Postdoctoral Research Fellow

About us
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced scientist to join UCL as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, working in the Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, a Division in the Faculty of Life Sciences, ranked No.2 in London and No.9 in the World for Life Sciences and Medicine (QS Rankings by Subject 2023).

About the role
The Acton Lab, funded by Wellcome and Cancer Research UK, aims to understand anti-tumour immune responses and how adaptive immune function is regulated by stromal cells in the tumour microenvironment and sentinel lymph nodes. You will need a combination of excellent understanding of molecular and cell biology with a special focus on in vivo immunology techniques and cancer biology.

Role specific details:

• This role is available until 30 June 2027 in the first instance.
• Start date from 1 June 2024.
• Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £39,980 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.
• This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

About you
The successful candidate will form part of a collaborative team funded by a Wellcome Discovery Award spanning 8 years. We will work closely with Professor David Withers and Professor Menna Clatworthy and their teams to investigate the formation and function of tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer, autoimmunity and aging using both clinical data and animal models.

The candidate should possess:

• a PhD in a relevant biomedical discipline, or a concrete plan to defend a PhD thesis within a short timeframe
• a good knowledge of immunology, as well as a solid base in cancer biology
• extensive experience of mammalian cell culture, including methods for generating specific knock out, knock-in and reporter cell lines
• an extensive knowledge of research techniques and methodologies related to gene expression, transcriptomics, and molecular biology including coding experience for bioinformatics
• experience and training for utilising in vivo models including transplanted tumour models, analysis of adaptive immune responses using both imaging and flow cytometry readouts
• a good research track with a record of high-quality 1st author publications, collaborations, and other contributions to the scientific community
• experience of leading and managing a research project
• ability to demonstrate a deep knowledge of own research background and to effectively communicate research achievements to a specialist and to a lay audience

What we offer
The LMCB is a research-intensive Division within the Faculty of Life Sciences and has an international reputation for research excellence, with a mission to understand the fundamental principles of cell and tissue biology relevant to human disease. The LMCB has full access to a range of state-of-the-art equipment, and to bioinformatics, a high content-biology facility and cutting-edge technology platforms for light and electron microscopy.

The advert will close on 10th May 2024 at 23:59 GMT, however we may close applications early if we receive a high volume of applications. Early application submission is recommended.

Interview Date(s) are scheduled for: mid-May.

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