Postdoctoral Research Associate - Oncolytic Clostridia as Prostate Cancer Therapeutics

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Oncolytic Clostridia as Prostate Cancer Therapeutics

Advert Reference Number: 1980

Job Location: Milton Keynes

Department: School of Life, Health & Chemical Sciences

Closing Date: 25 October 2026

Weekly Working Hours: 18.5

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 20 months from start date

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About the Role

This is a 0.5 FTE role for a period of 20 months funded by a leading UK cancer charity.

The post-holder will be welcomed into the Anaerobes in Medicine (AiM Lab) specializing in the molecular microbiology of anaerobic Clostridium bacteria. The post holder will assess the ability of an oncolytic strain of Clostridium for its ability to treat an aggressive form of prostate cancer. The post holder will also enhance its anticancer capabilities by optimizing the heterologous expression of therapeutic proteins. This work is part of an Open University-led project that involves academic and clinical collaborators based in the UK, Italy and USA.

About the School of Life Health and Chemical Sciences

The School of Life, Health and Chemical Sciences (LHCS) is part of the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It brings together a multi-disciplinary team of academics with expertise in neurobiology, psychology, immunology, genetics, and cellular and molecular biology, as well as organic, medicinal, inorganic and materials chemistry, providing a stimulating, collaborative and supportive teaching and research environment. The School offers undergraduate qualifications in Biology, Chemistry, Health Sciences and Natural Sciences and a postgraduate qualification in Mental Health Sciences, as well as hosting PhD students. Members of the School were submitted to REF2021 in Units of Assessment A3 (Allied Health Professions) and B12 (Engineering). For more information about our School, our research and our facilities please see HERE.

Key Responsibilities

• To maintain cultures of cancer cells.
• To generate, purify and quantify spores of Clostridium spp.
• To optimise the heterologous expression of therapeutic proteins in Clostridium.
• To determine and characterise the anticancer activity of Clostridium spp. against prostate cancers using a range of in vitro techniques.
• To handle the shipping of materials to and from international collaborators.
• To undertake ex vivo analysis of cancer samples.
• To interpret and analyse data generated through the project.
• To author papers on the results and publish them in peer reviewed journals.
• To be an active member of the AiM Lab, attending research group meetings, sharing knowledge with other members of the team and supervising junior group members.
• To provide updates at meetings with external project collaborators.
• To contribute expertise and scientific ideas to research projects, methodologies, as appropriate.
• To carry out administrative tasks associated with this work, such as risk assessments.
• To carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.
• To undertake other duties that are reasonable for the position, as directed by the Line Manager.

About You

Skills and experience

• PhD (or equivalent title) in molecular microbiology, cancer biology, molecular biology or a related discipline.
• Demonstrable understanding of cancer biology.
• Demonstrable experience in culturing a range of cancer cells, including under hypoxic conditions.
• Demonstrable experience in handling of obligate anaerobes.
• Demonstrable experience studying anticancer therapeutics (must include the use of microbes as therapeutics).
• Demonstrable experience of molecular biology techniques (PCR, molecular cloning, Western blot).
• Demonstrable track record of communicating research results.
• Ability to plan and prioritize own workload and work to agreed deadlines.
• Good oral and written communication in a variety of contexts, including the ability to offer and receive constructive criticism.
• Demonstrable experience studying cell death mechanisms in cancer cells.
• Evidence of contributions to research grants as a named researcher (also referred to as researcher co-investigator), co-investigator, obtaining fellowships or similar.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on or email quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Work location

This position mostly involves laboratory-based work. It is therefore expected that the role holder will be available on-site in Milton Keynes when required, which will likely be up to 5 times per week on average.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

If shortlisted, we anticipate interviews taking place late W/C 9th November.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.

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