Postdoctoral Fellow – EGFR-inhibitor-induced dimerization between EGFR and ADC target receptors

Postdoctoral Fellow – EGFR-inhibitor-induced dimerization between EGFR and ADC target receptors

The Discovery Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK

Competitive salary and benefits

Do you have expertise in, and passion for, oncogenic signal transduction? Would you like to apply your knowledge to gain deep insight into how EGFR inhibitors drive interactions between EGFR and other cell surface receptors, in a company that follows the science and turns ideas into life-changing medicines? Then join the Oncology Targeted Discovery department at AstraZeneca and unlock the power of what science can do!

In this exciting Postdoctoral Fellow position, you will investigate how treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors alter EGFR protein-protein interactions, specifically focusing on complexes with other receptor tyrosine kinases, with the goal developing strategies to reverse drug resistance.

This project is supported by the Oncology Targeted Discovery group that works to discover new medicines, from target idea to late-stage clinical development. In the EGFR team, our mission is to fully understand the biology of this critical receptor in lung cancer, allowing us to maximize the efficacy of clinical drugs, as well as optimally design next-generation drug strategies for this patient population.

In this project, you’ll deploy cutting-edge tools to understand the interplay between EGFR and the cMET receptor tyrosine kinase, particularly after treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). cMET amplification is the most common EGFR TKI resistance mechanism, but little is known about its expression and dimerisation with EGFR after drug treatment. A greater understanding of this interaction is critical to tackle resistance and design strategies to reverse this. Importantly EGFR and cMET are the target of bispecific antibody drugs, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and therfore the impact of blocking these complexes to suppress oncogenic signal transduction will be assessed. Finally, you will test complex formation between EGFR and receptor targets of other ADCs (including HER2 and HER3) to understand the role these play in the response to EGFR TKIs.

Supported by Matthew Martin, Associate Principal Scientist at AstraZeneca, and the wider EGFR team, you’ll also receive academic mentorship and guidance from a world leader in the field of EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

Our Postdoctoral Fellow will conduct ground-breaking research, deploying our extensive panel of in vitro cell line models to study EGFR TKI resistance. These will be leveraged to study the EGFR interactome, with or without drug treatment, using both classic co-immunoprecipitation and cutting-edge mass spectrometry techniques to quantify binding proteins of interest. Building on this understanding will involve combination treatments that aim to disrupt these key interactions, as well as studying the subcellular localisation of these protein complexes.

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Perform in vitro experiments to understand how EGFR TKI treatment alters the EGFR interactome, in particular for the key recptors cMET, HER2 and HER3.

• Lead and drive the project under the supervision of cross-functional AstraZeneca team and in collaboration with the academic expert.

• Plan, write, publish, and present high-quality scientific papers.

Essential criteria:

• Extensive knowledge of cancer biology and signal transduction.

• Laboratory skills in cell culture, molecular biology and protein analysis.

• Experience in measuring the phenotypic response to drug treatment (growth assays, apoptosis etc.).

• Possessing excellent data analysis skills.

Our Postdoc programme is aimed at individuals with a strong publication record who are either:

• Within 4-years of obtaining their doctoral degree (PhD, DVM, or MD) – PhD already awarded, or

• Students, soon to obtain doctoral degrees (the PhD must be awarded within 6 months of joining AstraZeneca).

Desirable Requirements.

• Experience using mass-spectometry tools to identify and quantitate specific proteins.

• Knowledge of the clinical landscape and current treatments in non-small cell lung cancer.

AstraZeneca Oncology Bioscience is a dynamic enviroment where we interact with colleagues across multiple disciplines, and with world-leading academic collaborators, to understand the biology of cancer which drives the development of new treatments. Moreover, the successful candidate will have access to cutting-edge technology and equipment to pursue their research, with the support of the supervisors and the wider department. At the same time, they will be empowered to lead the project themselves and follow-up new discoveries in interesting and unexpected directions, with the overall aim of identifying strategies to reverse drug resistance. Finally, by working side-by-side with our drug development teams, the successful candidate will gain invaluable insight into the drug discovery process, which will be of great benefit for their future career, either in industry or academia.

AZ’s Postdoc Programme: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/postdocs-astrazeneca

Life at AstraZeneca: https://careers.astrazeneca.com/life-at-astrazeneca

This is what we’re made of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmFx_jr2eFo&t=2s

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Date Posted

19-Feb-2026

Closing Date

05-Mar-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorisation and employment eligibility verification requirements.