Student Placement - Biosciences (lab based undergraduate placement scheme)

Student Placement - Biosciences (Lab based)

Salary: £24,000 plus benefits

Directorate: Research & Innovation

Contract: 52 week, Fixed-term Contract

Hours: Full-time 35 hours per week

Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge

Closing date: Sunday 8th November 2026

Recruitment process: Competency based interview + exercises in relation to the placement

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 for this position

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

Cancer Research Horizons – Therapeutic Innovation (CRH-TI) is Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) internal drug discovery engine, that is focussed on building an innovative, high-impact portfolio that will deliver new therapies for cancer patients. We have drug discovery sites located in Glasgow, Newcastle, Cambridge and London, with over 180 members of staff from both industrial and academic backgrounds. We have the expertise and capabilities to translate early concepts to patient benefit, encompassing deep cancer biology knowledge and extensive drug discovery experience.

The successful applicant will form an integral part of the CRH-TI team working within the Biosciences group and will develop a broad understanding of cancer cell biology and its application within oncology drug discovery. The successful applicant will work with cancer cell lines and will learn a range of in vitro techniques (e.g. cell culture, siRNA, CRISPR, Western blotting). In addition, they will develop skills in analytical techniques for validating assays, scientific writing, and presentation of results to multi-disciplinary teams.

The placement position will be based at our Babraham Research Campus in Cambridge. We have one 52-week placement to offer, with negotiable start dates in September 2027.

What will you be doing?

• Conduct research, under supervision, with efficiency, accuracy and attention to detail
• Exercise technical judgment in execution of experiments and interpretation of results
• Perform analysis of experimental results and develop hypotheses to test
• Ask for advice and assistance when necessary
• Maintain awareness of project-relevant scientific literature
• Prepare and deliver verbal and written reports/presentations
• Ensure adherence to data integrity policies, including maintaining electronic laboratory notebooks to required standards
• Maintain safe working practices by adhering to all health and safety training, information and advice provided

What are we looking for?

If you’re a motivated life sciences student, with an interest in oncology drug discovery, then this is your opportunity to gain valuable experience working within the pharmaceutical sector.

We expect you to have excellent organisational skills, work well within a team environment, have a keen eye for detail, be capable of managing your time efficiently and have a sound knowledge of standard Microsoft packages (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

Please read the following information carefully before applying.

• You must be studying for an undergraduate science related degree (BSc/MSc/MSci) having successfully completed at least 2 years of study by August 2027. 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 third year (Scotland) or second year (rest of UK) results in a science related degree.
• 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.

If your application is shortlisted, candidates will be invited to a first-stage phone interview and selected candidates will then be invited to attend a second-stage interview. This will involve some problem-solving exercises designed to assess your ability and a competency based interview.

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 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.

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.

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