Postdoctoral Fellow – A variant to function map of lung cancer

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life‑changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges. We are recruiting a Postdoctoral Fellow to join our Coelho Group for a 3 year fixed‑term contract. Drug resistance is a major limitation to the long‑term efficacy of drugs used to treat patients with cancer. The aim of this project is to use CRISPR‑Cas9 based screening technologies, such as base editing and prime editing, to systematically investigate the function of DNA variants commonly found in lung cancer. This project will couple single‑cell transcriptomics approaches to gene editing to deeply characterise cancer variant function at scale. These findings will develop our understanding of cancer progression and drug resistance mechanisms and will be used to direct new therapeutic strategies to overcome drug‑resistant disease.

You will be responsible for executing and analysing large‑scale screens and single‑cell sequencing experiments, presenting findings internally and externally, and writing‑up publications.

What you’ll be doing:

• Executing and analysing large‑scale screens and single‑cell sequencing experiments.
• Presenting findings internally and externally.
• Writing up publications.
• Supporting other lab members and facilitating training.
• Participating in the Postdoctoral Fellow community, and training activities.

About you:

This is an exciting opportunity to use cutting‑edge gene editing technologies at scale to find new ways to tackle drug resistance.

• PhD in a biological science or on track to be awarded your PhD within 6 months of starting the role.
• Proven track record of scientific productivity from datasets, publications, pre‑prints, reviews or resources.
• Experience in mammalian cell culture.
• Experience in performing single‑cell RNA‑seq or analysis of single‑cell RNA‑seq datasets.
• Experience with molecular biology techniques, such as PCR and cloning.
• Experience in preparing libraries for next‑generation sequencing.
• Ability to keep good scientific records.
• Experience in bioinformatics and programming languages, such as Python or R.
• Proven ability to work effectively within a team.
• Ability to work independently and organise workload.
• Demonstrable attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to regularly changing priorities and workloads.
• Ability to communicate ideas and results effectively to diverse stakeholders through discussion, talks, and publications.
• Ability to maintain supportive relationships, respecting diversity and cultural differences.
• Promote a positive, safe and efficient working environment.
• Take ownership of work, demonstrating pride, adaptability and accountability for achieving results.
• Uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards.

Salary per annum (dependent upon skills and experience): £38,000‑£49,156

Application process: Please submit your CV and a cover letter detailing your research experience, interest in the focus area, and future aspirations, and how you meet the criteria set out above.

Closing Date: 27th January 2026

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others. We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at the Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive. We are proud to deliver an award‑winning campus‑wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work‑related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at the Sanger Institute.