Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated post-doctoral scientist to become part of a dynamic team studying neuroplasticity, neurophysiology, muscle physiology, and recovery mechanisms following traumatic spinal cord injuries, in the lab of Dr. Philippa Warren. You will be integrated within the neuroregeneration group at the Wolfson CARD which includes leading spinal cord injury experts including Prof. Elizabeth Bradbury and world-class neurosurgeons including Dr. Aminul Ahmed. The goal of the neuroregeneration group is to develop spinal cord and brain regeneration strategies at the interface between experimental pre-clinical assessment and clinical translation, addressing major unmet needs in biology and medicine.  

You will become an integral part of an interdisciplinary team working on elucidating the interplay between severe spinal cord injury, respiratory motor pathways, and muscle physiology to uncover potential novel neuroregenerative strategies. You will utilise in vivo surgical rodent models of spinal cord injury in combination with assessments of respiratory and muscle physiology to develop an in-depth understanding of consequences of trauma and specific treatment strategies on systemic patho-biology. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to this important and rapidly expanding cross-disciplinary research area. 

The ideal candidate will have experience with animal models of CNS injury, physiological and histological assessments, and a keen interest in developing and learning new techniques. Career development support and mentoring will be provided throughout, including formal and informal training opportunities, an annual budget to attend national/international conferences and networking events, as well as opportunities to co-supervise MSc and BSc student research projects and develop your own research plans. 

Funded by The Wellcome Trust and Royal Society, the post will be based in the vibrant and multidisciplinary environment of the Wolfson Center for Age Related Diseases, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London. The role will also involve working collaboratively with colleagues from other IoPPN departments including the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences and our national and international collaborators (Prof. Jan Schwab, Ohio State University; Dr. Frank Jacono, Case Western University; Dr. Graham Askew, University of Leeds) whilst also fostering and maintaining collaborations within the larger research field. 

We particularly welcome male and / or Black and Minority Ethnic candidates as they are under-represented at this level. However, no candidate should be discouraged from applying.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 24 months in the first instance. 

This is a full-time  post

Key responsibilities

• Take a leading role in assessing the physiological and mechanistic deficits which occur throughout the respiratory motor system following severe spinal injury. 
• Take a leading role in applying novel, systemically active treatment strategies to assess the recovery after spinal cord injury 
• Take a leading role in investigating the mechanisms of respiratory recovery following spinal injury through a variety of novel techniques. 
• Take a leading role in assessing alterations to the respiratory motor circuitry following severe spinal injury and recovery 
• Plan and perform experiments independently 
• Provide exceptional care to all animals in-line with all local and national guidelines to maintain the highest standard of welfare 
• Assist with the general running of the laboratory  
• Develop new ideas to progress the project 
• Keep up to date with relevant scientific literature 
• Collate and prepare the results of the project for publication (conferences and peer-reviewed journals) 
• Work with the Dr. Warren and collaborator labs to ensure requirements are met for the project 
• Assist in the supervision of students (including their assessment and training) 

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  

1. PhD awarded (or near completion) and an awarded degree (e.g. BSc or equivalent) in a relevant scientific field e.g. Neuroscience or Physiology 
2. Experience with rodent models of CNS injury or disease 
3. Experience with physiological assessments e.g. muscle or respiratory function 
4. Experience administering therapeutics to animals (e.g. intra-spinal, intra-muscular, or oral delivery) 
5. Experience with histological techniques and / or higher level microscopy protocols e.g. clearing. 
6. Ability to present scientific research in the form of papers, posters and oral presentation 
7. Able to work independently in the design and execution of experiments 
8. Ability to take initiative to solve technical problems 
9. Ability to multitask, prioritise workload and work to good laboratory practice including good organizational skills and record keeping 
10. Adaptable and able to integrate with lab members and work well in a team 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience with high level data analysis software and programing systems e.g Matlab or Python 
2. Experience with electrophysiology and/or circuitry mapping through tracing 
3. Home office license – modules A-C 

Further information

Your application should include: 

1. The application form (online)  
2. A personal statement including: your reasons for pursuing post-doctoral training, why you would like this position in particular, your current research interests, your goals and expectations for this postdoctoral training experience, and how you meet the job requirements and responsibilities. 
3. A copy of your CV detailing your education, employment, relevant research experience, publications, and awards/prizes/professional recognition 
4. Optional: you may include a cover letter to your application and/or any other material which may be of interest to the reviewing panel e.g accepted manuscripts.  

If invited to interview you will be asked to deliver a short presentation on your work and answer competency based questions in a panel interview. 

Subject keywords: Spinal cord injury, respiratory motor function, regeneration, muscle physiology