University of Lincoln
Post-doctoral Research Associate in Biophysics, Bioengineering or Mathematical Biology (CHS310A)
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
PDRA Position in Biophysical and Morphological Coevolution of Insect Egg Micropyles and Sperm
This is an externally-funded PDRA position supporting the Leverhulme project “Biophysical and morphological coevolution of egg micropyles and sperm in insects”. You will work closely with an international team of researchers across multiple disciplines at the University of Lincoln, UK, in collaboration with Tulane University, USA.
About the Role
Insect eggs are incredibly intricate and complex structures which are poorly studied when compared to sperm. To fertilise insect eggs, sperm must pass through a tiny pore called a micropyle, which is connected to a channel leading inside the egg. Through our previous work on insect egg and sperm, we have shown that sperm and egg micropyles co-evolve.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
The aim of this project is to quantify and explore the form and function of insect egg micropyles across insects. The post you would hold sits at the experimental heart of this: fabricating nano-scale physical analogues of egg surfaces and micropylar pores, and imaging live sperm as they move across and through them. These experiments are complemented by evolutionary analysis and mathematical modelling carried out with the wider team.
Key Responsibilities
- Fabricating microfluidic devices and developing live imaging protocols to visualise sperm movement over engineered surfaces and through pores.
- Contributing to computational modelling of sperm movement alongside collaborator Dr Adnan Morshed (Tulane University, USA).
- Writing and running analysis code in R and/or Python.
- Collaborating with a team of researchers across multiple disciplines both in the UK and overseas.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Qualifications and Experience
- A PhD (or close to completion) in experimental biophysics, bioengineering, applied physics, or a closely allied discipline.
- Demonstrable hands-on experience of micro- and nanofabrication and of quantitative live-cell imaging.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to talk to different audiences.
Position Details
- Closing Date: 10 Sep 2026
- Department: Research
- Salary: £38,784 per annum
- Employment Type: Fixed-term for 36 months, full-time at 1 FTE
Please note, this post is fixed-term for 36 months and full-time at 1 FTE.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location