Independent Research Fellowships in Biochemistry

An artist's impression of research in the Department.

Potential Research Fellows – Open Call

The Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge is seeking to host early career researchers who have the ambition to start an independent research group with an externally funded fellowship. The Department has more than 40 research groups and our mission is to decipher the molecular principles of life using a broad set of technologies applied across evolution

We are particularly interested in receiving application from junior researchers with interest in

  • Chemical biology and drug design,
  • Disease biology,
  • DNA and chromatin biology,
  • Molecular microbiology,
  • Plant biochemistry and bioenergy,
  • RNA biology,
  • Signalling and trafficking, Systems biology.

We offer a dynamic environment where our research programmes benefit from state of the art facilities in structural biology, bioinformatics, biophysics, cryo-EM, protein analysis, biological mass spectrometry and DNA sequencing, with complementary facilities housed in neighbouring departments and institutes within the School of Biological Sciences.

We also offer an attractive start-up package to new fellows to the department, to facilitate them in building an independent group and transitioning to next stage of their career post fellowship.

If you are interested in obtaining the Department’s support, please email fellows@bioc.cam.ac.uk and we will put you in touch with a faculty member in a similar field.

To Apply

To make an application, please email fellows@bioc.cam.ac.uk by 5 p.m. on 24th October 2025 with the following:

  • A CV including a list of publications (highlighting the three publications that you consider to be most significant)
  • Two references sent directly to fellows@bioc.cam.ac.uk
  • A two-page outline of your intended research programme
  • A statement of why you would like to work in the Department
  • A brief outline of the facilities you would need during a Fellowship

Informal enquiries can also be sent to: fellows@bioc.cam.ac.uk

Shortlisted applicants will be informed by mid-November and will be invited to the Department to give a seminar in December

Successful candidates will be offered comprehensive support for the preparation of their Fellowship application.

The University of Cambridge is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to a proactive and inclusive approach to equality, which supports and encourages all under-represented groups, promotes an inclusive culture, and values diversity.

Target fellowship schemes include

The Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council Career Development Award, BBSRC Discovery Fellowships, Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellowship, Royal Society University Research Fellowship, Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship.

For individuals returning to research after a career break:

Wellcome Trust Career Re-entry Fellowship, Daphne Jackson Fellowship

Biochemistry research groups