Research scientists and scientific support

To join the ICR you’ll be a talented scientist looking for the next step after your initial postdoctoral studies. You’ll be ready to start leading a team independently under the mentorship of a leading senior scientist.

Research teams also include staff scientists and a number of specialist research roles such as bioinformaticians. Some senior staff scientists may run part of a team, specialise in a particular area of research within a team or work as part of a scientific service. 

Our Heads of Division will be pleased to have an informal chat – you can find their contact details on our Division pages.

What we offer

As an integral part of the ICR’s faculty, you’ll receive additional start-up support (typically a postdoctoral researcher and one PhD student) and the help you need to find your feet and recruit your new team.

You will receive dedicated support in gaining further grant funding and establishing your own programme of independent research as you make the journey towards joining our permanent Faculty.

You will also have access to support networks, mentoring, career development opportunities and tailored training.

We support our scientists with state-of-the-art platform technologies and expert facilities staff, providing cutting-edge facilities for microscopy, imaging, sequencing, proteomics, X-ray crystallography and much more. 

Scientific support

We employ a network of scientific officers and laboratory managers to support our researchers. These come from a variety of backgrounds and may hold responsibility for managing scientific projects, people, resources and budgets. Many are scientifically trained to PhD level, while others hold a first degree in a scientific discipline and may also hold professional management qualifications.

Laboratory managers most often come from a scientific background and have responsibilities for maintaining efficient, tidy and safe laboratories, resolving problems and introducing new systems to improve efficiency within labs. They also organise the delivery and repair of equipment, ensure decontamination procedures are carried out, organise laboratory supplies and manage budgets.

Employee stories

Vacancies at the ICR

Postdoctoral Training Fellow

  • Chelsea
  • Structural Biology
  • Salary Range: £45,600 - £55,000 per annum
  • Fixed term

Under the leadership of Claudio Alfieri, we are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Training Fellow to join the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation Group at the Chester Beatty Laboratories, Fulham Road in London. This project aims to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cell cycle regulation by macromolecular complexes involved in cell proliferation decisions, by combining genome engineering, proteomics and in situ structural biology. For general information on Post Doc's at The ICR can be found here. Key Requirements The successful candidate must have a PhD in cellular biochemistry and experience in Cryo-EM and CLEM is desirable. The ICR has a workforce agreement stating that Postdoctoral Training Fellows can only be employed for up to 7 years as PDTF at the ICR, providing total postdoctoral experience (including previous employment at this level elsewhere) does not exceed 7 years Department/Directorate Information: The candidate will work in the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation Group within the ICR Division of Structural Biology headed by Prof. Laurence Pearl and Prof. Sebastian Guettler. The division has state-of-the-art facilities for protein expression and biophysics/x-ray crystallography, in particular the Electron Microscopy Facility is equipped with a Glacios 200kV with Falcon 4i detector with Selectris energy filter and the ICR has access to Krios microscopes via eBIC and the LonCEM consortium. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Claudio Alfieri via Email on [email protected]

Higher Scientific Officer - Drug Discovery Biology, Centre for Protein Degradation

  • Sutton
  • Cancer Therapeutics
  • £39,805 - £49,023
  • Fixed term

We are seeking to recruit a Higher Scientific Officer within the Induced Proximity Therapeutics (IPT) Team in the ICR Centre for Protein Degradation to support our molecular glue and PROTAC drug discovery projects and expand induced proximity technology. The IPT team focuses on three main areas of research: Cancer target validation Screening, profiling and molecular mechanism of action of molecular glue and PROTAC degraders Novel E3 ligase biology and ligand discovery The successful candidate will work in a multidisciplinary team and play a key role in target validation, developing in vitro and cell-based assays, and pharmacological characterisation of novel molecular glue degraders and PROTACs, but may also contribute to other activities. About you The successful candidate: Will be a strong team player who is technically minded and passionate about science and cancer drug discovery Will hold a first degree, and preferably a PhD, in biological science or biochemistry Will have experience in cancer biology/target validation, genetic manipulation techniques, in vitro and cell-based assay development and pharmacological compound profiling Experience in targeted protein degradation will be a significant advantage. Department/Directorate Information This position will be based in the ICR's Centre for Protein Degradation, a part of the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD) specialising in developing novel drug modalities that re-wire tumour cells' signalling by targeted degradation of key oncogenic drivers. Our experienced biologists work closely with medicinal chemists, biophysicists, computational scientists, oncology specialists and physicians on discovering new medicines - molecular glue degraders and PROTACs - using innovative screening platforms and characterising their mechanisms of action, as well as expanding the repertoire of novel degradable drug targets and E3 ligases (enzymes that mediate protein degradation). Our research provides a nucleus for the academics and pharmaceutical industry to explore therapeutic potential of targeted protein degradation from laboratory hypothesis-testing to early clinical trials, for the benefit of cancer patients. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment in one of the successful academic cancer drug discovery centres in the UK Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development Collaboration with leading drug discovery and oncology scientist Competitive salary and pension To learn more about this role, please download the attached job pack. For informal inquiries, please contact Dr Agnieszka Konopacka, Group Leader, Induced Proximity Therapeutics, Centre for Protein Degradation via email: [email protected].

Higher Scientific Officer - Target Validation and Genome Stability Group

  • Sutton
  • Breast Cancer Research
  • Salary Range: £39,805 - £49,023 per annum
  • Fixed term

Under the guidance of Prof Joanna Loizou, we are seeking a Higher Scientific Officer to carry out lab-based cell biology research focused on potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer. The successful candidate will also contribute to assay development and biomarker discovery for targets that move to a drug discovery phase within the ICR’s Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery. About you The successful candidate must have: An MSc (or equivalent) in cell biology or aligned subject Skills in cell biology techniques used for target validation Expertise in a range of biology readouts used for screening and biomarker detection Department/Directorate Information The Target Validation and Genome Stability Group, led by Professor Joanna Loizou, focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in the DNA damage response to generate pre-clinical information that can lead to the identification of novel targets for drug discovery programmes. The teams sit within the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, within the Division of Breast Cancer Research at The Institute of Cancer Research which is the first centre in the UK entirely devoted to breast cancer research. Our goal is to advance research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. It is located in state-of-the-art laboratory space, with excellent core facilities and is funded through a long-term renewable programme grant from Breast Cancer Now. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension