Domain leads
We are seeking expressions of interest from those in the University of Sheffield staff community who are looking to help establish Sheffield as a globally recognised centre of excellence in cancer research.
You will play a significant role in establishing a centre to act as the catalyst for groundbreaking research, as we work together towards the university’s vision of delivering life-enhancing research as an ambitious, inclusive, collaborative community.
We are appointing Leads/Co-Leads for the following domains.
- Cancer in the community
This domain broadly includes:
- cancer prevention, raising awareness of symptoms
- identifying factors that contribute to poor outcomes in cancer
- developing targeted interventions and/or screening/early detection programmes to reduce cancer risk and/or improve
survival; supporting cancer patients and their families in a community setting - health technology assessments, focussing on allocating NHS resources in a way that maximises outcomes for patients
- improving quality of life for patients living with and beyond cancer
- health disparities in cancer treatment, care and outcomes
- population-level epidemiology
- enhancing patient voice, including patient & public involvement & engagement
The research in this theme broadly spans cancer research themes 1 and 5.
- Digital health and AI
This domain broadly includes:
- leveraging AI in multiple aspects of the cancer pathway, such as prevention, diagnosis, screening, drug development,
treatment and care of people with cancer - digital health, big data, advanced diagnostic technologies
- bioinformatics
The research in this domain broadly spans cancer research theme 2.
- leveraging AI in multiple aspects of the cancer pathway, such as prevention, diagnosis, screening, drug development,
- Discovery and translational science
This domain broadly includes:
- discovering new molecules and mechanisms
- developing and trialing novel treatments and combinations
- precision oncology, including identifying opportunities to leverage genomics in cancer care
- growing our capability for clinical trials in cancer
The research in this domain broadly spans cancer research themes 3 and 4.
- Early career researchers (we invite ECRs to express an interest in this role)
In this role, you will:
- Develop a community of ECRs across the university with an interest in cancer research
- Act as a bridge between ECRs and the wider cancer research community
- Philanthropy, innovation and external funding
In this role, you will:
- Help us grow external income
- Support in positioning cancer research as a cause for donations
- Support innovation and impact
Express an interest by Friday 19th December 2025 by sending a letter and a short CV to cancer_research@sheffield.ac.uk.
You are welcome to discuss the role informally with co-directors Penny Ottewell (p.d.ottewell@sheffield.ac.uk) or Jim Catto (j.catto@sheffield.ac.uk).
Join our Google group to receive our newsletter. We share opportunities like this, as well as funding opportunities, events and news. The group is open to University of Sheffield-based staff and PhD students, as well as NHS-based staff in Sheffield and the region with an interest in collaborating with our researchers.