Postdoctoral Fellowship (37) at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Applications are invited for Clinical Research Training Fellowships leading to a PhD. The Fellowships are available to medically qualified individuals who are undertaking their specialist training in any clinical discipline, and who wish to obtain a PhD with a view to an academic career in any branch of cancer research. Eligibility to practice clinically within the UK is an essential qualification.

The Managers of the Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Fund invite applications for up to four Fellowships in the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) and up to two Fellowships in the School of the Physical Sciences (SPS) at the University of Cambridge, commencing 1 October 2026 (or by negotiation).

For this round, the SPS Fellowships will focus on Condensed Matter & Materials, with opportunities to conduct research in the following Departments:

• Physics

• Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy

• DAMTP / Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

The Managers of the Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Fund invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to pursue research within the general field of Pure Mathematics. Fellows are required to pursue their research on a full-time basis in Cambridge.

We encourage eligible applicants to also consider applying for the Post Doctoral Research Associate: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/53133.

The Fellowship is intended to enable an outstanding and highly motivated scholar who has demonstrated a capacity for individual research to focus exclusively on research at an early stage in their career, to develop academic potential, and to produce work of an international standard within the field.

The Managers of the Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Fund invite applications for a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship, tenable from 1 October 2026, to pursue research within the field of organic or biological chemistry, broadly interpreted. The Fellowship is intended to provide an opportunity for an outstanding and highly motivated scholar to focus exclusively on research at an early stage in his/her academic career, to develop academic potential, and to produce research of an international standard within the field. The Fellow will be assigned to and work in collaboration with an established research group in the Department of Chemistry, but will be expected to exhibit a significant degree of independence.

The Loke Centre for Trophoblast Research (CTR) was founded in 2007 as a Centre of excellence to promote scientific study of the placenta, early development and maternal-fetal interactions during pregnancy. It brings together over 30 Principal Investigators, many of whom are recognized international experts in their fields.

The Loke CTR has an opening for a Next Generation Fellow who will complement and synergise with our existing research programmes. Next Generation Fellowships are a springboard to a long and successful career in the field of placental and reproductive biology and highly flexible to suit individual needs, to enable the postholder to develop as an independent researcher. Holders are expected, and will be supported, to apply for Research Fellowship/Career Development Awards from research councils or other funders, or a faculty position during their tenure.

Applications are invited from early-career researchers (up to five years research experience, excluding career breaks since the award of your PhD, at the time of proposal submission) to conduct research at the University of Cambridge. The fellowship aims to advance interdisciplinary research that tackles significant questions regarding the origins and distribution of life in the universe as part of the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe (LCLU). It provides the opportunity for junior researchers to build academic independence, contribute to significant interdisciplinary research, and collaborate with top researchers in multiple fields. Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant field to LCLU research themes (https://www.lclu.cam.ac.uk/research-themes-1). The Centre harnesses simultaneous breakthroughs in astrophysics, planetology, organic chemistry, biology and cognate disciplines to tackle one of the great interdisciplinary challenges of our time: to develop a deeper understanding of life, its emergence, and its distribution in the Universe. LCLU research focuses on four themes: Identifying the chemical pathways to the origins of life; Characterising the environments on Earth and other planets that could act as the cradle of prebiotic chemistry and life; Discovering and characterising habitable exoplanets and signatures of geological and biological evolution; Refining our understanding of life through philosophical and mathematical concepts.

An exciting opportunity is available for a Post Doctoral Research Associate in Pure Mathematics, working in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. The successful applicant will join the group of Dr Rita Teixeira da Costa, and work on any aspect of Analysis of Partial Differential Equations, or General Relativity. The position is funded by EPSRC.

Duties include developing and conducting an individual program of research, as well as contributing to the research groups activities. You will be expected to plan and manage your own research and administration, with guidance if required, and to assist in the preparation of proposals and applications to external bodies. You must be able to communicate material of a technical nature and be able to build internal and external contacts. There may be opportunities for lecturing at Masters level, assisting with student research projects or delivering small-group teaching.

A creative postdoctoral researcher is sought to work in Mark Howarth’s group on a project funded by BBSRC at Cambridge University Department of Pharmacology. The Howarth group has broad interests, including synthetic biology, biotechnology and entrepreneurship (www.howarthgroup.org). The project relates to engineering a rainbow of protein superglues to enable diverse applications, including in medicine, biotech and fundamental research. SpyTag is a genetically-encoded peptide created by the Howarth lab, which forms an irreversible covalent bond to its protein partner SpyCatcher. SpyTag provides a unique resource for molecular assembly and has been applied by >1,000 groups around the world for basic research and biotech, as well as reaching clinical trials. This project will devise and engineer a panel of Tags/Catchers with selective and rapid reaction, for robust construction of new devices both in cells and in vitro. According to the interests of the appointed postdoc, there will be the opportunity to apply these superglues to overcome challenges in gene therapy, cell therapy of cancer, vaccines for global health, green biotransformation, or in diagnostics.

We are seeking a postdoctoral research associate with experience in human neuroimaging (fMRI and/or MEG) and advanced data analysis (multivariate classification and/or computational modelling) to carry out fundamental science research in the Woolgar lab. The ideal post holder will have prior experience with acquisition of fMRI and/or MEG data, strong coding and analysis skills including using multivariate pattern analysis, and knowledge of the field of flexible cognition, top-down control, selective attention, and frontoparietal cortex. The post holder will be expected to work within the context of the ongoing research programme in the lab, to share their technical, analysis, and conceptual knowledge with other lab members, and to contribute to the positive research culture of the Woolgar lab and the wider environment at the University of Cambridge.

Applications are invited for two positions with the title of Postdoctoral Research Associate in Arithmetic Geometry in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. Successful applicants will join the team of Professor Jack Thorne, working on topics related to the ERC-funded project ‘Modularity and Reciprocity: a Robust Approach’, potentially including the deformation theory of Galois representations and the cohomology of arithmetic groups and of Shimura varieties.

Role holders will be expected to plan and manage their own research and administration, with guidance if required. They will be expected to take an active role within the research group, including assisting in the development of graduate student research skills as well as participation in and planning/delivery of seminars and conferences relating to the research area.

Applications are invited for the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate in Dynamics in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. The successful applicant will join the team of Professor Holly Krieger and work on any aspect of algebraic, arithmetic or complex dynamics.

The role holder will be expected to plan and manage their own research and administration, with guidance if required. They will be expected to take an active role within the research group, including assisting in the development of graduate student research skills as well as participation in and planning/delivery of seminars and conferences relating to the research area.

We would like to advertise one position for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate to work in topics at the intersection of information theory and statistics. This position will be funded by the EPSRC AI Hub on Information Theory for Distributed Artificial Intelligence (INFORMED-AI). INFORMED-AI is a joint programme run by the University of Bristol, the University of Cambridge, the University of Durham, and Imperial College London. The successful candidate will be based in Cambridge, primarily hosted by Varun Jog and co-supervised by Po-Ling Loh (Cambridge) and Sidharth Jaggi (Bristol).

The PDRA’s main project will involve investigating several theoretical questions concerning distributed testing and estimation, particularly in streaming settings where agents have limited memory. They will study tradeoffs between memory, accuracy, and sample complexity of fundamental questions in hypothesis testing. In addition, the PDRA may be responsible for developing and conducting collaborative research projects as part of the overall work of the INFORMED-AI programme.

Applications are invited for two Post-doctoral Research Associates in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics to work on research in Probability Theory. The probability group at the University of Cambridge includes Professors Jason Miller, James Norris, Pierre-Francois Rodriguez, Sourav Sarkar, Perla Sousi, and Wendelin Werner. The positions will be supported by the ERC grants held by Professors Jason Miller and Pierre-Francois Rodriguez. The positions come with generous travel funding.

Duties include conducting original research in mathematics, by developing individual and collaborative research objectives, proposals and projects. The role holder will be expected to plan and manage their own research and administration, with guidance if required. You must be able to communicate material of a technical nature and are expected to be able to build internal and external contacts and contribute to the mathematical community. You may be asked to assist in the supervision of student projects, the development of student research skills, provide instruction or plan/deliver seminars relating to the research area.

Applicants are invited to apply for a position in the group of Dr. Emma Poole in the Department of Pathology (University of Cambridge) for a collaborative project with Professor Michael Nicholson and Sarah Hosgood in the Department of Surgery (University of Cambridge) and Dr Michael Nevels (University of St Andrews).

What you will be doing?

• Working on Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) as proposed in a KRUK funded project grant.

• Working with kidney organoids and human kidneys to test the ability of newly identified drug-like compounds to prevent HCMV spread and reactivation.

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Research Assistant in Cancer Immunotherapy and Protein Therapeutics (Fixed term)

Deadline : 28 November 2025

View details & Apply

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the general area of wearable sensing systems for the ear and the head, wearable signal processing and sensing data machine learning to join the Mobile Systems Research Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.

The main responsibilities for this position are to innovate on wearable sensing for the head, devise new machine learning paradigms for robust in-the-wild analytics targeting health and fitness applications with special emphasis of translating the research into practice. We are seeking candidates with a background in wearable and (bio)sensing systems, possibly with experience in advanced wearable sensor data machine learning.

The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research invites applications for a fixed-term Research Associate in Biomolecular Archaeology.

The post holder will work as part of the project “PPROTEX: Philological and Proteomic Analysis of Texts from the Reign of Alfonso X” funded by an APEX Award (Academies Partnership in Supporting Excellence in Cross-disciplinary research award). The project is led by Prof Aengus Ward (University of Birmingham) and Prof Matthew Collins (University of Cambridge) and supported by collaborator Dr Laura Vinas Caron (University of Copenhagen). PPROTEX is a 3-year (2025-2027) cross-disciplinary project combining philology and biocodicology in the study of royal manuscripts from the reign of Alfonso X (1252-1284). The project will apply biomolecular methods, including proteomics and genomics, to illuminate medieval parchment production and livestock management.

The Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is an international centre of excellence for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Scientists in the Institute collaborate to advance our knowledge of various stem cell types and to perform pioneering work in translational research areas, providing the foundation for new medical treatments (https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/).

The laboratory of Dr Mekayla Storer (https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/people/pi/dr-mekayla-storer) uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand why the distal portion of the digit tip is the only part of the limb that can regenerate in mammals. The key step in this process is the formation of a blastema, a transiently proliferating mass of cells that the regenerates the different cell types of the digit to replicate the original structure. Therefore the broad goal of our research is to understand which cells and molecular pathways are necessary for this process. A portion of our present research builds on our previous work (Storer et al., Dev. Cell 2020) that used high-throughput single-cell mRNA sequencing and Cre-recombinase based lineage tracing to define the transcriptional identity of the mesenchymal cells comprising the blastema and the major transitions during mammalian digit tip regeneration. We are looking for a dedicated post-doctoral researcher with computational expertise to determine which of these factors present during digit tip amputation are necessary for successful regeneration and the mechanisms that underly this process. The post holder will use single cell transcriptomics/multi-omics approaches, spatial transcriptomics and computational modelling.

The MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge is offering an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral research fellow with an interest in the development of novel statistical methodology with clinical applications. The post-holder will work in Dr Oscar Rueda research group, which is part of the Precision Medicine BSU research theme, and will contribute to the development of a prognosis and monitoring system for breast cancer patients. The project involves extending the methodology of Rueda et al (Nature 2019) and combining concepts and techniques from multistate survival analysis, latent variable analysis and machine learning approaches. Integration of different datasets (clinical, genomic, transcriptomic, image-based) will be required to build a model that can be clinically useful.

Candidates for this position should have a PhD in statistics or a relevant discipline. Scientific computing skills and R/Bioconductor proficiency are required. Experience in cancer research, including a working understanding of computational approaches for cancer genome analysis using next generation sequencing data, would be desirable but it is not essential. Due to the nature of this project, a cooperative approach to working is needed for this position, as well as an ability to communicate and interact with colleagues with other backgrounds.

This post will involve conducting innovative research investigating brain network development and how it may be impacted by early life adversity, with a team of scientists at the Department of Psychiatry and MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBU), funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. This project will involve working closely with other lab members and collaborators across the Psychiatry and Psychology Departments, and the MRC CBU.

We are looking for a skilled postdoctoral scientist, or someone nearing the end of their PhD, to join our team. The successful candidate will have excellent coding skills (multiple languages are used within the lab, so there is flexibility) and a demonstrable interest in understanding mechanisms of brain development. Our research lies at the interface of development, neuroscience, computational modelling, clinical research, and neuroinformatics. Candidates with expertise in any or all of these areas will be considered. A strong quantitative background is essential, and experience integrating multimodal data (e.g., imaging and genomics) will be especially useful. Experience using advanced analytical approaches, such as machine learning or network analysis, is also desirable.

We are looking to appoint an experienced mixed methods researcher to join our Suicide Prevention research programme at the Autism Research Centre (ARC), Cambridge University. See www.autismresearchcentre.com The aims of the programme grant are: first, to examine the risk and protective factors for suicide attempts in autistic people; and second, to explore where gaps exist in support services, as well as factors that could have prevented suicide.

The role holder will work on the Bereaved Voices project, a community-based interview study, based on principles of psychological autopsy, that aims to better understand what contributed to death by suicide amongst autistic people. This study has been co-designed with a lived experience panel of people bereaved by the suicide of an autistic person. The role holder will be part of a wider team working on suicide prevention research.

We are a neuroscience research group based in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. We are seeking a part-time Research Associate to contribute to a project investigating the neuromodulatory effects of protein synthesis levels during neuronal network states.

The successful candidate will have recently completed a PhD in computational neuroscience and possess a strong quantitative background (e.g., in mathematics). Advanced statistical skills and experience with time-series analysis are essential. Experience with bioinformatics is desirable.

Applications are invited for a Research Associate position in the group of Professor Eric Miska in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.

We are looking for an outstanding individual to lead research projects, which will help us solve key problems regarding the biology of RNA modifications and RNA structure in RNA-driven mechanisms of translational regulation.

Candidates should hold a PhD degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or in another related area. They should be enthusiastic about collaborative and interdisciplinary research, adaptable to work in a multicultural environment, highly organised and capable of working under pressure.

A position exists for a Research Associate in 21-cm Cosmology within the Cavendish Astrophysics Group at the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge.

The role is funded by the Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen (REACH) ERC/UKRI Consolidator programme, an ambitious international effort to detect the global 21-cm signal from the early Universe, a faint imprint of the first stars and galaxies. Measuring this signal requires exquisite control over instrumental effects and advanced data analysis to separate the cosmological signal from bright astrophysical foregrounds and systematic contaminants. REACH combines precision hardware design with novel calibration strategies to push the frontier of what is achievable in low-frequency radio cosmology.

The successful candidate will play a central role in both the calibration of the REACH instrument and the analysis of its data, working at the interface of hardware and analysis. They will develop, test, and implement advanced radiometer calibration techniques and apply state-of-the-art statistical methods to extract cosmological information. The role will involve close collaboration with the wider REACH consortium of engineers, observers, and theorists, ensuring that instrument characterisation and data analysis advance hand in hand.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in cosmology within the Stephen Hawking Centre for Theoretical Cosmology/GR group (www.ctc.cam.ac.uk) at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. Candidates should be qualified to undertake research in the areas of the CMB, large-scale structure and early universe cosmology. Although all qualified candidates will be considered, we are particularly interested in candidates who can undertake work on higher-order correlators from Simons Observatory CMB data, notably CMB bispectra in combination with other cosmological probes, to gain new insights about inflation and fundamental theory.

The successful candidate will work primarily with Professors James Fergusson and Paul Shellard, as well as academic staff across the Relativity and Gravitation group (Challinor, Gratton, Sherwin, Cranmer, Hartnoll, Moore, Pajer, Reall, Santos, Sperhake, Wall and Warnick) and research staff and PhD students. There are close links with the HEP group and the AI Infosys Lab in DAMTP, and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology (www.kicc.cam.ac.uk).

A position exists for a Research Associate in Data Processing Pipelines for the SKA radio telescopes in the Cavendish Astrophysics Group, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge.

The position is funded by the STFC Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Construction Project, an international effort to build the worlds largest radio telescopes. The SKA will provide unprecedented sensitivity and survey speed, transforming our understanding of the Universe from the formation of the first stars and galaxies to the search for life beyond Earth. The successful candidate will join the Cambridge SKA team working on data processing, software development, and system integration for the SKA Science Data Processor (SDP).

The role involves contributing to the development and implementation of data processing pipelines that transform raw telescope data into science-ready products. This includes developing and testing software for data ingestion, calibration, imaging, and quality control. The post holder will also help support the integration of these pipelines into the wider SKA software ecosystem, collaborating closely with international partners and industry as part of the SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) framework.

A position exists for a Post Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics to join the team of Dr. Sungkyung Kang and work on any aspect of low-dimensional topology. This position is funded by the Royal Society University Research Fellowship Instability of exotic 4-manifolds and diffeomorphisms.

Duties include developing and conducting individual and collaborative research objectives, proposals and projects. The role holder will be expected to plan and manage their own research and administration, with guidance if required. You must be able to communicate material of a technical nature and be able to build internal and external contacts. You may be asked to assist in the supervision of student projects, the development of student research skills, provide instruction or plan/deliver seminars relating to the research area.

Applications are invited for one or more (subject to funding) Postdoctoral Research Associate positions in Theoretical Physics, based at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge. The successful appointees would be expected to start on 1 October 2026 for three years.

Candidates should be qualified to undertake research in topics in quantum field theory or quantum gravity. Members of the group with interests in this area include Alejandra Castro, Nick Dorey, Maciej Dunajski, Sean Hartnoll, Enrico Pajer, Harvey Reall, Ron Reid-Edwards, Jorge Santos, David Skinner, David Tong and Aron Wall.

The successful candidate will have completed (or be close to completing) a PhD in Theoretical Physics or a closely related area prior to their appointment and will have demonstrated a capacity to produce world-class research.

The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute (THIS Institute) seeks a talented early career researcher to support an exciting programme of work on innovation and improvement in healthcare. The successful candidate will initially work on projects using online participatory communities to co-design and evaluate innovations to improve care, including new technologies and service changes (for example, aimed at reducing delays between diagnosis and treatment).

You will be educated to Masters or PhD level and will have a strong background in qualitative research or mixed methods research relevant to the study of healthcare improvement and innovation. You will have the ability to read, critique and synthesise relevant literature, to plan and conduct primary research to a high standard, and to engage with many stakeholders and collaborators in co-design, while working at pace. You will be capable of preparing research protocols, project reports and manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals and will have strong skills in teamwork.

The Simons group at the Gurdon Institute is seeking a Research Associate in the study of the developmental dynamics of the early mammalian embryo using theoretical, statistical and computational based approaches.

Alongside wet lab work using transgenic mouse models and 3D organ culture systems, the Simons lab makes use of analytical and computational approaches to study mechanisms of cell fate in developing and adult tissue in both normal and perturbed states (http://www.simons.group.gurdon.cam.ac.uk/). The focus of the wet lab is predominantly on the biology of skin and tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. A particular interest of the group lies in defining the transcriptional and epigenetic factors that mediate cell state transitions and cellular plasticity during development, homeostasis and regeneration.

With experience in the development and application of theoretical, statistical and/or computational approaches in biology, you will make use of quantitative lineage tracing and single-cell multiomics data to study mechanisms cell fate, multilineage priming, and lineage segregation in the developing mouse and human embryo, and how these programmes become reactivated in response to injury and the acquisition of oncogenic mutations.

We are seeking someone who has a solid grounding in the application of statistical and mathematical approaches to biological systems, with experience in the manipulation and analysis of single-cell genomics data. You should have (or expect to receive within 6 months of the deadline) a PhD in a relevant subject, a sound understanding of basic molecular biology, and a solid publication record. You will be expected to work independently and interact effectively in a dynamic multidisciplinary and collaborative environment.

An exciting opportunity is available for up to two Post Doctoral Research Associates in Pure Mathematics, working in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics.

Duties include developing and conducting an individual program of research. The successful candidates will usually be associated with one of the departmental research groups and have a Faculty mentor. There may be opportunities for lecturing at Masters level, assisting with student research projects or delivering small-group teaching.

You will be expected to plan and manage your own research and administration, with guidance if required. You must be able to communicate material of a technical nature and be able to build internal and external contacts.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record of internationally outstanding research and a PhD (within the last three years or to soon be completed).