Research And Innovation Associate (Postdoctoral Researcher)

The role is laboratory based and 100% on campus.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About You

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

Essential criteria

• PhD (or thesis submitted, pending award) in Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology or a closely related discipline
• Demonstrable practical experience of mammalian cell culture, molecular cloning and standard protein biochemistry techniques (e.g. Western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation or in vitro binding assays)
• Experience of genome-editing approaches (e.g. CRISPR/Cas9 knockout or knock-in) and/or gene-silencing techniques (siRNA/shRNA)
• Experience with advanced or live-cell imaging techniques (e.g. TIRF, super-resolution or FRET-FLIM microscopy)
• Experience with quantitative image analysis, and evidence of the ability to design, conduct, analyse and interpret complex experiments
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with evidence of research outputs (e.g. peer-reviewed publications, preprints or conference presentations) appropriate to career stage, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team

Desirable criteria

• Experience of receptor endocytosis, membrane trafficking or signal transduction assays
• Knowledge of Wnt signalling and/or actin cytoskeleton regulation
• Experience of Xenopus embryology or another developmental model system
• Experience of generating and characterising stable or CRISPR-engineered cell lines

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 page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

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

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/155745-research-and-innovation-associate