Research Associate in Tumour Immunology Group

Job description
The Tumour Immunology Group at King’s College London ( https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/research/divisions/cancer/research/groups/tig ) have an opportunity for a Postdoctoral Associate to join their team. The post, which is a FTE fixed term contract for 3 years, will utilise in vivo models of cancer to investigate the immune-stimulating effects of chemotherapy for improving responses to immunotherapy treatments as part of drug combinations.
Chemotherapeutic drugs can be immune-stimulatory and, as such, can be used alongside immunotherapy approaches to improve clinical outcomes. However, the rules for the chemotherapy-elicited immune responses are still poorly understood. It is also clear that the stromal microenvironment of the tumour influences these responses. This project will explore the immune-stimulatory capabilities of standard-of-care chemotherapy drugs using preclinical models of cancer to improve our understanding of how to predict these responses and inform how to more efficiently uses cytotoxic chemotherapies within novel immunotherapy drug combinations and adoptive cell therapies.
The project will utilize novel genetic models to study the immune-stimulating effects of chemotherapy with the aim to uncover previously unappreciated mechanisms through which these drugs contribute to anti-tumoral immune responses. The project will involve single cell RNAseq, flow cytometry and imaging techniques. The post will be primarily based on the Guy’s Campus within the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The candidate will work closely with the principle investigator Dr James Arnold and other members of the Team. The candidate will more broadly benefit from the interdisciplinary research and academic networks at King’s College London.
The successful candidate must have (or be about to receive) a PhD relating to a tumour and/or immunology subject. Candidates should have previous experience with single cell RNAseq and imaging techniques. Previous experience in intravital imaging would be highly regarded (but not essential).
This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 36 months
This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities
The successful applicant will be responsible for:
•       The day to day running of the project
•       Conducting experiments, analysing data and presenting to the supervisor
•       Supporting more junior members of the laboratory team
•       Working towards meeting project milestone deadlines
The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria 
The applicant must have:
•       A PhD in a relevant area
•       A good track record of research in a cancer and/or immunology-related subject.
•       Experience using in vivo models (ideally relating to cancer).
•       Experience in imaging techniques.
•       Experience in single cell RNAseq.
Desirable criteria 
•       Hold a Home Office Personal Licence
•       To have a publication in a respected journal
•       To be able to perform computational analyses associated with scRNAseq
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Further information
Interviews will be held remotely in late August/early September and will include a 10-minute presentation of a previous research project that the applicant has conducted.