Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Grade UE07: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum 

CMVM / School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences / Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 4 years

 

 

Where discovery never stops. Be part of something bigger.

We are looking for a postdoctoral research fellow in systems neuroscience to study the mechanisms underlying flexible switching of motor actions during natural behaviours. We aim to determine the neural logic of flexible behavioural switching by exploring continuous adaptive brain-to-spinal cord communication. 

 

The Opportunity:

Continuously interacting with our environment requires flexible switching of motor actions from rhythmic walking and climbing to obstacle avoidance, reaching and object manipulation. This effortless process requires continuous communication between brain and spinal cord, but the circuit basis and neural logic of how flexible action switching occurs remains unclear. The goal of the project is to determine how descending information from supraspinal centres influences spinal cord computations to drive continuous and flexible action switching during naturalistic behaviours. To do this, we will combine advanced high-density neural and muscle recording techniques across the lifetime with viral-based manipulations, in silico modelling and motion tracking in mice exploring a naturalistic playground. If you are interested in our approaches to understand brain-to-spinal cord communication and would like to know more, you can contact me directly by email (Ian.Duguid@ed.ac.uk [Ian.Duguid@ed.ac.uk]) or via social media (@Ian_Duguid on X or @ianduguid.bsky.social on Bluesky). Please include both a CV and cover letter in your application. 

Environment: The candidate will join our multi-disciplinary research team who use electrophysiology, imaging and viral-based manipulation techniques combined with computational modelling and motion tracking to explore how distributed circuit computations shape naturalistic behaviours (https://duguidlab.com [https://duguidlab.com]). We promote a team-based approach to science in a highly collaborative environment working alongside cellular and systems neuroscience research groups in the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular research (INCR, https://tinyurl.com/INCRUoE [https://tinyurl.com/INCRUoE]) and Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (https://sidb.org.uk/ [https://sidb.org.uk/]) at The University of Edinburgh.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and 100% on campus.

 

View the full job description  [https://uoe.sharepoint.com/:w:/s/jobdescriptionlibrary/IQC8jyQAiFbJSbpCTpnE9V7BAT-FIWGTeFr2DM5YV1xOVOg]

 

How to apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

• CV

• Cover letter

 

With roles from hospitality to research, there’s a career for everyone at the University of Edinburgh. We can offer opportunities for you to develop in your career and make a real difference in the communities around us while contributing to the world at large. 

We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you are looking for entry-level, mid-career or roles at the top of your chosen specialism, we can offer you a career where you can flourish and make a real difference in the communities around us while contributing to the world at large. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation. 

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Join the University of Edinburgh and you’ll be making a difference to everything around you. Be part of something bigger — where you’ll do meaningful work, grow and progress, be rewarded and recognised, and benefit from our strong commitment to your wellbeing. There are so many reasons to join us.  

People have always been at the heart of our work. As part of the University, you are a part of our community. We are looking for people with drive, determination, and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful/personalised flexibility for you.

 

As a valued member of our team, you can expect: 

• A competitive salary. 
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, including generous annual leave entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, a wide range of staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page [https://www.ed.ac.uk/human-resources/pay-reward/staff-benefits] and use our reward calculator to discover the value of your pay and benefits. 

 

Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter, and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University, you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages [https://www.ed.ac.uk/human-resources/demonstrating-rtw].

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant. 

 

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 21 May 2026.  

Unless stated otherwise, the closing time for applications is 11:59 pm (UK time). If you are applying from outside the UK, the closing time shown on our adverts will automatically adjust to your browser’s local time zone.  

Interviews will be held from 1st June 2026.

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally. School of Neurological and Cardiovascular Sciences 

We host research and postgraduate training in neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric research. We are one of six schools in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and are home to the Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research. 

Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research Our institute fosters collaborative neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric research to tackle some of the world's most significant health challenges.

Our research explores health and disease across the body and life course – from tiny changes in cells to the lived experience of patients. Together, we work to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of major health conditions including heart disease, stroke, metabolic dysfunction, mental illness, dementia and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Empowered by genetics, advanced imaging, artificial intelligence and clinical trials, our research seamlessly connects discovery science with clinical care. 

Our work is internationally acclaimed, achieving 4* and world-leading classifications for the majority of our research, health and wealth impacts and research papers in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 assessment, the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

As part of driving progress in our core research areas, we host internationally leading research centres and state-of-the-art technologies:

• Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic
• British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Research Excellence
• Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention | CPSP
• Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research
• Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility
• Edinburgh Imaging
• Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory
• Medical Research Council/British Hearth Foundation Centre of Research Excellence in Advanced Cardiac Therapies
• MS Society Edinburgh Centre for MS Research | MS Society
• Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre
• Patrick Wild Centre
• Row Fogo Centre for Research into Ageing and the Brain
• Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB)
• UK Dementia Research Institute at Edinburgh
• UKRI Hub for Metabolic Psychiatry

Our institute community

Our researchers drive cutting-edge science, enabling our students and working hand in hand with our expert technical and professional services colleagues. We are committed to creating a collaborative, inclusive and welcoming community, where everyone feels supported, empowered and inspired to achieve their best.

Training and education We offer a wide range of postgraduate training opportunities. Students learn from world-class researchers, access outstanding facilities and get support to develop. Our graduates go on to successful careers in academia, research, healthcare and industry worldwide. Our colleagues are also leading contributors to undergraduate programmes.