AstraZeneca Non-Clinical PhD Studentship in Development of an Integrated Pre-Clinical Pipeline for Safety Assessment of Small Molecule and Peptide-Based Radioconjugates University of Cambridge in United Kingdom

[Funding lasts 4 years and covers the student's stipend and tuition fees at the Home rate. Overseas students may apply if they meet UK residency requirements (home fees) or can cover the additional international fee costs through other scholarships or funding schemes; students may not self-fund the fee difference.]

AstraZeneca and the University of Cambridge are offering a funded PhD studentship in the Department of Radiology focused on developing an integrated pre-clinical pipeline for the safety assessment of small molecule and peptide-based radioconjugates.

The project is designed for a student interested in molecular imaging, radiopharmaceutical sciences, oncology, translational medicine, and drug development. It will investigate targeted radionuclide therapy and the behaviour of radioconjugates in the body, with a particular emphasis on improving methods for evaluating biodistribution and potential toxicity in normal organs.

The successful candidate will join a highly multidisciplinary team and gain experience across academic and industrial research environments. Supervision is provided by Professor Luigi Aloj, Dr Flaviu Bulat, Dr Nisha Kuzhuppilly Ramakrishnan, and Dr Andreas Dannhorn (AstraZeneca), offering expertise across radiology, clinical neurosciences, and industry-linked translational research.

The studentship will support work using in vivo PET imaging and multimodal ex vivo tissue analysis to build a framework for assessing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals. This is a strong opportunity for applicants who want to combine imaging science with preclinical drug safety evaluation in a high-impact cancer research setting.

Funding is available for 4 years and covers the student stipend and tuition fees at the Home rate. The studentship is also open to some overseas students, provided they meet UK residency requirements for home fees or can secure funding for any extra international fee costs through scholarships or other schemes; self-funding is not allowed for the fee difference.

Applicants should have, or shortly expect to obtain, a first or high 2:1 bachelor's degree from a UK university, or an equivalent qualification from overseas, in a relevant subject such as imaging, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, data analysis, or medicine.

The application deadline is Friday 30 October 2026. Applications must be submitted through the University of Cambridge portal, with applicants selecting the PhD in Radiology and using the studentship title as the proposed project title. Instead of a full research proposal, candidates should upload a one-page statement describing their motivation, relevant skills, what they hope to achieve, and their long-term career aspirations.

Informal project enquiries can be directed to Professor Luigi Aloj at [email protected], while application process queries should be sent to [email protected].