Research Fellow

The post involves the application of gene expressing profiling and molecular pathology analysis as part of a multipartner project which has assembled experts from around the UK in a £5 million Stratified Medicine in Colorectal Cancer (S:CORT) programme funded by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK . This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of a quality consortium that will identify new prognostic and predictive markers and novel therapeutic targets for colorectal cancer. The successful candidate will contribute to an innovative project that will generate novel data suitable for publication in high impact journals and will also have the potential to underpin new treatment algorithms in this deadly disease.

MAJOR DUTIES:

• To be responsible for identifying and interpreting ‘omic’ signatures from samples from patients in clinical trials and cohort studies in colorectal cancer.
• To be responsible for molecular pathology evaluation of samples from colorectal cancer patients
• To assist in developing a detailed project plan for the research and to liaise with colleagues on project design data collection and data analysis.
• To prepare, in consultation with research team, material for publication in national and international journals and presentations at national and international conferences.
• To work with other members of the team at QUB on planning for future grant applications.
• To assist with the supervision of doctoral students.
• To assist with ethical and research governance procedures in relation to these studies.
• To draft and present regular progress reports for research team or to external audiences to disseminate and publicise research findings.
• To read academic papers, journals and textbooks to keep abreast of developments in own specialism and related disciplines.

Planning and Organising:

• To ensure timely completion of specific deliverables within the research project.
• To plan for the use of research resources.
• To plan own day-to-day activity within the framework of the agreed research programme.
• To coordinate and liaise with other members of the research group regarding progress.

Resource Management Responsibilities:

• To ensure research resources are used in an effective and efficient manner.
• To provide support and guidance as required to staff and students involved with the research.

Internal and External Relationships:

• To liaise on a regular basis with colleagues, students and key stakeholders within the S-CORT Consortium.
• To maintain existing collaborations and establish new internal/external contacts as appropriate and participate in internal/external networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future collaboration.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Have or be about to obtain a relevant PhD in a molecular based discipline (about to obtain a PhD is within 6 months of the closing date of the post).
• At least three years’ relevant research experience and skills relevant to the subject area e.g. experience of genomics, molecular pathology.
• Experience of using bioinformatics tools relevant to genomic analysis.
• Publication record commensurate with the stage of career.
• Experience of project management.
• Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment as part of a research team.
• Ability to contribute to broader management and administrative processes.
• Contribute to the School’s outreach programme by links with industry, community groups etc.
• Sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge in research methods and techniques pertinent to genomics, molecular pathology research.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Evidence of ability to write reports and meet deadlines.
• Evidence of ability to deal competently with administrative tasks and contribute to broader management tasks.
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Ability to build contacts and participate in internal and external networks.
• Ability to give formal presentations.
• Demonstrable intellectual ability.
• Ability to assess and organise resources.
• Ability to work independently and on own initiative.
• Ability to act decisively and confidently.
• Ability to work outside normal hours when necessary.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Have or be about to obtain a relevant PhD in cancer molecular biology (about to obtain a PhD is within 6 months of the closing date of the post).
• Relevant experience in cancer molecular pathology and/or cancer genomics research.
• Experience in translational cancer bioinformatics.
• High quality publications in the cancer domain.
• Proven ability to participate in or initiate collaborative research.
• Strong commitment to a career in research.