Research and Translation Project Manager for An International Research Programme Building a Novel Non-invasive Device to Treat Neural Circuits

Location: South Kensington and White City Campus, London

Contract: Part-time (25% FTE) and fixed term for 48 months (with potential extension)

About the role:

The Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London is looking for a motivated and organised Research and Translation Project Manager to oversee and manage the research and translational activities of our Mosaic Neuropharmacology research programme and the Choi Laboratory, ensuring that all projects are executed on time, within budget, and meet high-quality standards.

The successful candidate will act as a central point of coordination among researchers, collaborators, and stakeholders, facilitating communication and driving project milestones forward.

This role is part of an Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) funded project.

What you will be doing:

You will devise the project plan, strategy, and mission, together with the larger research team; and ensure that the team delivers on the promised programme objectives and maximises the scientific and translational impact of the overall research programme. This work also involves managing the financial and operational machinery of the research programme (£3.9 million), working with others both internally and externally.

You will be coordinating the Choi Lab and a large research programme involving 8 principal investigators, 4 post-doctoral researchers, and 3 PhD students from Imperial College London, King’s College London, University of Arizona, and the University of Michigan.

The programme aims to build a noninvasive technology for precisely delivering distinct drugs to targeted brain regions with exceptional spatial and temporal control. Our approach will engineer particles capable of carrying drug payloads that release only in response to specific remote signals. Your device will direct these signals to specific brain regions, enabling precise targeting. We will validate this platform in rats and rabbits, demonstrating the controlled release of multiple drugs to different areas of the brain. Using these technical innovations, we will perform "mosaic neuropharmacology"—a novel method for manipulating neural circuits across the brain noninvasively in both space and time. This platform will represent the most advanced tool for brain-targeted material delivery, offering potential for neuroscientists and neurologists to explore and treat neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders more effectively.

What we are looking for:

• Exceptional ability to devise a strategy, mission and plan
• Excellence in organisational and planning skills
• Fast response to queries and clear communication skills
• An individual with self-initiative to drive the programme forward.
• An individual motivated to maximise the social and economic impact of our research programme.
• An excellent team player who can work in an intense milestone-driven research programme.
• A hardworking individual motivated by the vision and mission of our research programme.

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to work on a moonshot research programme with the ambition of creating a breakthrough platform for manipulating neural circuits.
• A launchpad of a strong research and translational project manager track record with 4 years of continuous funding, enabling you to launch a future in academia, industry, or a startup.
• Learn from world-leading experts in the field, including focused ultrasound arrays and engines from Timothy Hall, Co-Founder of Histosonics, and brain drug delivery technologies from James Choi, winner of the Frederic Lizzi Award from the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound.
• Learn multi-disciplinary skills from world-leading researchers: Terry Matsunaga (lipid chemistry), Sam Au (microfluidics), Sophie Morse (ultrasound bioeffects), Antonios Pouliopoulos (ultrasound neuronavigation), and Firat Güder (smart materials and sensors).
• Learn how to conduct research for translational impact, working alongside those who have experience in this arena: Danny Green (former venture capitalist and CEO of 3 MedTech companies), Timothy Hall (Co-Founder of Histosonics), James Choi (Co-Founder of fether labs), Antonios Pouliopoulos (3 clinical studies with focused ultrasound devices), Firat Guder (Co-Founder of Unhindr, Blakbear, AniML).
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
• Access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes)
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further Information

The post is available to start immediately on a part-time (25% FTE), fixed-term contract for 48 months in the first instance, with any extension subject to research funding.

If you require any further details on the role please contact:

James Choi – j.choi@imperial.ac.uk

Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 27 July 2025

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.

Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.