IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Research Fellow in Cancer Epidemiology
(SM006-15 AL)
School:
Public Health
Department:
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Job Family/Level:
Academic and Research, Level C
Salary Range:
£39,100 - £51,200 per annum, pro rata
Responsible to:
Professor Elio Riboli, Dr Marc Gunter
Key Working Relationships:
Head of School, Colleagues in
Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics; Colleagues working in EPIC
Contract:
2015
8.75 hours (0.25 FTE) until 31 October
Location:
St Mary’s Campus, Paddington with
occasional travel to other campuses
Purpose of the Post
The appointee will conduct a high quality programme of research in cancer
epidemiology using data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer
and Nutrition (EPIC). Under the supervision of Dr Marc Gunter and Professor Elio
Riboli and in collaboration with other colleagues at Imperial College, the post-holder
will develop new projects that address emerging hypotheses in cancer aetiology and
survival with a focus on metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The post-holder will have
a keen interest in utilizing epidemiologic data to understand the mechanisms of
cancer development and will have experience handling molecular epidemiologic
data.
The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)
The European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer (EPIC) is a
prospective cohort of 518,000 men and women enrolled from ten European
countries. At its inception in 1992, detailed information on diet, lifestyle and medical
history was collected from all participants while blood samples were collected from
approximately 400,000 individuals and are stored at the EPIC Biorepositories.
Since the baseline data collection, more than 63,000 EPIC participants have been
diagnosed with cancer including approximately 14,000 cases of breast cancer, 5,000
prostate, 3,600 lung and 5,000 colorectal cancers. The purpose of EPIC is to
advance understanding of the nutritional, lifestyle, genetic and metabolic
determinants of cancer. The large number of incident cancer cases with
prospectively collected lifestyle data and blood specimens has facilitated the
development of state-of-the-art investigations into cancer aetiology and prevention
and EPIC has published more than 700 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
School of Public Health
Professor Elio Riboli heads the School of Public Health which is sub-divided into four
main departments with particular strengths in research and teaching in epidemiology,
public health, biostatistics, primary care, social aspects of health and health
interventions in human populations and genetics/genomics. Two departments are
based at the St Mary’s campus; a third is at the Charing Cross campus and a fourth
at the Hammersmith campus. With the recent emphasis on the primary care-led
NHS, public health, disease prevention and health service delivery, a strong research
base in the key scientific disciplines that underpin such population based strategies is
essential. The School of Public Health is also building a varied and innovative
postgraduate and undergraduate teaching programme to meet the medical education
and service delivery needs for the 21st century. The School is financially successful
and is expanding its research and teaching; it has an annual turnover of
approximately £40 million and around 420 staff.
Key Responsibilities

To plan and conduct a high quality programme of research in cancer
epidemiology,

To take initiatives in the planning and leading the design, conduct and
analysis of new projects within EPIC

To manage research projects

To direct the work of small research teams supervising and taking
responsibility for the research team

To write/co-write high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals


To attend and present results and findings at internal meetings and at
international conferences
To contribute to the writing of grant applications and the acquisition of
research funding

To provide guidance to staff and students

As part of a process of continuing professional development, to develop the
ability to initiate and lead on new research themes

To attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary

To develop contacts and research collaborations within the College and the
wider community

To contribute as a teaching assistant to the School’s MPH/MSc Epidemiology
and Biostatistics Programme

To contribute to the recruitment and supervision of MSc, MPH and PhD
students

To comply with relevant College policies, including Financial Regulations,
Equal Opportunities Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy, Health and
Safety Policy, Information Systems Security Policy and Intellectual Property
Rights and Register of Interests Policies

To undertake any necessary training and/or development
To observe and comply with all College policies and regulations, including
Data Protection, Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Imperial Expectations
(for new leaders, managers and supervisors), Information Technology and
Smoking.
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the postholder may be required to
undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key
responsibilities.
Imperial College London is committed to equality and valuing diversity.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications
Essential
 PhD or equivalent in epidemiology or public health
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
 Extensive experience of epidemiological research, research methods and
statistical procedures
 Extensive experience of working with molecular epidemiologic data
 Experience of research study design and epidemiological analysis in
epidemiology or public health
 Excellent record of high-quality publications in peer-reviewed journals
 Experience in teaching epidemiology at undergraduate or post-graduate level
 Experience of prioritising tasks and organising work effectively to meet
deadlines
 Experience of communicating and collaborating effectively, both in person
and via telephone/email, with staff from a wide range of disciplines
 Experience of presenting information effectively at meetings, providing
positive input to discussions, and writing project reports
 Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future
problem-solving and decision-making
Desirable
 Experience advising or supervising PhD students
Skills and Abilities
Essential
 Ability to perform statistical analyses of diet, lifestyle and molecular
biomarkers and cancer outcomes in large prospective cohort studies
 Solid data analysis skills and use of statistical software
 Ability to work autonomously and show initiative with research, developing
and applying new concepts
 Ability to relate well to others and form positive working relationships with a
wide range of people
 Ability to communicate information effectively both verbally and in writing,
including the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication.




Ability to work constructively and effectively within a team
Excellent organisational and time management skills, and prioritising in
response to deadlines
Accurate record keeping
Ability to work with tight deadlines
Other
Essential
 Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times
APPLICATION GUIDANCE
Please read the person specification carefully and describe, as part of your
application, how much you feel you meet each of the criteria.
If you attach a CV it should include the following information:
Applicant’s full name, private address and private telephone number
A confidential fax number and e-mail address, where possible
Degrees (including University and dates)
Past and present posts
List of publications
A letter of motivation and brief description of future research plans
Names, addresses and, email, fax numbers, of three referees.
Thank you for your interest in this post. We look forward to receiving your application.