Evolutionary Immunogenomics Group

Scientific Officer – Immunogenomics and Radiotherapy Response Under the guidance of Dr. Luis Zapata and Prof. Kevin Harrington, we are seeking to recruit a highly motivated Scientific Officer to contribute to an interdisciplinary research programme investigating immunoediting and immune evolution in response to radiotherapy. This project aims to understand how radiotherapy-induced DNA damage shapes tumour antigenicity, immune dynamics, and clinical response, with the ultimate goal of identifying predictive immunogenomic biomarkers and informing combination treatment strategies. The successful candidate will play a key role in analysing patient-derived multiomic datasets from two major clinical trials, CR07 (rectal cancer) and PREDICT-B (soft tissue sarcoma). The role will involve close integration of genomic, transcriptomic, and immune repertoire data to characterise tumour–immune co-evolution before, during, and after radiotherapy. About the role The post holder will contribute to a comprehensive analysis of tumour and blood samples collected longitudinally from patients undergoing neoadjuvant radiotherapy. Responsibilities will include: Processing and analysing whole-exome sequencing (WES) and bulk RNA-seq data from FFPE tumour samples and matched blood-derived germline DNA Characterising tumour immune microenvironment dynamics and immunogenicity during treatment Quantifying immune selection and immunoediting using evolutionary metrics, including immune dN/dS Identifying neoantigens and immune escape mechanisms (e.g. alterations in antigen presentation machinery or HLA loss of heterozygosity) Integrating T-cell receptor repertoire data generated using FUME-TCRseq from FFPE tissue Supporting the interpretation of multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) data to spatially profile immune cell populations Collaborating with clinicians, computational biologists, and experimental researchers to link immunogenomic features with pathological and clinical outcomes Contributing to publications, presentations, and the development of future translational or preclinical studies About you The successful candidate must have: A degree (or equivalent experience) in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, cancer biology, immunology, or a related discipline Experience analysing next-generation sequencing data (WES and/or RNA-seq) Familiarity with somatic variant calling, copy number analysis, or transcriptomic profiling Strong quantitative and analytical skills, with experience in R, Python, or similar scientific programming languages Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a multidisciplinary team Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail Desirable experience includes: Knowledge of cancer evolution, immunoediting, or tumour immunology Experience with neoantigen prediction pipelines or immune repertoire analysis Exposure to FFPE-derived sequencing data Interest in translational cancer research and biomarker discovery Department / Directorate Information This role is based within the Evolutionary Immunogenomics Lab, which brings together expertise in cancer genomics, evolutionary biology, immunology, and clinical oncology. The team works closely with clinical trial groups and experimental laboratories to translate computational discoveries into biological insight and therapeutic opportunities. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art computational and experimental facilities Professional development and training opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in cancer evolution, immunogenomics, and radiotherapy Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role.