Research Fellow

About us

Biosciences is one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment. Computational modelling approaches are frequently used alongside experimental research programmes and much of our research crosses traditional boundaries, including the relationship of biodiversity to the health of the planet. Activity is underpinned by high calibre science technology platforms and state of the art equipment. Educational activity includes a range of undergraduate programmes, an expanding number of Masters Programmes and a substantial number of postgraduate research students.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Telford and Yang laboratories.

The project will be jointly supervised by Prof Max Telford and Prof Ziheng Yang. Dr Paschalia Kapli will also be involved in an advisory and collaborative role.

About the role

The post holder will work across the groups of Professor Max Telford and Ziheng Yang FRS to conduct research in the area of animal phylogenetics. They will become a member of a research team that takes an integrative approach to animal evolutionary biology by combining phylogenetics and genomic analysis.

The successful candidate will build on work published in 2021 that demonstrates the surprising difficulty in resolving the relationships between the main groups of the Bilateria - chordates, ambulacrarians and protostomes – representing the great majority of animals. They will be expected to collect and curate genome-scale datasets, conduct computer simulations, develop new classes of phylogenetic characters from genomic data, test hypotheses and write up results for publication in international peer-reviewed journals. For a sample of our recent work in this area, please see Kapli et al. (2021) Sci Adv 7(12); Kapli et al (2021) Curr. Biol. 31:59-64; Kapli + Telford (2020) 5(50).

The post is funded by the Leverhulme Trust and is an open-ended contract with a funding end date of 31/03/2026 in the first instance. The post is available immediately.

About you

You must have a PhD (or expect to receive one shortly) in molecular phylogenetics, evolutionary biology or molecular evolution. You will assist the team in the development, planning and delivery of research funded by the Leverhulme Trust. You will have good computational skills with a lot of experience in scripting and ideally with relevant command line software for phylogenetics, genomics etc. Interest/experience in metazoan phylogenetics, evolutionary biology and related fields will be an advantage. A proven track record of effective research will be required. In addition to developing and conducting the research, you will communicate results as scientific papers and in scientific presentations at local, national, and international conferences.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits, Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Advert information