Scientist mixing solutions in lab

Study and Careers

As the UK’s leading academic research centre, The Institute of Cancer Research offers a fantastic work and study environment, great opportunities for development and the chance to make a real difference for cancer patients. We aim to train, recruit and develop the best – with positions for outstanding scientists and clinicians, and the most talented professional or administrative staff.

Studying at the ICR

Our competitive programmes and specialised courses are designed for the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians.

Scientists in lab - Four scientists working in a lab

PhD projects and opportunities

We offer 20 fully funded PhD studentships each year. Our main round opens in October, but we also advertise projects throughout the year. 

 

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Opportunities for clinicians

At The Institute of Cancer Research, London, we offer clinicians a variety of opportunities – from a taught master's course in Oncology, to fellowships providing protected time for research, and higher research degrees.

MSc in Oncology

The Taught Course in Oncology is a day-release modular programme designed for medically qualified candidates who intend to pursue a professional career in some aspect of clinical or medical oncology, either as a clinical academic or a clinician.

Why study with us?

By providing world-class expertise and support to students at The Institute of Cancer Research, we hope to advance cancer research and clinical practice not only within our organisation, but throughout the field.

Dr Becky Cook is Head of Research Support at The Institute of Cancer Research. She oversees our large strategic grant applications and is supporting the ICR's next submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which is the definitive government evaluation of the quality and impact of research at UK universities.

Talk us through your typical day

I manage a small team that provides advice and support to researchers applying for external grant funding from funders including the Research Councils, Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, the European Commission and the US National Institute of Health.

Personally, I coordinate and develop large strategic grant applications such as institutional PhD programme applications and the ICR's MRC Confidence in Concept award.

In addition, I meet and talk with researchers to provide advice on grant applications. With my Director, Dr Barbara Pittam, and other colleagues, I work on research policy areas and that often means drafting papers for ICR's management committees.

Another significant area of work for me is supporting and providing guidance on the ICR's next REF submission.

How does your work contribute to our mission?

Researchers need funding to deliver their research. The high level and detailed advice my team and I provide helps support the ICR in securing external grant funding. The REF informs the allocation of research funding from Research England to ICR so is also very important.

Moreover, I help to secure funding to train the next generation of ICR researchers – another important ICR aim – by working on applications for PhD programmes, including the successful Wellcome Clinical PhD programme application and the ICR's MRC iCASE Programme.

Can you give us any examples of where you see the ICR's values in your work?

Supporting grant applications embodies many of the ICR values – in particular working together and leading innovation. A grant application involves input from various people, researchers and other corporate teams, to develop new and exciting ideas to describe in an application so that it provides a compelling case for funding.

What are you most proud of?

I have worked on and contributed to various successful grant applications which makes me very proud. There are two that stand out because of their strategic importance and status; the Regius Professorship and Queen's Anniversary Prize. I feel very proud to know that I made vital contributions to these two significant recognitions of the ICR’s excellent and impactful research.

Who do you collaborate with at the ICR and elsewhere?

I work with researchers across the ICR, as it is their research and ideas I'm usually writing about. For student applications, I work with other teams in Academic Services as well as our Learning and Development team in HR. I also work closely with Research Finance on grant support as they provide the costings for grant applications and I collaborate with the team overseeing the Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR.

What makes you want to work for the ICR?

I previously carried out research myself, having undertaken my PhD at the ICR, and although I decided that being in the lab wasn’t the career for me, working at the ICR in a research support role really appealed. The ICR makes a real difference to cancer patients' lives and I get lots of satisfaction from contributing to that work in some small way. Also the ICR is great place to work as it is a very supportive environment, with lots of committed and interesting people.

Dr Becky Cook is Head of Research Support at The Institute of Cancer Research. She oversees our large strategic grant applications and is supporting the ICR's next submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which is the definitive government evaluation of the quality and impact of research at UK universities.

Talk us through your typical day

I manage a small team that provides advice and support to researchers applying for external grant funding from funders including the Research Councils, Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, the European Commission and the US National Institute of Health.

Personally, I coordinate and develop large strategic grant applications such as institutional PhD programme applications and the ICR's MRC Confidence in Concept award.

In addition, I meet and talk with researchers to provide advice on grant applications. With my Director, Dr Barbara Pittam, and other colleagues, I work on research policy areas and that often means drafting papers for ICR's management committees.

Another significant area of work for me is supporting and providing guidance on the ICR's next REF submission.

How does your work contribute to our mission?

Researchers need funding to deliver their research. The high level and detailed advice my team and I provide helps support the ICR in securing external grant funding. The REF informs the allocation of research funding from Research England to ICR so is also very important.

Moreover, I help to secure funding to train the next generation of ICR researchers – another important ICR aim – by working on applications for PhD programmes, including the successful Wellcome Clinical PhD programme application and the ICR's MRC iCASE Programme.

Can you give us any examples of where you see the ICR's values in your work?

Supporting grant applications embodies many of the ICR values – in particular working together and leading innovation. A grant application involves input from various people, researchers and other corporate teams, to develop new and exciting ideas to describe in an application so that it provides a compelling case for funding.

What are you most proud of?

I have worked on and contributed to various successful grant applications which makes me very proud. There are two that stand out because of their strategic importance and status; the Regius Professorship and Queen's Anniversary Prize. I feel very proud to know that I made vital contributions to these two significant recognitions of the ICR’s excellent and impactful research.

Who do you collaborate with at the ICR and elsewhere?

I work with researchers across the ICR, as it is their research and ideas I'm usually writing about. For student applications, I work with other teams in Academic Services as well as our Learning and Development team in HR. I also work closely with Research Finance on grant support as they provide the costings for grant applications and I collaborate with the team overseeing the Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR.

What makes you want to work for the ICR?

I previously carried out research myself, having undertaken my PhD at the ICR, and although I decided that being in the lab wasn’t the career for me, working at the ICR in a research support role really appealed. The ICR makes a real difference to cancer patients' lives and I get lots of satisfaction from contributing to that work in some small way. Also the ICR is great place to work as it is a very supportive environment, with lots of committed and interesting people.

Lab - View of a lab with scientists working

Support moving to the UK

Whether you're a student or a full time employee, you'll get a variety of social, welfare and accommodation benefits and advice, to help your move to the UK.
Three people sitting at a table in an office, engaged in discussion and collaboration.

Working life and benefits

As a world-leading cancer research organisation, we are a dynamic and exciting place to work - with various benefits and support if you’re moving to the UK.

More about roles at the ICR

Our discoveries are made possible by a mix of scientists at different levels, as well as the leadership and corporate roles that keep us running day to day.

Current openings 

We offer a fantastic working environment, great opportunities for career development and the chance to make a real difference for cancer patients. We aim to recruit and develop the best – with positions for postdocs, scientists and clinicians, and professional or administrative staff - see the latest below:

Business Development Manager

  • Sutton
  • Business & Innovation Office
  • £61,275 - £74,175
  • Permanent

About the Role We are seeking a Business Development Manager to join The Institute of Cancer Research’s (ICR’s) Business and Innovation Office and contribute to to support a portfolio of academics by protecting and commercialising their research, supporting them in securing translational funding and to highlight to them the benefits of working with industry. The successful candidate will play a key role in strategic project evaluation, stakeholder engagement, IP protection, commercial deal-making (collaborations and licensing), and translational funding support. Key Responsibilities Identify and assess commercially viable research Protect IP and manage confidentiality agreements Draft and negotiate licensing and collaboration contracts Support translational funding applications Drive spinout opportunity management About You We are looking for a proactive, detail-oriented team player. PhD, MBA or equivalent in a relevant field Experience in business development or technology transfer Direct experience of negotiating and closing deals with external partners Strong communication, negotiation, and organizational skills What We Offer • Supportive, collaborative environment • Career development opportunities • Competitive salary and pension Department/Directorate Information The Business and Innovation Office drives commercialisation and strategic partnerships to maximise patient benefit. For more details, please refer to the job pack. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Dr. Amritha Nair via Email on [email protected]

Higher Scientific Officer - Experimental & Translational Theranostic

  • Sutton
  • Radiotherapy and Imaging
  • Salary Range: £39805- £41900
  • Fixed term

Under the guidance of Dr Kathy Chan, we are seeking to recruit a talented and motivated Higher Scientific Officer to join the Experimental and Translational Theranostic group at the Centre for Cancer Imaging, Sutton. The research focuses on the development of next-generation ‘radiotheranostics’ – whole-body radionuclide-based imaging and therapeutic tools for cancer detection and treatment, and explore biological effects of radionuclide therapy to identify druggable targets and help develop novel therapeutic strategies to fight cancer. This position will provide excellent opportunities to interact within a multidisciplinary environment of staff within imaging, radiotherapy, drug development and molecular pathology, and explore new avenues of research. About you The successful candidate must have a PhD in cancer biology, molecular biology, radiochemistry, medicinal chemistry or a related discipline. A background in in vitro and in vivo radiobiology is essential. Experience in immuno-oncology is desirable. Department/Directorate Information The candidate will work in the Experimental and Translational Theranostic Group within the ICR Division of Radiotherapy and Imaging, which provides an integrated environment for multi-modality pre-clinical imaging, co-locating 7T and 1T MRI systems, a PET/SPECT/CT system, multispectral optoacoustic and ultrasound imaging platforms, bioluminescence imaging systems and micro-CT. What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Dr Kathy Chan via Email on [email protected].

Scientific Officer - Myeloma Biology and Therapeutics

  • Sutton
  • Cancer Therapeutics
  • £31,445 - £33,100
  • Fixed term

Under the guidance of Dr Chalotte Pawlyn, we are seeking to recruit a Scientific Officer to contribute to our work understanding mechanisms of resistance to therapies used to treat the bone marrow cancer myeloma. The successful candidate will play a key role in the isolation of myeloma cells from patient samples and downstream processing, experiments and storage. Additionally the SO will support a range of ongoing molecular and cell biology experiments using cell lines and primary samples within the team, including cell viability assays, flow cytometry, qPCR and Western blotting. There will be opportunities to gain experience in novel techniques and explore new avenues of research. About you The successful candidate must have: A degree in a biological science Proficiency in cell culture and a range of cell/molecular biology techniques Enthusiasm to work in an interdisciplinary environment towards the goal of developing improved cancer therapeutics Department/Directorate Information Myeloma Biology and Therapeutics Group Dr Charlotte Pawlyn's team Myeloma Biology and Therapeutics focuses on identifying and validating therapeutic targets for the treatment of immunomodulatory drug resistant and high-risk multiple myeloma. Myeloma is a bone marrow cancer and the second most common haematological malignancy. Immunomodulatory drugs are the “prototype” of targeted protein degradation approaches. Outcomes for patients have improved over the last few decades following the introduction of proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory agents. However, patients almost all inevitably relapse and understanding the mechanisms of resistance to these commonly used agents is key to improving outcomes. The team sits within the Division of Cancer Therapeutics which has an unrivalled track record at discovering novel cancer treatments and biomarkers. Their work has made The Institute of Cancer Research the world’s most successful academic centre at discovering new cancer drugs. We also work closely with the Centre of Protein Degradation What we offer A dynamic and supportive research environment Access to state-of-the-art facilities and professional development opportunities Collaboration with leading researchers in the field Competitive salary and pension We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. For an informal discussion regarding the role, please contact Charlotte Pawlyn via Email on [email protected]

Application Developer

  • Sutton
  • Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit
  • £39,805 - £49,023
  • Fixed term

Summary of Role We would like to appoint an Application Developer to be responsible for the software development of a Greener Trials Toolkit. The Toolkit will be an online, open-access, digital carbon calculator for publicly funded trialists; an accumulating database of emission factors and footprinting results and a user interface providing advice on mitigation strategies for identified hotspots. The Application Developer will: Develop and implement back-end systems and APIs using C#/.NET. Design and maintain relational database systems (primarily MS-SQL). Assist in developing requirements for web application functionality to be delivered in later project phases Contribute to project and development meetings, project plans and presentations and be an integral part of the multi-disciplinary project team Contribute to wider ICR-CTSU IT programming tasks The post offers an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic and well-motivated individual to work in a dynamic and supportive academic environment a leading UK CRC and Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit. Key Requirements Applicants should hold a first degree or equivalent level qualification in computer science, software engineering or equivalent, relevant professional experience and have an understanding of clinical trials and/or carbon footprinting. Strong programming skills, a good understanding of relational databases, the ability to write secure, maintainable and well-documented code are essential, along with analytical and problem solving skills and effective communication. We encourage all applicants to access the job pack attached for more detailed information regarding this role. Department/Directorate Information The Institute of Cancer Research is looking for an experienced Application Developer to join the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials & Statistics Unit (ICR-CTSU) at its Sutton site in Surrey. ICR-CTSU runs a diverse portfolio of national and international phase III multicentre randomised controlled trials, and phase II trials of targeted treatments with a focus on breast, urological and head and neck cancer treatments Informal enquiries can be made by emailing [email protected].