Research Associate (204013)

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Associate to make a significant contribution to the UKRI funded project “Investigating how pre-cancerous disease primes the hepatic epithelium to enable mutant-clone outgrowth” working in the School of Cancer Sciences with Dr Alexander Raven at the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre.

The Raven lab studies the clonal trajectories of precancerous cells in disease, aligning preclinical models with human data. We have previously shown how clone location and exposure to oncogenic signals determine tumour forming potential. The aim of this project is to delve deeper in to the pre-cancerous disease risk factors such as lipid accumulation, inflammation and fibrosis to clearly understand the selective forces that promote clonal outgrowth and tumour formation in the liver. This is a highly collaborative project that has opportunities to interact with academic, clinical and industry partners, with the goal to make fundamental discoveries that inform and direct therapies that will prevent liver cancer progression and disease.    

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the design and implementation of experiments along with the subsequent analysis of large datasets. They will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.

Job Purpose

To make a significant contribution to the UKRI funded project “Investigating how pre-cancerous disease primes the hepatic epithelium to enable mutant-clone outgrowth” working in the School of Cancer Sciences with Dr Alexander Raven at the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre.

The post holder will be expected to contribute to the design and implementation of experiments along with the subsequent analysis of large datasets. They will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.Take a leading role in the planning and conduct of assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and research strategy of the School of Cancer Sciences.

2.Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.

3.Establish and maintain your research profile and reputation of the School of Cancer Sciences and the Raven Research Group, including establishing and sustaining a track record of independent and joint publications of international quality, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem.

4. Survey the research literature and environment, understand the research challenges associated with the project & subject area, and develop/implement a suitable research strategy to deliver project requirements and opportunities.

5.Presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research and/or impact profile.

6. Take a leading role in the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research and impact.

7. Take a leading role in developing and maintaining collaborations with colleagues across the research group, School of Cancer Sciences, College of Medicine Veterinary & Life Sciences and wider community (e.g. academic and industrial partners).

8. Take a leading role in group meetings and participate in School and College research activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs and culture of the School and College.

9. Take the lead in the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.

10. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including budgets/expenditure.

11. Contribute as appropriate to teaching activities (e.g. demonstrating, etc) and associated administration, as may be assigned through the School in consultation with your line manager.

12. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.

13. Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.

14. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by your line manager and the Head of School.

15.  Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with University strategy.

These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive but simply highlight a number of major tasks which the staff member may reasonably be expected to perform.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Knowledge, Qualifications

Essential:

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (PhD) plus track record of emerging independence within a research environment, or alternatively possess professional qualifications and experience equivalent to PhD level plus the requisite experience.

A2 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of current issues and future directions within the specified project subject area.

A3 Well-developed working knowledge of research methods, technical models, equipment and techniques relevant to the project outlined in the Job Purpose. Including an understanding on how to analyse large datasets and a familiarity with current leading model systems and transcriptomic/proteomic assays that use current spatial and single cell technologies.

Skills

Essential:

C1 Programming skills in Matlab and/or Python, R

C2 Research creativity and cross-discipline collaborative ability as appropriate

C3 Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach.

C4 Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentation and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and concisely.

C5 Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills.

C6 Self-motivation, initiative and independent thought/working.

C7 Problem solving skills including a flexible and pragmatic approach

Experience

Essential:

E1 Experience of planning and progressing research activities within professional guidelines or organisational policy, applying initiative and independent judgement.

E2 Experience curating and analysing large data sets; applying bioinformatic and computational techniques to interrogate data sets and produce results.

E3 Doctoral or post-doctoral research experience in a related field.

E4 Commitment to generating and maintaining a positive research environment and contribution to the wider research community.

Desirable:

F1 Experience communicating research findings either through presentations and/or publications in scientific journals.

F2 Experience of research project supervision.

F3 Evidence of a developing track record of research outputs in a relevant field.

F4 Experience with or knowledge of in vivo disease modelling

F5 Experience with microscopy and image analysis

F6 Experience with molecular biology techniques

Informal Enquiries should be directed to Dr Alexander Raven, Alexander.Raven@glasgow.ac.uk 

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £41,064 – £46,049 per annum.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and has funding for up to until 30 November 2029.

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.  If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension – pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.

Closing date: 8 September 2026at 23:45