Join us at the forefront of cancer research
We are seeking to appoint exceptional early-career scientists – including clinician scientists – as Group Leaders to develop bold, innovative, and high-impact research programmes.
Situated within one of Europe’s largest and most dynamic cancer research ecosystems, we offer a unique opportunity to pursue cutting-edge discovery science and drive translation into clinical benefit.
New Group Leader Recruitment
Key Details
About the role
We are seeking to appoint exceptional early-career scientists – including clinician scientists – as Group Leaders to develop bold, innovative, and high-impact research programmes.
Situated within one of Europe’s largest and most dynamic cancer research ecosystems, we offer a unique opportunity to pursue cutting-edge discovery science and drive translation into clinical benefit.
We encourage visionary proposals from across the spectrum of cancer research that complement and expand our existing strengths, and welcome applicants from a broad range of scientific disciplines to bring fresh perspectives and disruptive approaches to cancer research.
About you
You will have a PhD in an area relevant to cancer research, significant and productive post-doctoral experience, a proven track record of impactful publications and ideally, some demonstrable success with funding application(s).
Core funding is provided to every group leader whilst they hold their position at the Institute, and as a Group Leader you will receive a significant package of support.
See information on this page and in the Further Particulars for the full details and the personal specification.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for visionary scientists ready to establish an independent, world-leading research programme and take full advantage of the extraordinary collaborative ecosystem across the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, The University of Manchester and our clinical partners at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
Hear more about this call in our Group Leader Recruitment launch videoWe encourage applicants from a broad range of scientific disciplines — including molecular biology, mathematics, physics, computational biology, data science, and engineering — to bring fresh perspectives and disruptive approaches to cancer research. We are looking for bold, innovative, and technically pioneering applications with the potential to transform our understanding of cancer biology and drive translational impact.
We particularly welcome applicants with expertise in the biology of solid cancers, tumour immunology, cancer evolution, and computational or machine learning approaches to tumour ecosystems; but we encourage visionary proposals from across the spectrum of cancer research that complement and expand our existing strengths.
We’re looking for scientists with innovative and exciting ideas to bring into our cancer research ecosystem, ultimately to make an impact on patient outcomes
Prof Samra Turajlić
Director, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute
What does the position include?
As a Group Leader you will receive a significant package of support. Core funding is provided to every group leader whilst they hold their position at the Institute, including:
- 2 Postdoctoral scientists, a technician and 2 PhD students with running costs
- Full access to comprehensive and cutting-edge core facilities
- Access to the Manchester Cancer Research Centre Biobank which collects samples from NHS Foundation Trusts across Manchester, including The Christie
- Outstanding colleagues and rich opportunities for collaboration
- Mentorship to elevate grant success, and advice on laboratory and financial management
- We provide up to 7 years of CRUK core-funded support; appointed on a five-year fixed term contract in the first instance.
- A mid-term review at 4 years that influences career progression beyond 5 years.
- Consideration for promotion to Senior Group Leader at 6 years (dependent on successful mid-term review and Director approval).
- Salary range £58,000 – £65,000 (dependent upon experience).
For clinically qualified candidates, salary is dependent upon experience and clinical duties (not expected to exceed the equivalent of 1 clinic day per week).
We aim to nurture the next generation of world-leading cancer researchers. The Manchester ecosystem uniquely integrates basic discovery science, computational biology, biomarker development, and clinical translation, enabling you to develop cutting-edge research programmes with direct patient relevance. We provide:
- Strong mentorship from Senior Faculty and Institute committees
- Specific courses available to support new Group Leaders
- With Director approval, scope for group expansion through applications for external funding with grant review support provided by the Institute’s Grants Advisor and Grants Committee
- Research Governance oversight and advice provided by the Institute’s Scientific Administration team which includes the Research Integrity and Training Adviser
- A collegial environment and ethos of team science
Our Research
Our research spans the whole spectrum of cancer research from cell biology through to translational and clinical studies
Research Groups
Our research groups study many fundamental questions of cancer biology and treatment
Our Facilities
The Institute has outstanding core facilities that offer cutting edge instruments and tailored services from expert staff
Latest News & Updates
Find out all our latest news
About you
You will have a PhD in an area relevant to cancer research, significant and productive post-doctoral experience, a proven track record of impactful publications and ideally, some demonstrable success with funding application(s).
You will be highly motivated and confident to deliver an exciting and innovative research programme with a balance of ambition and feasibility. You will be able to communicate clear, well-formulated and incisive research plans that lead to important basic cancer research discoveries and/or deliver applied research with potential for translation to address clinical unmet needs. Prior demonstration of research independence would be an advantage.
The CRUK Manchester Institute is committed to equality and diversity in the workplace, and we encourage candidates who reflect diversity in its broadest sense. All appointments will be made on merit. Download the Further Particulars for full details.
Manchester: A fantastic location for cancer research
Located on The Christie NHS Foundation Trust campus — one of Europe’s largest comprehensive cancer centres — and alongside the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, we are a Research Institute within The University of Manchester core funded by Cancer Research UK co-located with researchers from The University of Manchester’s Division of Cancer Sciences supporting collaboration and synergy.
We provide an exceptional environment for ambitious scientists to launch and grow their independent careers. In 2024 the Institute, with its partners launched a national platform for immunotherapy research, MANIFEST.
In 2023, we relocated to the new state-of-the-art Paterson Cancer Research Building with a bespoke design for team science with multi-disciplinarity at its core. The new building is already facilitating our ambitions of integrated basic and translational cancer research, driving forwards research synergies across the Manchester cancer research ecosystem. We are partnered with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust one of the largest clinical cancer treatment centres in Europe (>19,000 new patients p.a.).
Our research philosophy together with the critical mass of cancer researchers on site provide an exceptional environment in which to pursue basic, translational, and clinical research programmes. Our research is benefited greatly by the Manchester Cancer Research Centre Tissue Biobank connected to NHS trusts across Greater Manchester.
Manchester is an ever evolving, dynamic, vibrant city offering exceptional standards of living with excellent national and international travel links and beautiful surrounding countryside. Find out more about life in Manchester here: Living in Manchester
Benefits
Find out how contributions to the Institute are recognised with a generous benefits package
Wellbeing
Our mission is to promote and enhance wellbeing through the development of a proactive and enabling culture.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Read about our commitment to creating an environment where diversity is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly
Personal Development
To enable you to excel in your role and continue to develop, we offer a variety of training and support opportunities
How to apply
To apply for this position please complete the online application via the ‘Apply Now’ button to visit our secure job application site. Please ensure you submit the following documents for your application before the closing date of the 2nd of November 2025:
Application documents:
- Cover Letter
- CV including publication list
- Future Research Plan (3 pages max)
- Summary of up to 3 publications (1 page max)
- Contact details of three referees
If you have questions or queries regarding our group leader recruitment, you can send them to our Director and HR team using this form
Informal Enquiries
Alternatively, informal enquiries can be addressed to any of the Institute’s Group Leaders. For a full list of current Group Leaders, please visit: https://www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk/our-team/
Careers that have a lasting impact on cancer research and patient care
We are always on the lookout for talented and motivated people to join us. Whether your background is in biological or chemical sciences, mathematics or finance, computer science or logistics, use the links below to see roles across the Institute in our core facilities, operations teams, research groups, and studentships within our exceptional graduate programme.
