Postdoctoral Scientists – Biomarker Statisticians

Based in the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute.

• Salary in the range of £28,500 – £38,000 dependent upon qualifications and experience
• Job Ref: MI/14/62-2
• Duration of post: until October 2017

The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute (www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk), an Institute of The University of Manchester (www.manchester.ac.uk), is a world-leading centre of excellence in cancer research within the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (www.mcrc.manchester.ac.uk). The Institute is core funded by Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org), the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world. We are situated adjacent to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (www.christie.nhs.uk), one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe. These factors combine to provide an exceptional environment in which to pursue basic, translational and clinical research programmes in cancer.

The overall goal of the Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group (CEP) in the CRUK Manchester Institute led by Professor Caroline Dive is to develop, validate and implement biomarkers that facilitate the optimisation of cancer patient treatment – personalised medicine. In this regard, CEP is an acknowledged world leader in the study of minimally invasive biomarkers suitable for patient monitoring. Our biomarker research is conducted in partnership with clinical colleagues and statistics experts across the Centre; advanced biomarker statistics is critical to the biomarker agenda. Our biomarker research is currently under significant expansion with the development of the Manchester Centre for Cancer Biomarker Sciences.

An exciting opportunity now presents for two postdoctoral biostatisticians who will be based in CEP, adjacent to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and funded by the Manchester Cancer Research Centre until October 2017 in the first instance. These posts will be associated with the Centre for Biostatistics within the Institute of Population Health at The University of Manchester, which boasts an enthusiastic group of young statisticians involved in advanced methodological research in such areas as causal inference, longitudinal analysis, analysis of multi-outcome data and analysis of genomic data [http://www.population-health.manchester.ac.uk/biostatistics/]. In collaboration with these statisticians, the successful candidates will be involved in biomarker driven clinical trial design, and in the development of the above areas of statistical methodology in response to the demands of the fast-growing field of personalised medicine. This environment will provide the candidate with access to a treasure of clinical data and expertise, and the opportunity to engage his or her statistical skills to tackle major clinical problems such as adaptive treatment selection, biomarker-based personalised medicine, clinical prediction and the investigation of molecular mechanisms of disease. Key skills of the post holders will be excellence in biostatistics (preferably applied to clinical trials), computer programming capabilities and good communication skills. Experience of multidisciplinary team work will confer an advantage and a working knowledge of bioinformatics would be beneficial.

The successful applicant should have an undergraduate and/or Masters Degree in Mathematics, Statistics or degree with strong mathematical/statistical element along with a PhD in Statistics or related fields.

We are situated in Manchester, England, a vibrant and dynamic city that is surrounded by beautiful countryside and has excellent transport links both nationally and internationally. Informal enquiries to Professor Caroline Dive email: caroline.dive@cruk.manchester.ac.uk, or Professor Andrew Renehan email: andrew.renehan@ics.manchester.ac.uk

To apply for these positions please visit our website: www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk

For applicants who are unable to download this information from our website, please contact HR department on 0161 446 3231, email: jobs@cruk.manchester.ac.uk to have this information sent by post.

The deadline for receipt of applications: 18 August 2015.