Research Technical Professionals and Scientific Support
At The Institute of Cancer Research, Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) and Scientific Support staff play a vital role in enabling world-class cancer research. They bring the specialist technical, scientific, analytical and operational expertise needed to drive high quality research every single day.
Although their functions span a wide range of roles, they share a common purpose: to apply expert technical skills that contribute to the delivery, quality and continuity of our research.
What types of roles are included?
Collectively, these professionals form the vital technical infrastructure that allows our research to progress safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards. Key roles include:
- Scientific Officers: Driving laboratory-based research
- Research Management & Operations: Managing research spaces and keeping our laboratories and facilities running smoothly
- Data & Computational Specialists: Statisticians, informaticians, and analytical specialists
- Biological Services Technicians: Supporting in vivo research
As a testament to our commitment to Research Technical Professionals, we have been awarded a £1M Wellcome Institutional Funding for Research Culture (IFRC) to strengthen technical career pathways.
Strengthening Career Pathways
At the ICR, we are deeply committed to our technical staff. We have launched three initiatives focused on developing and enhancing technical career pathways across key stages of the talent pipeline.
What we offer
The Technician Commitment
We are deeply committed to the professional growth and career progression of our technical staff. Reflecting this, the ICR is proud to be a founding signatory of the Technician Commitment (2017), a national initiative championing technical professionals.
Through this programme, we actively support our Research Technical Professionals and Scientific Support staff across four key pillars: Visibility, Recognition, Career Development and Sustainability.
Further details, including our action plans and submissions, can be found on our Responsibilities page.
The Scientific Officers Association (SOA)
Established in 2010, SOA is our dedicated professional community dedicated for staff in Scientific Officer grades. Working together with our Learning and Organisational Development team, the SOA champions RTPs career progression, skills growth and professional development – directly advancing our goals under the Technician Commitment.
Key areas of SOA activity include:
- Career development & Training programmes: Tailored development activities delivered in collaboration with Learning & Development
- Mentoring: Dedicated support for Scientific Officers applying for promotion
- Travel & Training Bursaries: Financial support to attend external cources, conferences and technical workshops
- Annual ICR Technical Conference: A flagship event organised by SOA members to provide training, networking, and a platform to share technical expertise
- Professional Registration: Funding to cover first year of membership to a professional body, plus professional registration fees
- Social Events: Crafting groups, coffee mornings and joint events with the PostDoc and Student committees to build a strong community
Together, these initiatives build the skills, confidence and career readiness of our Scientific Officers – driving the technical excellence that underpins all ICR research.
Research Institutes Technician Group (RITG)
The ICR is a founding member of the RITG, a collaborative network of 11 UK research institutes. This group is unique: bringing together research‑intensive institutes where technical roles are primarily embedded in research, rather than teaching.
Through regular monthly meetings and cross-institutional collaboration, the RITG delivers impactful initiatives that connect technical professionals across the sector. An example includes the Tech Insights webinar series, which provides a platform for RTPs to share career journeys, exchange ideas, and build valuable networks.
Our RITG Partners: Alongside the ICR, the network includes the Babraham Institute, Earlham Institute, John Innes Centre, MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, MRC Mary Lyon Centre, The Francis Crick Institute, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Science and Technology Facilities Council UKRI, and the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Techs Today
Techs Today is an in‑person event series connecting technical professionals across leading London Institutes: the ICR, University College London, The Francis Crick Institute, Imperial College London and King’s College London. Hosted on rotation across these partner sites, each event combines short, engaging talks with dedicated face-to-face networking.
It is a valuable local opportunity to:
- Expand Your Network: Connect with peers and build cross-institutional collaborations
- Share Expertise: Exchange ideas and learn from a diverse range of technical specialists
- Raise Your Visibility: Strengthen your professional profile within the wider technical community
Professional Registration Support
The ICR offers practical support for staff working towards Professional Registration.
Our support includes:
- Financial Backing: The SOA will fully fund your first year of membership to a professional body, as well as your professional registration fees
- Application Guidance: Our Learning & Organisational Development (L+OD) team offers dedicated support to help you refine and strengthen your application
- On-Demand Resource Bank: Access recordings and slides from our Unlocking Professional Registration series. Featuring expert guidance from the Royal Society of Chemistry, these materials are available anytime to help you confidently evidence key competencies and interpret professional standards
Employee stories
Dr Giulio Caravagna
Dr Federico Tidu
Dr Fatemeh Ahmadi Moughari
Vacancies at the ICR
Group Leader - Biology
To work in close collaboration with Professor Sebastian Nijman, we are seeking to recruit a Group Leader to lead an independent research group that contributes directly to target identification and small molecule drug discovery; lead and participate in multidisciplinary drug discovery research teams. Experience Proven ability to contribute to drug discovery activities Proven scientific productivity and leadership by means of high-profile publication and/or patents Skills in co-ordinating, planning and executing novel (target) biology studies to a standard of international excellence Demonstrated expertise in building and running biological assays for use in drug discovery test cascades Ability to rapidly assimilate relevant information, identify new research opportunities, and clearly communicate recommendations Evidence of a strategic and inclusive approach to decision making and performance management Excellent track record of cross-disciplinary collaboration Effective stakeholder engagement through strong relationship building and communication skills Evidence of the ability to lead and manage research staff, with a focus on performance and development Division of Cancer Therapeutics The Division of Cancer Therapeutics has an unrivalled track record at discovering novel cancer treatments for the personalised treatment of cancer. Within the Division, the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery (CCDD) is a multidisciplinary 'bench to bedside' centre, comprising 160 staff dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. We are one of the largest academic cancer drug discovery groups in the world and, together with our collaborators, have discovered 21 preclinical development candidates, 13 of which have been progressed to clinical evaluation, many with our partners in the ICR/Royal Marsden Drug Development Unit. Our drug abiraterone (Zytiga) has been approved in the US, Canada and Europe for late-stage prostate cancer whereas the pan-AKT inhibitor capiversitib is on the market for breast cancer since 2023. The CCDD’s mission is to develop “first in class” personalised medicines for patient benefit. We implement innovative drug discovery technologies, discover novel mechanism-based drugs, and develop these as rapidly as possible from the laboratory through to hypothesis-testing early clinical trials. We publish our work extensively and have a large network of collaborations with academia, biotechnology companies, and the pharmaceutical industry. Our teams are dedicated to the discovery of small molecule drug candidates, and to the development of high-quality chemical probes to enable new cancer biology research. The Division of Cancer Therapeutics is based in state-of-the art laboratories in the Centre for Cancer Drug Discovery building, opened in 2020 on the ICR Sutton campus. About The Institute of Cancer Research We are one of the world’s oldest and most influential cancer research institutes with an outstanding record of achievement dating back more than 100 years. We are world leaders in identifying cancer genes, discovering cancer drugs and developing precision radiotherapy. Together with our hospital partner The Royal Marsden, we are consistently rated in the top four centres for cancer research and treatment worldwide. As well as being a world-class institute, we are a college of the University of London. We are consistently in the top performing universities in the league table of university research quality compiled from the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014 & 2021).