Senior Scientist, Oncology Research

Job Title: Senior Scientist, Oncology Research

Location: Cambridge (Discovery Centre), UK

Salary: Competitive + Excellent Employee Benefits!

Introduction to the Role:

At AstraZeneca, we turn ideas into life changing medicines. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality.We’repassionate about the potential of science to address the unmet needs of patients around the world. We commit to those areas where we believe we can really change the course of medicine and bring bignew ideasto life.

Are you ready to work on one of the most exciting pipelines in the Oncology industry?

AstraZeneca’s vision in Oncology is to push the boundaries of science to change the practice of medicine, transform the lives of patients living with cancer, and toultimately eliminatecancer as a cause of death. 

About the Role:

We areseekingahighly motivatedSenior Scientistwith deep scientific and technicalexpertisespanning both adaptiveand innateimmune cell biologywitha track recordof scientific excellence to joinImmune Cell Engagers Discoveryteamin Cambridge, UKfor afixed-term (12-month)position. As a Senior Scientist,you will be a key member of a team focused on supporting immune-oncology projects through the drug discovery process. You will bring your theoretical and practicalexpertisein immunology toestablishassay systems and deliver datasets that will have direct impact onimmune-oncology research projects.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Working in this laboratory-based position within the Immune Cell Engagers Discoverygroup,you will develop, design, conduct and analysein-vitroand/orex-vivoexperiments to assess the function of our candidate drugs and helpusto dissect the mechanism of action of novel therapeutics targeting the immune system for cancer therapy. You will also review emerging literature and internal data to help inidentifyingnew potential targets and contribute to target validation activities.

A strong foundationin immunology / immuno-oncology, andan in-depthtechnicalexpertisefor the analysis of immune function and phenotype is essential for this role. As a highlyorganisedandself-motivated individual with a strong lab/practical background, you will stay up to date with relevant technical and intellectual scientificexpertisein tumour immunology and have a genuine passion for this field of research!

Essential Requirements

• A PhD, or equivalent experience, in immunology/Immuno-oncology/cancer biology.

• Extensive background in immunology and/orimmuno-oncology.

• Experience of a range ofin-vitroandex-vivotechnicalskills for the analysis of human immune cell functionsviamultiparameter flow cytometry, ELISA/multiplex assays,ELISPOT,primary immune cellisolation andco-cultures,cell killing assays(likeTDCC, ADCC, CDC, ADCP),TILsisolation andphenotyping.

• Molecularbiology skills includinggene expression analysis and stable cell line generation.

• Working experience with immune cellassaysand/orcharacterization is highly desirable.

• Strong interpersonal, influencing, negotiating and collaboration skills together with evidence of having used theseskillsto support problem solving andindelivering theprojects ina collaborative environment.

• Depth of understanding andstrongenthusiasm for immunology and immuno-oncology.

• Proventrack recordofscientific accomplishments,asevidentfrom publications/patents.

• Data processing, statisticalanalysis,and interpretation.

• Experienceinpreparing written scientific reports (e.g.,manuscripts) and oral presentations (e.g.,slides, posters).

• Ability to record protocols and experimentsin a timely mannerandmaintainan excellent electronicnotebook(eLNB).

Desirable Requirements

• We encourage applications from candidates who haveexperience in the evaluation of immunecellfunctionsandindevelopingand deployingcomplex immunological assaysto understand the MOA of novel therapeutics.

• Expertisein fieldsof T-cell engagers,T cell exhaustion, tumour myeloid and/or NK biology.

• Experienceinvisualizing/quantifyinghigh content multi-parameter flowcytometrydata/transcriptomic datasets.

• Candidates who candemonstrateproficiencyinleveragingAI technologies, including machine learning, data analysis, and algorithm development to enhance research outcomes, alongside strongproblem solvingskills, to enable integration of these tools into scientific workflows are strongly preferred.

• Prior experience with spectral flow cytometry.

• Working experience with 3Dcell culture.

• Experienceinworking with patient-derived tumours/TILs 

• Knowledge of the drug discovery process.