Research Associate in Oligonucleotide Immune Therapies, MRC Toxicology Unit, Cambridge
Job Description
The MRC Toxicology Unit at Cambridge is hiring a Research Associate in oligonucleotide immune therapies, working at the interface of RNA biology, immunology and toxicology. The salary is £33,002 to £35,608 a year and applications close on 13 October 2026.
At a glance
- Post: Research Associate in Oligonucleotide Immune Therapies
- Where: MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge
- Salary: £33,002 to £35,608 a year
- Reference: PU51073
- Apply by: 13 October 2026
Read the official University of Cambridge advertisement before you apply.
About the work
Therapies based on modified mRNA and antisense oligonucleotides are changing the treatment of cancer, neurodegenerative disease and infection. They will only reach their potential if they can be designed to be both powerful and safe. This post builds new experimental systems to work out how these drugs switch on innate immune pathways, and uses that knowledge to make them safer by design.
The work asks when immune activation is harmful, when it can be put to therapeutic use, and how those responses can be engineered into the next generation of nucleic acid medicines. The central aim is robust, mechanistically informative systems that can detect and dissect immune activation by therapeutic nucleic acids.
The post sits in a new collaborative programme between the laboratories of James Thaventhiran, Marion MacFarlane and Anne Willis at the MRC Toxicology Unit and AstraZeneca R&D, within an MRC-funded Prosperity Partnership with AstraZeneca. It fosters collaboration with Menna Clatworthy, Fotios Sampaziotis and Eoin McKinney at CITIID.
What you need
- A background that spans RNA biology, immunology and toxicology, or strength in one with a real interest in the others
- Experience building and improving cell models, since the post works towards high-throughput quantification of how immune cells and immune signalling contribute to the oligonucleotide tissue response
- Read the official advertisement for the full person specification before you apply
Pay
The advertised range is £33,002 to £35,608 a year. This is a fixed-term post.
How to apply
Apply online through the Cambridge job page. Click Apply, register an account with the University’s recruitment system if you do not have one, and complete the form. Quote reference PU51073 on your application and in any correspondence about the vacancy. You will normally be asked for a CV and the contact details of academic referees, so line those up before you start.
One thing to check first. The University states that it has a responsibility to ensure all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK. If you are applying from outside the UK, read the visa position for this post before you spend time on the application.
Browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in, or search our Find a supervisor page.
Hiring institution: University of Cambridge
Official advertisement: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk
How to prepare for this application
- This is a genuinely interdisciplinary post. Say clearly which of RNA biology, immunology and toxicology is your home ground and how you would pick up the others.
- Industry collaboration is built in. The programme runs with AstraZeneca R&D, so experience of working to industrial timelines is worth mentioning.
- Quote the reference, PU51073. Cambridge asks for it on the form and in every email about the post.
- Line up your referees early. Cambridge contacts them during selection, so tell them before you apply.
- Check your right to work in the UK. Every Cambridge advert carries this condition, and it is the usual reason an overseas application stalls.
About the University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209 and is one of the world's leading research universities. Its research posts are advertised centrally at jobs.cam.ac.uk, with each department running its own selection.