Scientist; Translational Biology

200 staff. Limitless Potential. One team.

Cancer Research Horizons.

Scientist (Translational Biology) X2

£33,700 - £38,150 plus benefits

Department: Therapeutic Innovation, R&I
Reports to: Principal Scientist
Location :

Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge (Lab Based – Low Flex with a minimum of 3 days per week on-site).
Contract type: (X2) 12 month Fixed-Term contracts
hours: Full time, 35 hours per week

Closing date: Sunday 20th September 23:55pm
Interview process: 2 stage interview process, initial screening call via teams followed by on-site competency-based interview with presentation.

Interview Date: w/c 28th September

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UKis not able tooffer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We have 2 exciting opportunities for experienced Scientists to join our Translational Biology function within the Bioscience department at Cancer Research Horizons.

In this role, you will play a key role in advancing our oncology and immuno‑oncology pipeline. You will design and deliver critical gene‑perturbation and phenotypic studies, support innovative cell‑based assay development, and contribute to the establishment and the use of complex in vitro cancer models. For one of the roles, we are specifically seeking a skilled, hands‑on immunologist with experience in designing, executing and interpreting complex cellular immunology assays with a focus on T-cell biology.

These are exciting opportunities for proactive, detail‑driven scientists who thrive in a collaborative lab environment and are passionate about translating science into meaningful therapeutic progress.

Every role at CRH is united by a single mission: beating cancer sooner. We carry out work that matters—impacting patients, families, and the future of science.

As the world’s biggest medical research charity,we’vehelped bring eleven new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster.

We have recently developeda new approach to driving therapeutic innovation through the creation of Cancer Research Horizons (CRH). We have brought together Cancer Research UK’s established drug discovery teams under one organisation and leadership team, combining our unique pipeline of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world-class academic network, cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise to
1) bring new treatments to patients faster and
2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success.

Based at sites in Cambridge, the CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, and Newcastle University, you’ll be joining over 200 staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds, all dedicated to bringing forward the day we cure cancer and making real life impact.

• Perform and interpret gene perturbation studies using tool compounds and gene editing approaches to confirm disease associations and elucidate drug-target engagement and downstream signalling.
• Identify and validate pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarkers to support preclinical-to-clinical translation.
• Contribute to the development and running of translational assays, linking preclinical findings to clinical relevance.
• Plan and deliver experiments using human tumour biopsy tissue, patient derived material and primary cells to integrate in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo data and support project decision-making.
• Design and perform complex cell culture assays, including 3D coculture experiments using cell lines, patient derived materials and immune cells.
• Conduct and interpret phenotypic assays…