Post-Doctoral Research Associate

About Us

King’s College London is one of the world’s leading universities whose School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences unites basic, translational and clinical expertise to accelerate progress against cancer. Within the School, the Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) integrates molecular discovery, drug-development pipelines and patient-facing trials, with strengths in personalised medicine, immuno-oncology and early detection research.

Your position will be embedded in the CCC’s Advanced Microscopy Development Group, led by Dr Simon Poland and based in the purpose-built laser and microscopy development laboratories at Guy’s Campus, London Bridge. The group specialises in inventing custom fluorescence-lifetime and multiphoton technologies and coupling them with powerful computational pipelines to answer pressing biological questions across development, cancer and immunology. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with biologists, clinicians, engineers and data scientists, providing an exceptionally interdisciplinary environment, first-class mechanical and electronics workshops, and access to the King’s core facilities network.

King’s is committed to an inclusive, supportive research culture. Researchers benefit from a dedicated Research Staff Hub, mentoring schemes, grant-writing workshops and leadership programmes that provide the development, infrastructure and environment needed to succeed. Our central-London location offers unparalleled opportunities for collaboration with neighbouring universities, research institutes and NHS Trusts—placing you at the heart of one of the world’s most vibrant biomedical ecosystems. 

About The Role

The post-holder will lead the design and realisation of a state-of-the-art multiphoton microscope that couples ultrafast femto- and picosecond laser excitation with high-speed fluorescence-lifetime detection (Fast-FLIM) and temporal focusing. This instrument will deliver quantitative, sub-second imaging of live three-dimensional cell-culture and organoid models, advancing fundamental and translational questions in developmental and cancer biology. The position sits within Dr Simon Poland’s Advanced Microscopy Development Group in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre and interfaces closely with biologists, clinicians and facility engineers to translate optical innovation into biological insight. 

Responsible to: Dr Simon Poland, Principal Investigator, Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Responsible for:

Leading the optical and mechanical design of the microscope; integrating adaptive-optics modules, beam-shaping elements and bespoke detectors; developing synchronous control and lifetime-analysis software; managing procurement and technical liaison with campus workshops; planning and analysing imaging experiments with collaborators; supervising and mentoring junior researchers; and disseminating results through peer-reviewed publications, open-hardware repositories and conference presentations.

This is a full-time appointment (35 h pw) on a fixed-term 30-month contract at Grade 6 (£44,355 – £51,735 per annum, inclusive of London Weighting), based at Guy’s Campus, New Hunt’s House, King’s College London. The post offers access to dedicated microscopy suites, electronics and mechanical workshops, and a personal training budget, providing an excellent platform for an ambitious researcher aiming to consolidate technical leadership and progress toward an independent career in advanced optical instrumentation.

Essential profile:

Applicants must hold a PhD in Physics (or a closely related discipline) and demonstrate substantial, hands-on experience in optical design and advanced microscopy development, including a proven track record of conceiving, building and commissioning bespoke imaging systems. Only candidates who meet these criteria will be considered for interview.

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 next page after you click “Apply”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

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