Research Associate

Job ID: 026909

Salary: £38,304 - £41,517 per anuum, including London Weighting Allowance

Posted: 06-Jul-2021

Closing date: 24-Aug-2021

Business unit: Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

Department: Randall Cell & Molecular Biophysics

Contact details: Jody Rosenblatt, Jody.rosenblatt@kcl.ac.uk

Guy's Campus   Research    

Job description
We have discovered a new paradigm for the cause of asthma inflammation and from this, a potential new cure. Our lab has found that the mechanics of bronchoconstriction cause excess airway epithelial cell extrusion and destruction that causes inflammation. It also appears to amplify that airway smooth muscle into a configuration that causes hyper-responsiveness, leading to asthma attacks. We seek a postdoc who will investigate how excess extrusion and wounding of airway epithelia remodels airway smooth muscle to bronchoconstrict. We will also then identify ways to regenerate smooth muscle to a non-pathological configuration.
 
This post is ideally suited for someone with aspirations to start their own lab later, using this new paradigm. You will be working with a lead post-doc, who has pioneered most of the techniques in my lab and a student who is studying rhinovirus infections in asthma. We are at the beautiful Guy’s campus of King’s College London within the Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics and the Cancer Centre and have multiple collaborations with the Asthma and Allergy Group in Guy’s Tower and researchers at Imperial College London. We seek candidates who are innovative, think out of the box, logical, and like to work hard and play hard. We are cell biologists and use imaging extensively to follow the course of asthma pathology, so skills in microscopy are preferred but can be taught.
 
This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 31st March 2026

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

• Cell biology techniques
• Biophysical techniques
• Ability to direct research independently
• Attend and speak at local and international meetings

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

• Critical thinking
• Cell biology techniques knowledge
• Molecular biology and cloning
• Imaging skills
• Career trajectory in academic or industry science
• Teamwork skills
• Productive
• Collaborative
• Perceptive

Desirable criteria

Mouse work knowledge
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
 
Further information 

Selection will be via a panel interview.

This post is subject to a Occupational Health Clearance