Postdoc in Comparative Somatic Genomics of Ageing and Cancer, University of Cambridge (Cagan Lab, Genetics)

Job Description

The Department of Genetics at the University of Cambridge is recruiting a postdoc in somatic genomics (Research Associate) in Dr Alex Cagan’s lab to study how mutant cell clones arise and compete in healthy tissues as mammals age, and how species as different as rodents, elephants and whales suppress cancer (reference PC51194).

At a glance

• Position: Research Associate (fixed term), full time
• Where: Department of Genetics, central Cambridge, with occasional travel to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton
• Pay: £37,694–£46,049 a year, plus a 2.5% supplement stated in the Further Particulars
• Duration: Three years in the first instance
• Reports to: Dr Alex Cagan
• Apply: 21 October 2026

About the comparative somatic genomics project

• Build reproducible genomic workflows; call and quality-control somatic variants; estimate mutation rates and signatures
• Infer clone sizes and dynamics and test for selection
• Design species-specific targeted gene panels and comparative analyses that account for species, tissue, age, sex and sampling
• Model clonal growth against lifespan, body size, tissue architecture and cancer risk, including comparisons with human data
• Contribute to sample collection, histology, laser-capture microdissection and DNA extraction, with training
• Write papers, share code and data, present findings and support students

The work is mainly computational, combining high-depth error-corrected sequencing (NanoSeq), targeted panels, histology and quantitative evolutionary analysis, with a smaller experimental data-generation part.

Why this role matters

Somatic mutations in normal tissues are a young and fast-moving field, and cross-species comparisons are one of the few ways to test why cancer risk does not simply scale with the number of cells or years lived. The post gives a computational biologist real ownership of a new dataset, which is a strong base for an independent fellowship later.

What University of Cambridge is looking for

• A PhD, or clear evidence it will be completed by appointment, in evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, population genetics, cancer genomics or a close field
• Confident R and/or Python programming in Linux, with clear, reproducible analyses
• Strong statistical reasoning and the ability to frame biological questions as testable analyses
• Substantial experience analysing high-throughput sequencing data, including comparative or somatic genomics
• Willingness to do tissue collection and hands-on sample processing alongside computation

Nice to have

• Somatic variant calling, mutation-signature or dN/dS selection analyses, workflow systems or HPC
• Mixed-effects or allele-frequency modelling, phylogenetic comparative methods or cross-species analysis
• Histology, laser-capture microdissection, library preparation or duplex sequencing
• Conference talks, shared code or data, and mentoring experience

Pay and location

The salary is £37,694 to £46,049 a year, and the Further Particulars state an additional 2.5% supplement on top of the base salary. Funding is for three years in the first instance. The University notes that it must ensure every employee is eligible to live and work in the UK, so applicants from outside the UK should read its visa guidance.

How to apply

Apply through the official University of Cambridge page. The closing date is 21 October 2026. Register with the University’s recruitment system and apply online, quoting reference PC51194. Informal enquiries go to Dr Alex Cagan (atjc2@cam.ac.uk).

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