1. No category

Further Information
Career Development Fellow in Applied Genetics
(Research Associate or Senior Research Associate*)
Department of Public Health and Primary Care
© Cambridge Biomedical Campus, 2014
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Further Information
Job title
Career Development Fellow in Applied Genetics
(Research Associate or Senior Research Associate*)
Grade
7 or 9
Salary range
Research Associate (G7): £28,695 - £37,394
Senior Research Associate* (G9): £38,511 - £48,743
*NB: The status of Senior Research Associate is awarded on the basis of individual
merit and may be awarded to the successful candidate if approved by the Faculty
Board of the Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine
Staff Group
Research
Department/Institution
Public Health and Primary Care
Responsible to
Dr Adam Butterworth
Role-specific information
Role Summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an ambitious and talented post-doctoral scientist to join a new
interdisciplinary research programme in population health and genomics.
The Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge has been awarded a £4
million grant to set up the National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Unit (NIHR BTRU) in
Donor Health and Genomics (Director: Professor John Danesh FMedSci). The goals of this new Unit are to
combine cutting-edge tools from genomics, biology, and population health science to address key questions
about the aetiology of important disorders (such as the health consequences of iron deficiency), to improve
the safety and precision of blood donation, and to build and use major genomic resources that enable study
important chronic diseases of wider relevance.
The Unit is a strategic collaboration led by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Wellcome
Trust Sanger Institute, NHS Blood and Transplant, and the University of Oxford. It will form a key component
of the University’s planned £55M Heart and Lung Research Institute which is to be built adjacent to the new
Papworth Hospital, now under construction at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The new Unit is building and exploiting exceptionally large and detailed “living laboratories” of healthy
participants who consent to frequent and active engagement in research studies (eg, recall-by-genotype,
periodic re-attendance, wearing of devices, linkage with e-health records). For example, leveraging our
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strategic relationship with NHS Blood and Transplant, we have commenced linkage of >1M blood donors to
e-health records. As a proof-of-concept study, we have already enrolled 50,000 donors into the INTERVAL
study (http://www.intervalstudy.org.uk/) in which we have commenced cohort-wide 15x whole genome
sequencing, measured >5000 molecular phenotypes (eg, blood cell traits, lipids, metabolites, proteins),
conducted an advanced analysis of the cellular composition of the blood, employed accelerometry devices
at scale, and measured genome-wide genotypes.
We are recruiting a range of talented scientists to the new Unit who have skills in quantitative, genomic,
and/or biological sciences. Post-holders will be encouraged to take on leadership roles in key projects and
manuscripts. Post-holders will have access to world-leading data and sample resources, and will be
provided mentorship by an interdisciplinary team of internationally-recognised senior scientists. Post-holders
will work across world-leading institutes in population health sciences (Department of Public Health and
Primary Care, University of Cambridge) and genomics (Human Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute),
and gain direct experience of NHS Blood and Transplant, an innovative high-throughput component of the
National Health Service.
The overarching goal for the post-holder is to lead and develop new projects in relation to donor health and
genomics. A major remit of this position is to explore novel applications of genetic and genomic technologies
to improve the safety and precision of blood donation. This will be achieved through analysis of data from
the 50,000-person INTERVAL bioresource. These analyses are expected to result in novel evidence and
genomic tools supporting improvements in clinical practice in blood donation. The role will involve
coordinating work to achieve a series of high-impact publications.
The post holder will work primarily with Dr Adam Butterworth, but also with other senior staff in the BTRU,
particularly Prof Nicole Soranzo (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Department of Haematology), as well
as scientific collaborators based in other institutions.
Organisational Chart
Prof John Danesh
Director, BTRU & CEU
Prof Nicole Soranzo
(Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute)
Dr Adam Butterworth
BTRU & CEU
Career Development Fellow
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Other BTRU staff
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Key Responsibilities
% time
spent/
frequency
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1
Designing and leading analyses of specific projects relating to the use of genomics
to improve the safety and precision of blood donation.
daily
2
Working with statisticians and other colleagues in the BTRU to help develop and
implement methodologically appropriate analysis strategies for planned
investigations
daily/
3
Working closely with colleagues and clinicians to identify hypotheses, interpret
findings and draft manuscripts and other reports for publication
monthly
4
Anticipating, communicating and solving any potential problems that arise with
analyses or other aspects of research projects
as
necessary
5
Assist in preparation of grant applications to secure further funding for relevant
projects
occasionally
6
Supervising junior staff members to help achieve the goals of the Unit
as
necessary
7
Present results of analyses to specialist and non-specialist audiences
occasionally
weekly
Person Profile
Person profile - Essential knowledge, skills and experience required for role
Education & qualifications
PhD in Human Genetics, Genetic Epidemiology or similar or equivalent
experience
At least two years of post-doctoral experience
Specialist knowledge &
skills
A sound understanding of genetics
Interpersonal &
communication skills
Strong organisational and interpersonal skills.
Strong quantitative skills
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
High-level report writing and presentation skills.
An ability to communicate and present results to clinicians and other
scientists.
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Relevant experience
Experience of working with large datasets
Experience of leading research projects
Experience of supervising junior staff/students
A strong track record of authoring scientific publications (including firstauthor publications), ideally including high-impact journals
Additional requirements
Ability to judge priorities and work to tight deadlines.
Ability to be productive and energetic.
Ability to work to targets both independently and within a team
environment.
Ability to ensure accuracy and rigour in all areas of work.
Person profile - Desirable knowledge, skills and experience required for role
Specialist knowledge &
skills
Relevant experience
Previous scripting experience e.g. Perl, Python
Sound understanding of bioinformatics tools
Experience of working with of high-dimensional datasets (eg, GWAS,
Exome sequencing data, NGS data, RNAseq, `omics’ data)
Experience of working in Linux-based operating systems including
computer clusters.
Additional requirements
Ability to assimilate rapidly new scientific and medical concepts.
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Terms and Conditions
Location
Strangeways Research Laboratory, Worts Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN
Length of
appointment
31 December 2018 in the first instance.
Hours of work
Annual leave
Full time employees are entitled to annual paid leave of 6.6 weeks (or 33 days)
for those working full time, plus public holidays. The leave year runs from 1st
October – 30th September.
Your employment is full time.
There are no formal conditions relating to hours and times of work but you are
expected to work such hours and days as are reasonably necessary for the
proper performance of your duties. Your times of work should be agreed between
you and your head of institution.
Pension eligibility
The Universities Superannuation Scheme is a national scheme for employees on
academic, research and academic related scales of pay which covers all the pre1992 Universities and a number of other educational and research bodies.
Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)
Retirement age
The University does not operate a retirement age for assistant staff/research
staff/unestablished academic staff/unestablished academic-related staff
Probation period
6 months
Closing date for
applications
10th January 2016
Expected date for
Week commencing 25th January 2016
interview/selection
Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Adam Butterworth
How to apply
([email protected]) or Prof Nicole Soranzo ([email protected]).
To submit an application for this vacancy, please click on the link in the 'Apply
online' section of the advert published on the University's Job Opportunities
pages. This will route you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you
will need to register an account (if you have not already) and log in before
completing the online application form.
Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of
the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not
been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.
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Screening Check Requirements
We have a legal responsibility to ensure that you have the right to work in the UK before you can start
working for us. If you do not have the right to work in the UK already, any offer of employment we make to
you will be conditional upon you gaining it. If you need further information, you may find the Right to Work
page within the ‘Applying for a job’ section of the University’s Job Opportunities pages helpful (please see
http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/right/have/).
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GENERAL INFORMATION
The University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s oldest and most successful Universities, with an
outstanding reputation for academic achievement and research. It was ranked first in the UK (both overall
and in medicine / life sciences) and second in the world in 2014/15 (THES-QS) and its graduates have won
more Nobel Prizes than any other university in the world. The University comprises more than 150
departments, faculties, schools and other institutions, plus a central administration and 31 independent and
autonomous colleges.
The University and the Colleges are linked in a complex historical relationship. The Colleges are selfgoverning, separate legal entities which appoint their own staff. They admit students, provide student
accommodation and deliver small group teaching (supervisions). The University awards degrees and its
faculties and departments provide lectures and seminars for students, determine the syllabi for teaching and
conduct research.
There is much more information about the University at http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/works/index.html which
we hope you will find helpful.
The Department of Public Health and Primary Care (DPHPC) (http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/)
The DPHPC is one of Europe’s leading academic departments of population health sciences. It comprises
over 400 staff and graduate students, including more than 25 professors, readers, university lecturers, and
other senior academic staff. Groups in the Department are underpinned by major programme grants, such
as those from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust, the British Heart Foundation
(BHF), Cancer Research UK, the UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), the European Union, the
US National Institutes of Health, industry, and other sources.
The DPHPC provides internationally-recognised expertise in: genetic epidemiology, biomarkers, cohort
studies, quantitative methods, public health, primary care, and behavioural sciences. Major areas of
application include common chronic diseases (eg, cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative
diseases), and major behavioural risk factors driving these conditions (eg, consumption of tobacco, alcohol,
and adverse diets).
The DPHPC benefits greatly from the expertise arising from its strategic collaborations:
Genome Campus: The Sanger Institute (director: Sir Mike Stratton; head of human genetics: Dr Ines
Barroso) and the European Bioinfomatics Institute (director: Dame Janet Thornton; associate director: Ewan
Birney) constitute Europe’s largest and leading genome campus (~1500 staff). The DPHPC has a strategic
relationship with the Genome Campus, which is underpinned by joint appointments, shared research
programmes, and joint supervision of trainees.
Quantitative MRC Units: The DPHPC has a long history of close collaboration with the MRC Biostatistics
Unit (director: Professor Sylvia Richardson) and the MRC Epidemiology Unit (director: Professor Nick
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Wareham). In particular, there is a strong methodological programme in statistical genomics and highdimensional data at the MRC Biostatistics Unit that the post-holder will be able to benefit from.
Genomic medicine: Collaborations around the themes vascular biology, systems biology, and inflammation,
notably with investigators at the Department of Haematology (Professor Willem Ouwehand), Divisions of
Respiratory and Cardiovascular Medicine (Professors Nick Morrell, Martin Bennett, Ziad Mallatt), and
Diabetes Inflammation Laboratory (Professor John Todd).
Education and Training Strategy
The Department takes great pride in its contributions to academic capacity in epidemiology, public health
and primary care. The DPHPC provides excellent training and educational programmes in biostatistics,
epidemiology, public health, and primary care, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, including training
of Academic Clinical Fellows. Presently, there are about 40 doctoral students and about 35 Masters
students. Students in the DPHPC are typically supported by prestigious awards, such as studentships from
the MRC (eg, five annual MPhil studentships have been awarded to the Department from autumn 2009), the
BHF, Cancer Research UK, the Gates-Cambridge Foundation, NIH-Cambridge Fellowships and GSK. As
noted above, the BHF and MRC/GSK have recently provided substantial funding for the training of a new
cadre of PhD students in cardiovascular science.
More generally, teaching in the Department comprises:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Epidemiology and statistics to pre-clinical medical students
Clinical epidemiology, public health, and primary care to clinical medical students
Foundation year academic placements
Master of Philosophy in Public Health (full-time)
Master of Philosophy in Epidemiology (full-time)
Academic Clinical Fellowships (25% clinical training time ST1,2,3)
Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit - (http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/CEU/)
The CEU is a research unit based in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care (DPHPC), also
directed by Professor Danesh. It is supported by long-term research grants from a number of funding
agencies, including the: British Heart Foundation, UK Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, UK
National Institute of Health Research, European Commission, US National Institutes of Health, and industry.
The staff of the CEU include: epidemiologists, statisticians, physicians, geneticists, nutritionists, data
managers, and administrative staff. The work of the CEU has been typified by an unusual number of highimpact publications in leading journals.
The overarching objective of the CEU is to identify and evaluate emerging and novel cardiovascular risk
factors to determine their potential relevance to disease aetiology and risk prediction. The CEU coordinates
the INTERVAL trial, an open randomised pragmatic trial to determine whether blood can be safely and
acceptably collected by NHSBT more frequently than present practice and at similar intervals to current
custom in some other European countries. 50,000 donors have been enrolled, assigned to different donation
intervals. The INTERVAL study will underpin the work of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in
Donor Health and Genomics. For more information please visit: http://www.intervalstudy.org.uk/
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School of Clinical Medicine
The University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine aims to provide leadership in education, discovery
and healthcare. The School will achieve this through: inspirational teaching and training, outstanding basic
and clinical research and integration of these to improve medical practice for both individual patients and the
population.
The School will:
through inspirational teaching and training, educate individuals who:

will become exceptional doctors or biomedical scientists

combine a depth of scientific understanding with outstanding clinical and communication
skills

demonstrate a caring, compassionate and professional approach to patients and the public

and

are equipped to become future international leaders of their profession.
through its commitment to the pursuit of excellence, support scientists of international
standing in basic and clinical research aiming to:

understand fundamental biology and thereby the mechanisms underlying disease

integrate basic and clinical research

apply a rigorous mechanism-based approach to clinical problems and

innovate to solve the health challenges of our society.
The School’s core values are:

to uphold the rights of the individual to freedom of thought, freedom of expression, access to
education and access to appropriate healthcare

to respect the diversity of our students, academics, non-academic staff, patients and
volunteers and value their different expertise and contributions to the life of the School

to instil in our graduates, staff and alumni a life-long passion for the pursuit of excellence in
the service of society and an understanding of their responsibility to engage with the public
about their research.
Remit Statement
The University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine aspires to change the practice of medicine and
improve biological understanding in a wide range of clinical specialties and scientific disciplines.
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Collaborative research, both within biomedicine and crossing the boundaries to the mathematical, physical
and social sciences, is key to our approach. The School also supports key enabling technologies and
facilities in imaging, bioinformatics and biological systems. The main areas of research interest are:

Cancer Research

Cardio-Respiratory Medicine

Cellular mechanisms of disease

Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care

Genetics and Genetic Medicine

Haematological and Transplantation Medicine

Infection and Immunity

Neurosciences and Mental Health

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
What the University can offer you
One of our core values at the University of Cambridge is to recognise and reward our staff as our greatest
asset. We realise that it's our people who have built our outstanding reputation and that we will only
maintain our leading position in the academic world by continuing to attract and retain talented and
motivated people. If you choose to come and work with us, you will find that we offer:

Excellent benefits – You will be eligible for a wide range of competitive benefits and services, including
numerous discounts on shopping, health care, financial services and public transport. We also offer
defined benefits pension schemes and tax-efficient bicycle, car lease and charity-giving schemes.
We will help you balance your home and work life by providing you with generous annual leave
entitlement and procedures for requesting a career break or flexible working arrangements if you need
them. You will also have access to a range of well-being support services, including in-house
Occupational Health and Counselling services. If you have childcare responsibilities, you may also
benefit from the enhanced maternity/adoption pay, two nurseries and a holiday play scheme that we
provide.
We are keen to welcome new employees from other parts of the UK and other countries to Cambridge. If
you will be relocating to Cambridge on a centrally funded appointment of two years or more, you may be
eligible for our relocation expenses scheme. The University Accommodation Service
(http://www.accommodation.cam.ac.uk/) will also be available to help you find suitable rented
accommodation and to provide advice on renting arrangements and local facilities, if required. In
addition, certain academic and academic-related appointments are eligible for the Shared Equity
Scheme which offers financial assistance with the purchase of living accommodation.
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
A welcoming and inclusive environment - We will help you settle into your new role and working
environment through a central University induction event, local induction activities and our online
induction package. Where appropriate to your role, you will have a probation period to provide a
supportive framework for reviewing your progress and discussing your training and development needs.
If you are relocating to Cambridge, you and your family will be welcome to attend the Newcomers and
Visiting Scholars Group, which provides an opportunity to find out more about Cambridge and meet
other people new to the area.

Extensive development opportunities - The encouragement of career development for staff is one of
the University's core values. We put this into practice through various services and initiatives, including:
-
-
A wide-range of training courses and online learning packages.
The Staff Review and Development (SRD) Scheme, which is designed to enhance work
effectiveness and facilitate career development post-probation.
Leave for career and personal development, including long-term study leave for assistant staff and
sabbatical leave for academic staff.
The CareerStart@Cam programme, which supports assistant staff roles without higher education
qualifications to develop their skills, experience and qualifications. Assistant staff may also apply for
financial assistance for study which results in a qualification.
Reduced staff fees for University of Cambridge graduate courses.
The opportunity to attend lectures and seminars held by University departments and institutions.
Policies and processes dedicated to the career development of researchers and the implementation
of the principles of the Concordat, which have led to the University being recognised with an HR
Excellence in Research Award by the European Commission.
You can find further details of the benefits, services and opportunities we offer can be found in our
CAMBens Employee Benefits web pages at http://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/pay-benefits/cambensemployee-benefits. A range of information about living and working in Cambridge is also available to you
within the University’s web pages at http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/ and http://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/hrstaff/information-staff.
Equality of Opportunity at the University
We are committed to a proactive approach to equality, which includes supporting and encouraging all underrepresented groups, promoting an inclusive culture and valuing diversity. We make selection decisions
based on personal merit and an objective assessment against the criteria required for the post. We do not
treat job applicants or members of staff less favourably than one another on the grounds of sex (including
gender reassignment), marital or parental status, race, ethnic or national origin, colour, disability (including
HIV status), sexual orientation, religion, age or socio-economic factors.
We have various diversity networks to help us progress equality; these include the Women’s Staff Network,
the Disabled Staff Network, the Black and Minority Ethnic Staff Network and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Staff Network. In addition, we were ranked in the top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and
bisexual (LGB) staff in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2013 and we hold an Athena SWAN silver
award at organisation level for promoting women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine.
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We are supportive of staff with caring responsibilities, such as through our flexible working, career break and
returning carers schemes. We encourage individuals to include details of any breaks in employment due to
caring responsibilities in applications for employment so that these can be taken into consideration in
assessments made, where appropriate.
Information if you have a Disability
The University welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities and we are committed to ensuring fair
treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to enable applicants to compete to
the best of their ability wherever it is reasonable to do so, and, if successful, to assist them during their
employment. Information for disabled applicants is available at
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/staff/disabled/.
We encourage you to declare any disability that you may have, and any reasonable adjustments that you
may require, in the section provided for this purpose in the application form. This will enable us to
accommodate your needs throughout the process as required. However, applicants and employees may
declare a disability at any time.
If you prefer to discuss any special arrangements connected with a disability, please contact, Keith Hoddy,
who is responsible for recruitment to this position, on 01223 748623 or by email on
[email protected]. Alternatively, you may contact the HR Business Manager responsible for the
department you are applying to via [email protected].
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CAMBRIDGE
•
•


Local Discounts
Cambridge Festival of
Ideas
Cambridge Science
Festival
Open Cambridge




CAMBens Cycle/Cars
Travel to Work Loan
Trains(season ticket)
Uni4 bus discount
Childcare
Service Leave / Flexible
Working
Career breaks
Nurseries / play schemes
Returning Carers Scheme
•
•
•
Employee
Benefits
Study / sabbatical leave
Unpaid leave
Careers Service
www.cam.ac.uk
CAMBens discounts
Payroll giving
Shared Equity
Scheme
Contribution
Rewards
•
RECREATION
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CAREERS
•
•
•
•


Frank Lee Leisure and
Sports Centre
Concourse / shops /
restaurants
•
•
•
•
•
CAMBRIDGE BIOMEDICAL
CAMPUS
•
Relocation Expenses
Accommodation
Service
Newcomers Service
•
FINANCIAL
FAMILY-FRIENDLY
•
•
RELOCATION
ASSISTANCE
TRAVEL TO WORK
WELLBEING AND HEALTH









Health Cash Plans
BUPA/Dental Discount
Eye Test
Occupational Health
Counselling Service
Mentoring
Chaplaincy
CamBens Gym
Mental Health
www.phpc.cam.ac.uk


University Sports
University Social
Club
College Entry
Local Attractions
TRAINING AND
DEVELOPMENT


Institute for
Continuing
Education
Personal
Development
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