Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the field of cancer vaccines and immunology

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research institution in the UK seeks a dedicated Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Cancer Vaccines & Immunology. Located in Oxford, you'll evaluate vaccine antigens and establish high-throughput pipelines in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD in a related field and have experience in vaccine development. Strong communication skills and the ability to manage research projects are essential. This full-time role is fixed-term until December 2027, funded by GSK.

Qualifications

• Hold a PhD/DPhil or close to completion in a relevant field.
• Experience in vaccine development and cancer biology.
• Comfortable managing research project progress.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate candidate cancer vaccine antigens.
• Establish a scalable, high-throughput pipeline to assess antigenicity.
• Supervise junior researchers and represent the team in meetings.

Skills

Experience in designing, generating or testing vaccines

Solid grounding in immunology

Strong communication skills

Initiative and willingness to develop new techniques

Education

PhD/DPhil in vaccinology, immunology, cancer immunology

Job description

We are seeking to appoint a dedicated and motivated Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Cancer Vaccines & Immunology to join the GO-PRECISE Alliance and the wider preventative cancer vaccine programme. You will specifically be located in the Barnes group, but you will also work across large Interdisciplinary team going from antigen discovery to human cancer prevention studies. You will be part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team that brings together experts in immunology, bioinformatics, spatial biology, genomics, proteomics and clinical translation. The role sits within the Barnes Group at the Centre for Immuno-Oncology and is supported by Oxford Cancer's extensive research infrastructure.

You will be responsible for the evaluation of candidate cancer vaccine antigens. You will help establish a scalable, high-throughput pipeline to assess antigenicity, work closely with both computational and wet-lab teams, and test vaccine constructs across mRNA, ChAdOx and peptide platforms. Your work will involve assessing antigen expression, localisation and immunogenicity using in vitro systems and, where needed, pre-clinical models. You'll manage your own research, adapt and develop new experimental approaches, analyse data, and contribute to publications and funding applications. You'll also play an active role in collaborating across partner groups, supervising junior researchers, and representing the team at internal and external meetings.

It is essential you hold a PhD/DPhil (or are close to completion) in vaccinology, immunology, cancer immunology or a closely related field. You will need experience in designing, generating or testing vaccines, along with a solid grounding in immunology and cancer biology. You should be comfortable managing the day-to-day progress of a research project, meeting deadlines, and maintaining accurate records. Strong communication skills are key, including writing for publication and presenting your work to different audiences. You will also need to show initiative, be willing to develop new techniques, and contribute to the wider scientific direction of the group.

Applications for this vacancy should be made online and you will need to upload a supporting statement and CV. Your supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. Please restrict your documentation to your CV and supporting statement only. Any other documents will be requested at a later date.

This position is offered full time on a fixed term contract until 31 December 2027 and is funded by GSK.