Postdoctoral Research Assistant – CeTPD – UOD2144

RFCSR; Dundee; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Dundee's CeTPD invites applications for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join the ACBI-glue team, focusing on developing molecular glue degraders for cancer targets.

You'll identify ubiquitin E3 ligases, validate interactions in cellular and in vitro systems, and apply high-throughput screening to discover small molecules that act as molecular glues, contributing to translational cancer therapeutics.

Qualifications

• PhD in cell biology, molecular/biomedical sciences, molecular pharmacology, or related discipline.
• Experience developing scalable high‑throughput cellular assays and adapting them for wide‑scale screening.
• Strong expertise in tissue culture, including maintenance of cancer cell lines, transient transfection, generation of stable and knockout/knock‑in lines, and molecular cloning.
• Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary research teams.

Responsibilities

• Identify ubiquitin E3 ligases recruited to cancer targets and validate interactions in vitro and in cells.
• Develop and apply high‑throughput screening to find small molecules that act as molecular glues.
• Collaborate within the ACBI‑glue team in multidisciplinary drug discovery setting.
• Contribute to translational cancer therapeutics research.

Skills

High-throughput screening

Tissue culture

Molecular cloning

Collaboration

Independent work

Education

PhD in cell biology

Tools

TurboID proximity labelling

IP‑MS

Job description

Postdoctoral Research Assistant – CeTPD – UOD2144

University of Dundee
Dundee, Scotland, UK

This is an opportunity to join an exciting frontier of drug discovery research at the newly established Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD) within the School of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee. The centre focuses on pioneering approaches in targeted protein degradation—a transformative strategy in therapeutic development. The successful postdoctoral researcher will play a key role in a collaborative project between the Ciulli Research Group and Boehringer Ingelheim to develop molecular glue degraders aimed at cancer targets. The role is embedded in a multidisciplinary drug discovery environment and offers the chance to contribute to cutting‑edge science with real translational impact.

In this role, you will be part of a newly formed “ACBI-glue team” working in state‑of‑the‑art laboratories. Your research will centre on identifying ubiquitin E3 ligases that can be recruited to targets of interest, validating these interactions in cellular and in vitro systems, and using high‑throughput screening to identify small molecules that enhance such interactions to function as molecular glues. Your work will contribute directly to innovative strategies that could accelerate the development of novel cancer therapeutics.

Eligibility Criteria

• A PhD in cell biology, molecular/biomedical sciences, molecular pharmacology, or a related discipline.
• Experience developing scalable high‑throughput cellular assays and adapting them for wide‑scale screening.
• Strong expertise in tissue culture, including maintenance of cancer cell lines, transient transfection, generation of stable and knockout/knock‑in lines, and molecular cloning.
• Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary research teams.

Required expertise and skills

• Proven experience in developing and implementing high‑throughput cellular assays and screening pipelines.
• Familiarity with advanced assay technologies such as cell‑based TR‑FRET and split‑based assays.
• Knowledge of MS‑based proteomics approaches, such as proximity labelling (TurboID) and IP‑MS pull‑downs, to support target identification and validation.
• A collaborative and open approach to research.

Salary details

The post is offered at University Grade 7, with a salary range of £37,174–£45,413 per annum, dependent on experience.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by Thursday, 26 February 2026 at 23:59.