Student Placement – Mechanistic Pharmacology (Lab based)

Salary: £24,000 plus benefits
Reports to: Scientist (Mechanistic Pharmacology)
Directorate: Research & Innovation
Contract: Fixed-term Contract 52 weeks
Hours: Full-time 35 hours per week
Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge – Lab based
Closing date: Sunday 8th November 23:55pm
Recruitment process: Screening call followed by competency-based interview process.

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

As the world’s biggest medical research charity, we’ve helped bring eleven new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster.

Cancer Research Horizons (CRH) is CRUK’s internal translation engine. CRUK’s established drug discovery teams operate under one organisation and leadership team. Our unique combination of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK’s world-class academic network, coupled with cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise enables us to 1) bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success. 

Based at sites in Cambridge, the CRUK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, and Newcastle University, Cancer Research Horizons employs ~180 staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds.

About the placement

This placement will contribute to the overarching mission of Cancer Research Horizons to discover novel cancer therapeutics that ultimately benefit patients. The successful applicant will undertake a laboratory-based research project designed to expand the technical capabilities of the Mechanistic Pharmacology team while addressing challenges relevant to drug discovery.

The Mechanistic Pharmacology team plays a vital role in advancing new cancer medicines, generating the data and insights that guide key drug discovery decisions. We apply biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based approaches to understand how targets and compounds behave, develop novel assays, identify and evaluate promising compounds, investigate mechanisms of action, and support the progression of small-molecule discovery projects.

Working alongside experienced Cancer Research Horizons scientists, the successful applicant will gain hands-on experience of the drug discovery process and develop proficiency in a broad range of in vitro laboratory techniques. They will contribute to meaningful research, analyse and present scientific data, and gain first-hand insight into how potential new cancer medicines are discovered and progressed towards the clinic.

We have one 52-week placement to offer, with negotiable start dates in September 2027.

What will you be doing?

• Conduct research in an assigned area with efficiency, accuracy and attention to detail under supervision, using established methodology

• Exercise technical judgment in execution of experiments and interpretation of results

• Perform analysis of experimental results and develop hypotheses

• Ask for advice and assistance when necessary

• Maintain awareness of relevant current scientific literature and developments

• Provide verbal and written reports/presentations when required

• Maintain laboratory notebooks and other data to required standards

• Perform all work demonstrating due care and attention to all health and safety and COSHH regulations

• Interact with colleagues in all areas of CRH and provide help and assistance wherever possible

What are we looking for?

Key skills

• Effective and timely communication of data and progress to your supervisor, and, when required, other members of staff within the Molecular Sciences department or wider project team

• Working effectively with other members of the team and building productive relationships within the department

• Analysis / interpretation of data and pro -actively contributing to experimental design and strategy

Key competencies

• Completion of at least one year of an undergraduate course ideally in biological sciences or equivalent experience

• Computer literate: Microsoft Office programmes including Word and Excel

• Collaborative team player

• Excellent organisational skills

• Integrity and commitment

• Attention to detail and quality driven

• Flexibility and adaptability

Please read the following information carefully before applying:

If you would like to apply for the placement student scheme, please ensure that you meet the following criteria before completing your application form:

• You must be in your 2nd year of undergraduate study at university. Please note that applications from graduates and PhD students will NOT be considered for this scheme.

• You should expect to receive a 2:1 or grade B in your second-year results in a science related degree.

• You should have 3 A levels (or equivalent) grade B and above (preferably one in a biological science).

• You should be able to commence work in September 2027 (the start date is negotiable).

• You should have the right to live and work in the UK without restriction. We regret that we cannot consider applications from candidates who require a work permit to work in the UK.

If you meet these requirements, we look forward to receiving your application. 

Useful tips for completion of the application form:

• Read through the whole form first and draft your answers accordingly.

• Complete all sections - please do not leave any gaps.

• Check your spelling and grammar.

• Be concise and focused in your answers. Take particular care with answering the application questions. As noted below, CVs can only be seen once candidates reach the interview stage.  How the questions are answered is a key consideration for who gets invited to interview.

• And finally, don’t forget, it’s important that you tell us how you found out about the scheme.

If your application is short listed, you will be invited to attend an Interview (likely to be virtual). This will involve some exercises designed to assess your ability and a competency interview.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form and answer some screening questions, for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

For more updates on our work and careers, follow us on: Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible. 

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.