Translational Cancer Researcher — Apoptosis & NEC

Research Assistant: £33,951 to £35,608 per annum

Research Associate: £36,636 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package, great pension schemes, and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 26 July 2026

We are excited to launch a new opportunity for a Research Assistant or Research Associate to join a multidisciplinary translational cancer research team investigating therapeutic vulnerabilities in neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), with a focus on prostate cancer.

You will be based within the Newcastle University Centre for Cancer working with Dr Daniel Westaby and Dr Luke Gaughan and collaborating with colleagues at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London. The post sits within a translational programme linking laboratory discovery, medical oncology and biomarker-driven therapeutic development.

The project is funded through a pump‑priming translational research programme funded by the JGW Patterson Foundation. It is focused on developing innovative therapeutic strategies that target the intrinsic apoptosis pathway in high‑grade neuroendocrine carcinomas. The expected impact is to generate pre‑clinical evidence, biomarkers and mechanistic insight to support future early‑phase clinical trial development.

The role will involve establishing and characterising neuroendocrine‑like cancer models, performing pharmacological drug‑screening studies using apoptosis‑targeting agents, and undertaking mechanistic assays to understand treatment response and resistance. You will work closely with clinicians, translational scientists and external collaborators, and will contribute to data analysis, presentations, publications and future grant proposals.

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with a strong interest in cancer biology and translational research, and experience in cancer cell line models, molecular and cellular biology, drug screening, gene perturbation approaches, cell viability/apoptosis assays and western blotting. You should be organised, collaborative and able to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

This post is fixed term for 12 months, with potential for extension subject to funding. Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to  Flexible working arrangements may be considered where compatible with project delivery.

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter. Your cover letter should briefly address:

• your relevant experience in cancer biology, molecular biology and/or apoptosis signalling
• your experience using cancer cell line models and laboratory assays relevant to this project
• your experience with drug screening, pharmacological studies or gene perturbation approaches
• your ability to analyse data, solve problems and communicate research findings
• how you would contribute to a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment

Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

• Establish, maintain and characterise neuroendocrine‑like cancer cell line models relevant to high‑grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and small cell/neuroendocrine prostate cancer
• Design and perform pharmacological drug‑screening studies using agents that target the intrinsic apoptosis pathway
• Conduct mechanistic apoptosis studies including cell viability assays, caspase assays, western blotting and siRNA or related gene perturbation experiments
• Analyse experimental datasets to interpret treatment response, resistance…