Postdoctoral Research Scientist - Professor Tom Bird

Employer

CRUK Scotland Institute

Location

Glasgow, Glasgow City (GB)

Salary

£37,000 to £44,852 subject to experience, plus relocation allowance and visa costs if required.

Closing date

2 Mar 2025

Liver Disease and Regeneration

Project Title: Linking stratification biomarkers to therapy for B-catenin driven liver cancer

About us

The CRUK Scotland Institute where the lab is based is a world leading cancer research institute, situated in the vibrant city of Glasgow in Scotland and hosting approximately 60 postdoctoral researcher scientists at any one time. It has an excellent reputation for fundamental cancer research, including world-class metabolism studies and renowned in vivo modelling of tumour growth and metastasis.

Project outline

A postdoctoral position is offered in the Liver Disease and Regeneration group headed by Professor Tom Bird. As a group we have developed, and now are exploiting, a suite of genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of subtypes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma to explore and test the clinical utility of targeting subtype-specific pathways in this common cancer of unmet need.

This substantive, Sir Jules Thorn Trust Award funded, project will address a clinically important and translationally relevant challenge. We aim to develop a novel metabolic biomarker for Wnt/B-catenin activity in liver cancer, validate its use in blood and tumours and mechanistically develop novel treatment options for targeting patients with this subtype of liver tumours using the unique resource of our GEMMs within the state-of-the-art facilities provided by the CRUK Scotland Institute.

The principal role of this post will be to develop, integrate and test targeted therapies in relevant models including in vivo GEMMs, orthotopic transplantation models and in both murine and human HCC-derived organoid models in vitro. Work will involve surgical models and preclinical imaging with relevant training provided as required. Sample analysis will involve metabolomics (LC-MS), immunohistochemistry and molecular (including transcriptomic) analyses amongst other molecular techniques. The role will involve working with and managing preclinical murine colonies and is expected to work closely with other group members and collaborators on related projects in tumour evolution and therapeutic translation, including allied industrial partners.

This work will be collaborative and will involve both use of pre-clinical and clinical samples; with prospective clinical material collected from a clinical study involving patients recruited by a separate subgroup linked to the Sir Jules Thorn funded project and additional samples from ongoing national consortia. Additional collaboration will be with nuclear physicists to develop targeted probes for clinical imaging (MRI-PET) plus experts in metabolomics.

You must have a PhD in a relevant field, be self-motivated and ambitious in addition to being a thorough and collaborative scientist. Existing skills including the use of animal models including holding a Personal License (PIL), and bioinformatic methods are especially desirable. A desire to work in translation science is essential.

Key references

Müller M, May S, Hall H, Kendall TJ, et al. Human-correlated genetic HCC models identify combination therapy for precision medicine. Nature 2025 (In Press), ResearchSquare preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1638504/v1

Villar VH, Allega MF, et al. Hepatic glutamine synthetase controls N(5)-methylglutamine in homeostasis and cancer. Nat Chem Biol. 2022.

For informal enquiries, please email t.bird@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk

Postdoc support

Postdocs are key members of our research community, and we offer them a range of opportunities to train and develop as researchers while they are with us:

Exciting, innovative cancer research projects in state-of-the art labs

A highly collaborative and interactive research environment

Access to and training in key advanced technologies, for example imaging and in vivo modelling

A mentor enabling scheme to aid personal and professional development

A rich programme of scientific exchange through seminars, workshops and meetings

Support to make fellowship and small grant applications, including during their transition to their next position

Guidance and mentoring to compete for an independent scientist position as well as a multitude of other career options, including in industry.

A highly engaged postdoc forum, providing peer support, training, careers advice and regular social events

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Our overarching research ethos at the Institute is about excellence, honesty, openness, accountability and integrity. The diversity of our staff and students is also what makes the Institute such a vibrant place to work and advance discoveries in cancer research. Family friendly policies, our collaborative ethos, a focus on good mental health and well-being and opportunities for all help to create an enjoyable and inclusive workplace where your voice matters.

The Institute is also committed to increasing the number of female scientists at the postdoc level and beyond and encourages female applicants to apply. We have recently introduced a highly attractive maternity policy which provides 12-18 months support and funding for postdocs wishing to take time off to spend with their children amongst other family friendly policies

Employee Benefits

Competitive salary

40.5 days annual leave including bank holidays (pro-rata)

Defined Contribution pension scheme

Life Insurance scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Season ticket loan

Additional maternity pay at 6 month’s full pay (subject to service)

Shared parental leave

Cycle to work scheme that could save you 26-40% on a bike and accessories.

Access to Employee benefit schemes with discounts on supermarkets, cinema, travel and much more.

On-site secure parking

All applications must be made via our website at:

https://www.crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk/careers/postdoctoral-fellows.html

Closing Date: 2nd of March 2025

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