Research Fellow in Computational Biology and AI

Research Fellow in Computational Biology and AI

The Division of Biosciences at UCL is one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences. You will join the Computational Cancer Biology Group led by Dr Maria Secrier and be embedded within the dynamic and collaborative research environment of the UCL Genetics Institute. The position offers a unique opportunity to work at the interface of cancer genomics, AI and translational research through a close partnership with Prof Luca Magnani's laboratory at the Institute of Cancer Research. Together, the two groups provide complementary expertise in cancer evolution, epigenetic plasticity, multi-omics and AI, creating an exceptional environment for scientific discovery and professional development.

About the Role

We are seeking a talented and ambitious Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) to join an exciting interdisciplinary research programme at the interface of cancer biology, computational genomics and artificial intelligence. This is a unique opportunity to investigate mechanisms of cancer dormancy and develop predictive models of late recurrence in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer.

Late relapse in oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer remains a major clinical challenge, often driven by cancer cells that survive therapy in a dormant, drug-tolerant state. Despite its clinical significance, dormancy remains poorly understood. This project aims to address this challenge by developing innovative computational and AI-based approaches to identify the regulators of dormancy in breast cancer and predict late disease recurrence. Working in close collaboration with Prof Luca Magnani's laboratory at the Institute of Cancer Research, the successful candidate will integrate spatial and single-cell multi-omic datasets to characterise dormancy and reactivation dynamics following endocrine therapy in ER+ breast cancer. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding both cancer cell-intrinsic programmes and interactions with the tumour microenvironment that influence long-term disease persistence. Ultimately, this work seeks to generate biologically informed AI models capable of predicting relapse risk and uncovering novel therapeutic opportunities to prevent disease recurrence.

• Interviews will take place in August.
• The funding for this post is available until 25th March 2029.
• Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £38,607 – £41,255 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.
• This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 60% on site.
• This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Academic Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2021/jun/conditions-service-academic-staff for more information.

  About You

  You must have:

  • A PhD (awarded or near completion) in bioinformatics, computational biology, biology, genetics, computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, physics or a related field.
  • Strong programming skills in Python, R, C/C++ or similar, with experience handling high-dimensional, single cell or spatial data.
  • Interest in interdisciplinary work combining AI and cancer biology.
  • Proven track record of scientific publication.
  • Demonstrated experience in developing/adapting computational models or algorithms to analyse biological data, and experience with single cell or spatial omics datasets or knowledge of cancer biology would be an advantage.

    What We Offer

    The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

    • 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
    • Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
    • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
    • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
    • Immigration loan
    • Relocation scheme for certain posts
    • On-Site nursery
    • On-site gym
    • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
    • Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
    • Discounted medical insurance

      Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

      As London's Global University, we know that diversity and inclusion are fundamental drivers of creativity, innovation, and excellence, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong, thrive, and reach our full potential. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

      Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/.

      Available Documents

      • download: Research Fellow Grade 7_MS.pdf