Postdoctoral Fellow

Salary for this Role:

from £45,500 per annum plus benefits, subject to skills and experience

Job Title:

Reports to:

Closing Date:

Job Description:

Postdoctoral bioinformatic fellow in tumour immunogenomics- cryptic antigen and TCR discovery

Details of the role:

Working pattern: Monday – Friday.  

This is a full-time, fixed term position (ending 31 August 2028) on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. 

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy. 

About the role

We are seeking a collaborative and self-motivated post-doctoral bioinformatic scientist to work on our exciting tumour immunology projects, collaborating with a network of groups across The Francis Crick Institute and beyond.

This project aims to underpin the sources of antigen mediating endogenous responses and immune checkpoint inhibitor (iCPi) responses in clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC).

Although TMB and frameshift burden correlate with ICB response in other tumour types, these correlations do not hold true in ccRCC. This suggests the presence of other, perhaps non-canonical antigens in ccRCC may be primed by tumour associated antigens (TAAs) and/or cryptic antigens, e.g. alternate open reading frames, alternative splicing, and endogenous retroelements, including ERVs.

We aim to identify tumour antigens including canonical and non-canonical neoantigens, and tumour associated antigens. In addition, aim to profile tumour infiltrating lymphocytes by paired sc RNA/TCR-seq. This project aims to inform the identification of tumour-specific TCR and antigen pairs, and ultimately the development of TCR-T therapies. The selected candidate will be working alongside wet-lab scientists, translational research clinicians and computational biologists, and there is strong interaction with immunology and cancer groups within the Crick.

The role is ideally suited for a creative individual with a strong interest in immunogenomics, tumour immunology, cancer immunotherapy, and biomarker research in a leading academic setting.

Within this role, you will have opportunity to develop collaborations nationally and internationally, and there will be an opportunity to engage with our industry and academic partners. The candidate will have ample opportunities to develop their skills and access via our Science Technology Platforms (STPs) to state-of-the-art equipment, technical advice and practical instruction in cutting edge technologies.

Additionally, you will have the opportunity to focus not only on this project, but also develop your own ideas, sub-projects as well as supervise students.

If you have a strong background in tumour immunology and immunotherapeutics, with strong computational skills on tumour antigen and TCR discovery and have a PHD in bioinformatics or relevant subject, we would love to hear from you!

Please see the full job description here.

To see more information about the lab, please see here.

What you will be doing

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Crick, you will:

• Work within the Turajlic lab, and collaborating groups at Francis Crick Institute
• Liaise and coordinate between the project collaborators
• Understand tumour biology and immunobiology, and the relevant literature sufficiently to propose novel ideas
• Analyse bulk RNA and DNA sequencing data for neoantigen discovery
• Analyse immunopeptidomics data for neoantigen filtering and validation
• Analyse sc-RNA/TCR-seq data for identifying TCR clonotypes and characterising TCR diversity

About you

You will have:

• PhD in bioinformatics or a relevant subject
• Excellent understanding of cancer immunology
• Strong background in bioinformatics
• Experience of working with bulk RNA-seq and whole exome sequencing data for identification of canonical and criptic neoantigens
• Understanding of techniques and challenges in neoantigen identification and filtering
• Experience of working with immunopeptidomics data for validation of predicted neoantigens
• Experience in matched single-cell RNA and TCR-seq data analysis, including immune cell and TCR repertoire characterization, clonotype identification, and diversity analysis

About Working at the Crick

Our values  

Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture! 

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. 

• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. 

• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. 

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we'll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply. If you need assistance with applying (i.e., would like to apply by phone or post) please email: weronika.kucala@crick.ac.uk

Find out more about life at the Crick.

What will you receive?  

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development: 

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK 

• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays. 

• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%. 

• Health & Well-being: 

• 24/7 GP consultation services. 

• Occupational health services and mental health support programs. 

• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans. 

• Work-Life Balance: 

• Back-up care for dependents. 

• Childcare support allowance. 

• Annual leave purchase options. 
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.

• Perks: 

• Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts. 

• Subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction. 

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.  

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.