committed to supporting hybrid working for all staff, but we do expect that staff will work from the office on a regular basis to help integration and to build our fantastic scientific community. Working entirely from the office is possible. We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online. Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application. Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager. Closing date: 14th November 2025. Interview date: to be confirmed. For information about how your personal data is used as an applicant, please see the section on Applicant Data on our HR web pages. Please quote reference SL47563 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy. The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.