About Us

The Hewitt Lab are searching for a motivated and engaged postdoctoral researcher to advance a unique research programme investigating early lung fibrosis at King’s College London. It is anticipated candidates will have a relevant PhD in immunology or respiratory sciences, and have experience with cell culture approaches, advanced microscopy and immunological assays on fresh human tissue samples to phenotype and functionally characterise cell populations. Experience in advanced sequencing and omics analysis is desirable.

The post will be based in the King’s Centre for Lung Health (KCLH) in the Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology at Guy’s Hospital in the heart of London. KCLH brings together expertise across the Respiratory Science disciplines with a vision to eliminate lung disease by prevention, early diagnosis and improved treatments. We are leading the field in understanding mechanisms of disease, molecular diagnostics and novel treatments of lung diseases. The Centre offers a vibrant, inclusive, collaborative, and interactive environment.

The postholder will interact with clinicians based at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals. There will be opportunities for periods of secondment to the laboratories of collaborators, Professor Maddy Parsons (Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, KCL), Professor Anne O’Garra (Immunoregulation and Infection Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute) and Professor Francesca Ciccarelli (Cancer Systems Biology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute and Centre Lead for Cancer Genomics and Computational Biology at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London).

Research staff training and development is actively supported at King’s through the action plan for the Concordat for Research Staff.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity for a postdoctoral research associate to join our dynamic, interdisciplinary team to study mechanisms of early lung fibrosis.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) comprises a group of over 200 disorders which are characterised by inflammation and / or fibrosis within the interstitial space. The most common form of ILD is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and incurable scarring lung disease of unknown cause. There are 6000 new IPF cases diagnosed in the UK each year and with a median survival time of around 3 years, IPF carries a prognosis comparable to many types of cancer. Early changes compatible with pulmonary fibrosis called interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA), can be detected incidentally on computed tomography (CT) scans. As a proportion of ILAs will progress to pulmonary fibrosis, they provide a unique opportunity to study early disease mechanisms in the subclinical stages of pulmonary fibrosis.

This research is unique in studying early fibrotic lung disease as will examine mechanisms which are altered in patients with subclinical illness to understand the molecular mechanisms driving disease. Follow-up of this cohort and comparison of those with ILA who do and do not progress will facilitate better understanding of causal pathways. This research is vital to the development of new therapeutics which could potentially modify disease trajectory and prevent progression of fibrosis.

The postholder will use a range of state-of-the-art molecular biology, microscopy and cell culture (including 3D culture) techniques to dissect early disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets for treatment of IPF. Through close links with the Royal Brompton Hospital, there is excellent access to human blood, airway and tissue samples from one of Europe’s largest and most well- characterised ILD cohorts. The postholder will be responsible for tissue processing ad generation of / sorting of primary lung cells from bronchoscopy samples and tissue. Spatial transcriptomics will be used to characterise cellular populations, functional cell states and cell- cell interactions.  To validate epithelial-immune cell interactions in vitro, organoid co-culture models will be developed using primary human epithelial cells. Candidates should have an excellent research track record, be committed to the project and keen to work in a multidisciplinary team. Experience in analysing transcriptomic data would be beneficial.

The research will be primarily undertaken at King’s College London within the King’s Centre for Lung Health (KCLH) at Guy’s Hospital, an inclusive centre of excellence working to advance lung health. The postholder will also be required to work closely with KCL team members in the Parsons Group, for expertise in 3D culture models and imaging, and collaborators in the O’Garra Lab and Ciccarelli Lab at the Francis Crick Institute, for expertise in genomics technologies and informatics analysis. World-class facilities and training are provided, within a dynamic, vibrant and inclusive research environment, with opportunities to engage with industry collaborators to drive translation of findings to a clinical setting.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract until 31 December 2027.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in relevant subject area *
2. Background in immunology, cell biology or respiratory sciences
3. Prior experience working with patient-derived samples including human biobank curation
4. Prior experience in human cell culture, molecular biology, advanced microscopy and bioimage analysis
5. Logical and consistent record keeping and data analysis skills
6. Highly motivated with interest in subject area and evidence of generating research outputs with excellent scientific writing and presentation skills
7. Excellent communication skills, and experience working in collaborative and multidisciplinary team environments
8. Willingness to mentor and train other team members, to contribute to common group activities and meetings and help as needed

Desirable criteria

1. Prior experience in 3D cell culture
2. Prior experience in flow cytometry
3. Prior experience in advanced sequencing technologies (bulk and single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics) and omics analysis

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

* 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

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances.

Grade and Salary: £44,105 - £51,485 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 106486
Close Date: 18-Feb-2025
Contact Person: Dr Richard Hewitt
Contact Details: richard.hewitt@kcl.ac.uk