Clinical Senior Lecturer / Non-Clinical Senior Lecturer in Experimental Medicine

Location: Guy's Campus

Job description

The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London seeks to appoint up to three Senior Lecturers in Experimental Medicine, who are clinicians, or non-clinicians if focused on human experimental medicine.

Human experimental medicine - including the development of advanced therapies - is a major strategic priority within the Faculty. It includes a wide range of internationally leading programmes across numerous clinical disciplines (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular, dermatology, immunology, imaging, women’s health, genetics and more). Our current research in experimental medicine spans human studies that translate basic discoveries, investigation of disease mechanisms in humans, risk stratification, early detection, precision therapies and monitoring, and the initial development of new therapies. This work is supported by an outstanding array of infrastructure platforms and facilities (see further information). Moreover, our Academic Health Sciences Partnership with 3 major London NHS Trusts (forming King’s Health Partners) provides a superb ecosystem with seamless bidirectional collaboration across the clinical-research interface as well as supporting a strong focus on commercialisation and clinical impact. Strengthening translational research capabilities across the whole research pathway is a key strategic priority for King’s Health Partners. Our environment was rated top in the UK for clinical medicine in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise. Subsequent to REF, there has been further strengthening of the environment through the incorporation of the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust hospitals into King’s Health Partners as part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust.

The appointees to these posts will pursue their own programme of internationally recognised work that complements existing activities, and actively engage with students and their education, to inspire the leaders of the future. They will be based within one of the six Schools in the Faculty (based on their research focus). Applicants are encouraged to make contact with the relevant School to discuss areas of synergy.

Highlighted areas of strategic importance for recruitment include:

• Developing advanced precision therapies, e.g., cancer, dermatology, liver disease, respiratory medicine, infection.
• Immuno-inflammatory dysregulation and immunotherapy/ immunomodulation/ immune-engineering.
• Microbiome editing – e.g., chronic inflammatory conditions, antimicrobial resistance.
• Genotype/phenotype correlation in genetic disorders including use of large scale biobanks (e.g., TwinsUK).
• Heart failure stratification and metabolic dysregulation.
• Diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Application of novel imaging modalities (e.g., low-field MRI, total body PET) to human experimental medicine.
• Digital health approaches (e.g., wearables) in personalised management and chronic disease self-management.
• Precision medicine using multimodal data and AI.

Appointees will contribute to the strategic growth of world-class research in experimental medicine, working synergistically across the academic-clinical-industry interface, identifying and growing promising early career researchers, and supporting the involvement of clinical colleagues in research. We also wish to maximise the relevance of our work to our highly diverse catchment population in inner city London as well as more widely.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearance.

This post is full-time, offered on an indefinite contract.

Salary range for Clinical Senior Lecturer £88,364 - £119,133 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance

Salary range for the Non -Clinical Senior Lecturer £61,896 - £71,057 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance

Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

The Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine is one of the largest and most successful centres for biomedical research and education in the UK. The Faculty has internationally leading expertise in basic, translational and clinical research, which is deployed to inform and deliver our education programmes, enhance clinical innovation and serve our communities, which are highly diverse both ethnically and socioeconomically. The Faculty’s activities embody the King’s ambition to serve our society – both at a local and global level which underpins the King’s Vision 2029.

People

The Faculty employs over 2000 staff, of which there are 470 FTE academic staff and 710 FTE research staff. The Faculty is configured as six Schools and the cross-cutting Centre for Education. The Faculty holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, achieved in October 2018. It has a comprehensive programme of initiatives to support an inclusive environment and culture, and promote diversity across our staff and student communities, as well as the leadership of the Faculty. Against the main benchmarked metrics of gender, disability and ethnic minorities the diversity of our student and staff community looks strong; however, we are aware that more needs to be done in specific areas.

Structure & Location

The Faculty is located on four sites – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Waterloo and Denmark Hill on the King’s College Hospital site – reflecting our strong partnership with clinical centres of excellence. The six Schools are:

• School of Basic & Medical Biosciences
• School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences
• School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences
• School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences
• School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences
• School of Life Course & Population Health Sciences.

Each provides a scholastic environment to pursue research and to train the next generation of researchers and practitioners through postgraduate research programmes and short courses, as well as contributing to the delivery of the undergraduate and postgraduate taught education programmes.

Education

With an undergraduate student body of around 4,800, the Faculty’s School of Bioscience Education and the Guy’s King’s & St Thomas’ (GKT) School of Medical Education deliver a comprehensive biomedical education portfolio, including professional health programmes (Medicine, Nutrition & Dietetics, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy) and a wide range of BSc programmes in biomedical sciences. The Faculty also has 1,710 students registered on our ~40 Masters programmes covering basic science through to programmes for health and allied health professionals. Our education portfolio aligns to the King’s Education Strategy’s ambition to inspire our students, through research-enhanced education.

Embedded in research groups in our Schools, there are currently 1,069 postgraduate clinical and non-clinical research (PhD/MDRes) students enrolled, of whom i) 15% study part-time; ii) 22% are submitting or writing up their thesis. Alongside these education programmes is our short course and continuing professional development provision which supports professionals to gain or refresh their skills and knowledge. Overall, the Faculty’s education programmes currently generate in the region of £90M per annum in tuition fee income, with additional UK Government annual core support of £17.2M for education.

Research

The Faculty is recognised as having major strength in a wide range of research areas relevant to life sciences and medicine, from fundamental to applied research. There are several nationally awarded Research Centres hosted within the Faculty. Assisted by our close collaboration with clinical colleagues in the King’s Health Partner Trusts and outstanding infrastructure, the Faculty’s research findings are able to impact directly on the clinical setting and on health outcomes for patients.

One of 8 Academic Health Science Centres, KHP brings together more than 46,000 NHS staff with 31,000 students and academics from across our four partners, to deliver real-world benefit for our people, patients and populations through integrating excellence in research, education and training, and health and care delivery. Having our academic staff based alongside their NHS counterparts further strengthens this dialogue between clinical and basic science, helping to accelerate the uptake of novel diagnostics, treatment and therapies. KHP partners are King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts. Our three partner NHS Trusts serve a local population which is among the most ethnically, socially and economically diverse in the world. Together they provide a full range of medical and healthcare services, from acute and specialist medical care, local and highly specialised mental healthcare, and services that promote physical and psychological wellbeing with nearly 4.8 million patient contacts each year.

The Faculty’s research excellence is reflected by the outcomes of REF2021, with 94.1% of the Faculty submission rated 4* (world leading) or 3* (internationally excellent). The breadth of the Faculty’s research is reflected by the fact it submitted returns to six units of assessment. Allied Health (UoA2) was ranked top (first) in UK for quality of research; this UoA plus Clinical Medicine (UoA1) achieved 100% 4* ranking for research environment, while Sport & Exercise Sciences achieved 100% 4* ranking for impact. Clinical Medicine and Engineering ranked fifth and twelfth (respectively) in the UK in terms of the proportion of our overall submission that was ranked 4* or 3*. This work is only possible due to the wide range of funding that the Faculty attracts: it currently has an annual research grant income of about £90M from a range of research council, charitable funding sources and research contracts, with the UK Government’s core support (including UKRI funding) for research being in the region of £34.7M per annum.

Our world-class infrastructure and platforms include:

• NIHR Clinical Research Facilities on all main hospital campuses including an adult MHRA Phase I accredited unit at the Guy’s hospital site; adult, paediatric and imaging units at the St Thomas’ Hospital site; adult general and neuropsychiatric units at the King’s College Hospital site; cardiorespiratory unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital site.
• Embedded Advanced Therapies Manufacturing (GMP) Platforms (including a Gene Therapy Innovation Hub and cell therapy hub) focused on pre-clinical therapy development.
• Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult at Guy’s.
• World leading in vivo imaging including nine advanced MRI systems (0.064T, 0.55T. 1.5T, 3T, 7T), PET, PET/CT, PET/MR, cyclotron and radiochemistry facilities. The newest addition is total body PET which will be implemented in 2024.
• Robotic high content high throughput screening facility.
• Artificial Intelligence Centre for Value Based Health.
• A bespoke platforms for research on electronic health records.

Key responsibilities

• As a principal investigator, each post holder is expected deliver research excellence in experimental medicine including high quality publications, supervision of PhD students and to deliver undergraduate/ postgraduate taught education relevant to their area of expertise. In addition, the post holders will:
• Secure research grant funding to support a productive programme of research including collaborations within academia, the NHS and industry.
• Play an active role in fostering a supportive and collegiate work environment.
• Attract and nurture the most promising early career researchers.
• Clinical academic postholders will usually have 5PAs for clinical and supporting activities aligned to their research area. They will hold an Honorary Consultant contract with the relevant Trust(s).

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

• A higher academic degree: PhD or medical equivalent
• Postdoctoral research experience in a relevant area having shown evidence of research independence
• Evidence of having attracted research funding in a relevant area of discovery or translational science or clinical medicine
• National reputation, recognised as having made an individually significant contribution to their field and/or innovative contributions to the field, with evidence of wider peer esteem
• Excellent record of publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Ability to work effectively with a range of academic, clinical, and professional services colleagues, including across organisations
• Experience of undergraduate and/or postgraduate teaching and pedagogical/ student experience enhancement

Additionally for clinical academic appointments

• A registerable medical qualification: MBBS or equivalent.
• Full registration with the GMC.
• Clinically qualified and CCT in a relevant area.
• Experience of working in busy clinical environment and organisation of services within a busy teaching hospital.

Desirable criteria

• Postgraduate teaching qualification in higher education or working towards one
• Experience of academic leadership and administration

Further information How to apply

Applications should include an Academic CV, and an up to 2 pages cover letter that includes an outline of future research plans if appointed to the post. Applicants should indicate what current areas of research within the Faculty or what departments/Schools they feel they best align with.

We particularly welcome applications from female and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the university at this level. We understand that flexible working arrangements or career breaks may be necessary in certain circumstances and welcome the opportunity to discuss this possibility.

The interview panel may include representation from the relevant NHS Trust(s) and Royal College. As these will be bespoke dependent on the shortlisted candidate expertise, shortlisted candidates will be notified that they are selected for interview, prior to the panel date being finalised.