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Research Associate

Employer
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Location
London (Greater) (GB)
Salary
£38,825 - £40,967 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Closing date
15 Feb 2023

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Job Details

Job description

We are seeking for a highly motivated, scientifically curious, and creative postdoctoral research associate with a strong interest mammalian brain development, specifically neuronal ang glial subtype specification to join Setsuko Sahara in collaboration with Laura Andreae's and Eugene Makeyev lab at King’s College London (  https://devneuro.org/cdn/group-overview.php?groupID=87). This 3-year post is funded by the BBSRC. 

 

The Sahara lab studies the mechanisms regulating the self-renewal potential of cortical progenitors and the ability of multipotent cells to differentiate into different types of progenitors and neurons/glia (Ramos et al 2020). The successful applicant will pursue research projects to understand how a vast diversity of cortical projection neurons and glia emerge from a limited number of progenitors during development. We will address this question by interrogating the molecular mechanisms in mouse cortical development. These include in vivo manipulation of gene expression in vivo, cell and molecular biology, brain slice physiology, imaging and bioinformatics.

 

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree and PhD (awarded or soon to be awarded) in neuroscience. Prior experience with transcriptomics and related bioinformatics and cell sorting techniques, brain slice physiology, ES cell based neuronal differentiation (2D or 3D), or brain clearing for 3D imaging is an advantage. Candidates from other disciplines but eager to switch the field to the neuroscience will be considered if she/he demonstrates a high flexibility with a good track record.

 

The lab is based at the Centre for Developmental Neurobiology (CDN) and the MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at King's College London (KCL), with an easy access to various areas of expertise from molecular and stem cells biology, synapse biology, in vivo imaging to behavioural studies and clinical research. This provides a stimulating environment and extensive training opportunities for the proposed project.

 

For more information, please contact setsuko.sahara@kcl.ac.uk.  

 

This post will be offered on a fixed-term contract to 31 March 2025 (or the end of the project date)

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

 

Key responsibilities

•        Undertake original biomedical research as part of a team working on mammalian cortical development and function.  

•        Perform in vitro and in vivo experimental manipulations in the developing brain of mice and culture cells. 

•        Maintain up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive lab notes and to undertake the analysis of results of research studies as stated above 

•        Prepare reports on results for verbal and multimedia presentations at regular lab meetings, Centre seminars and occasionally, national and international meetings.    

•        Take a leading role in the development and introduction of new laboratory techniques and to assist and train other members of the group, including technical staff, students, and other research staff in their application in related lab projects. 

•        Supervise technical staff and students engaged in similar research

•        Facilitate collaboration and networking

•        Participate in educational activities as appropriate to the stage of your career.

•        Commit to personal career development

•        Liaise with the administrative team for the support of the project.

•        Contribute to publications arising from this project.

 

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 (or near to completion) in neuroscience. PhD in other disciplines will be considered by the excellent track record as an exception. 

2.      Postdoctoral or PhD laboratory experience 

3.      Strong expertise in any of the following areas: 

o   neuroscience,  

o   ES cell culture and in vitro neuronal differentiation to model tissue development,  

o   next generation sequencing and bioinformatics,  

o   brain slice electrophysiology,  

o   transcriptomics and related bioinformatics and cell sorting techniques,  

o   tissue clearing for 3D imaging.  

 

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience in molecular biology including Next generation sequencing, bioinformatics and biochemistry 

2.      Experience in animal experimentation with genetically modified mice  

3.      Experience in histological techniques including imaging 

4.      Experience in cell culture and cell sorting 

5.      Experience in brain slice electrophysiology 

6.      Experience of ES cell based neuronal differentiation 

7.      Computer literacy and able to use MS word, excel, MatLab, Unix and R 

8.      Ability to communicate findings with others 

9.      Adaptable to changes in work demands and priorities 

10.   Ability to learn new techniques/skills on the job 

 

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.

Company

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 27,600 students (of whom nearly 10,500 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 6,800 staff.

King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) King’s was ranked 6th nationally in the ‘power’ ranking, which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity, and 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings. Eighty-four per cent of research at King’s was deemed ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (3* and 4*). The university is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of more than £684 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

King’s £600 million campaign, World questions|KING’s answers, has delivered huge global impact in areas where King’s has particular expertise. Philanthropic support has funded new research to save young lives at Evelina London Children’s Hospital; established the King’s Dickson Poon School of Law as a worldwide leader in transnational law; built a new Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital; allowed unique collaboration between leading neuroscientists to fast-track new treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, motor neurone disease, depression and schizophrenia at the new Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; created the Cicely Saunders Institute: the first academic institution in the world dedicated to palliative care, and supported the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership in the Ebola crisis. Donations provide over 300 of the most promising students with scholarships and bursaries each year. More information about the campaign is available at www.kcl.ac.uk/kingsanswers.

Company info
Mini-site
KINGS COLLEGE LONDON
Telephone
+(44)02078365454
Location
STRAND
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
United Kingdom

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