Postdoctoral Fellow

Salary For This Role:

From £45,500 per annum, with benefits, subject to skills and experience.

Job Title:

Postdoctoral Fellow

Reports To:

Ilaria Malanchi

Closing Date:

02/Nov/2025 23.59 GMT

Job Description:

Postdoctoral Fellow – Im Malanchi Lab

Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow – IM Malanchi lab

Reports to: Ilaria Malanchi

Contract: This is a full-time (four years) position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

About Us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. 

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy. 

About The Role

Dr Malanchi’s lab has a long-standing interest on dissecting the dynamic interactions between tumour cells and host tissues in vivo, with the goal of uncovering the fundamental biological programs that govern these processes. The lab focuses on fundamental questions surrounding cancer growth initiation, both at primary sites and during metastatic seeding at secondary locations.

 We are particularly interested in the early stages of tumour initiation, aiming to uncover how tissues, and systemic factors such as inflammation, control or enable this process, and how cancer cells co-opt local and systemic signals to establish growth.

Research techniques in the lab include mouse models, In vivo techniques, including transplantations, genetic manipulation, cancer induction, injury and infection models, Organoids and other tree-dimensional co-cultures and Imaging and Flow cytometry.

The Project

In this project, we will address a fundamental question in cancer biology: what allows a tumour to emerge from within otherwise healthy tissue?

Using our in vivo labelling techniques and other tailored animal models, we will investigate how mutated cells interact with their surrounding environment to either persist or initiate malignancy. The model organ of this this project will be the skin.

This project is part of an ERC Synergy Grant, combining efforts across three labs: this project will be within the Malanchi lab, where we will investigate the functional role of key mutations in skin using mouse models.

Find out more about the lab here.

What you will be doing

You Will Be Responsible For:

• Establishing the in vivo model to study the impact of mutations in the skin under guidance from Group Leader
• Performing the experiments, keeping records, analysing results and planning the experiments under the guidance of the group leader
• Improving established protocols and/or develops new protocols
• Providing specialist advice and guidance, sharing knowledge and expertise for the benefit of others
• Providing significant contribution to the production of research papers for publication, presenting findings to group members and other internal audiences
• Presenting work externally at international meetings

Postdoctoral Fellows will lead their own projects, contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis (both in the lab and with our ERC collaborators) and may guide PhD students in their research. The ability to work in a team is essential.

About You

You Will Have:

• PhD in biology tissue/cell biology (or other subject areas relevant for the proposed project) in the final stages of PhD submission.
• Ability to define and solve research questions.
• Good knowledge and experience in animal models and in vivo work.
• Previous expertise’s in technique used to study the skin.
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications in referred journals.

Please see the full job description here.

About Working at the Crick

Our Values

Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture! 

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. 
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. 
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. 

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences.

We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we'll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply. If you need assistance with applying (i.e., would like to apply by phone or post) please email: weronika.kucala@crick.ac.uk

Find out more about life at the Crick.

What will you receive?  

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development: 

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK 
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays. 
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%. 

Health & Wellbeing:

• 24/7 GP consultation services. 
• Occupational health services and mental health support programs. 
• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans. 

WorkLife Balance:

• Back-up care for dependents. 
• Childcare support allowance. 
• Annual leave purchase options. 
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.

Perks:

• Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts. 
• Subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction. 

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.  

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.