Research Associate in Synaptic ‘omics

About us

The UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) Centre is comprised of 7 groups and is embedded within the Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience at King's College London ( ).

The DRI is a national consortium focused on cutting-edge dementia research funded by the Medical Research Council.

About the role

A new position is available for a post-doctoral Research Associate in synaptic biology in the Basic and Clinical Neuroscience research group led by Dr Emma Clayton.

You will lead a project characterising the proteome and transcriptome of iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons in the context of Parkinson's disease. You will be based at King's College London under the supervision of Dr Emma Clayton (Emma Clayton - BCN). You will contribute to the production and analysis of large-scale 'omics datasets with a primary focus on analysis of synaptosomal proteomics and transcriptomics, to address major research questions relevant to PD.

This opportunity would suit a bright, talented, highly motivated, and ambitious individual motivated to explore the transcriptome and proteome of iPSC-derived dopaminergic synapses. The post holder will use derive dopaminergic neurons from PD disease-relevant human iPSCs, isolate synaptosomes and conduct quantitative proteomics and transcriptomics to identify disease relevant alterations to synaptic signalling pathways. You will generate and use dataset that will include long read RNA-seq and protein mass-spec. These studies will help to guide the functional interpretation of alterations to the micro-environment of the synapse in Parkinson's disease.

You will be highly motivated with demonstrable experience in synaptic biology and iPSC culture, as well as an interest in computational analyses. The Clayton group is multidisciplinary and you will work closely with a team interrogating the presynaptic terminal in neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, using lab and computational based approaches.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week) you will be offered a fixed term contract for 18 months.

About you

Essential criteria

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

• PhD awarded in Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Genetics or a related discipline.
• Practical experience within a research environment and publication in relevant and referred journals and ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature.
• Knowledge of next-generation genomic approaches.
• Ability to work with iPSC-derived neurons.
• Experience of super-resolution microscopy of synapses.
• Strong knowledge of synaptic biology .
• Practical experience of a broad number of biochemistry skills:western blotting, RT-PCR, tissue culture, some programming skills in-R, Python or other coding languages.
• Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative.

Desirable criteria

• Background knowledge of neuroscience, biological sciences, or a closely related discipline.
• Experience with development of workflows, using languages such as NextFlow.
• An interest in the mission and research of Parkinson's UK.
• Experience with and knowledge of neurodegenerative disease.
• Experience with attaining funding.

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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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.

This post is subject to an Occupational Health clearance.