Graduate Research Assistant/Postdoctoral Research Associate

This new full-time post is available from 1 May 2026. This post is offered on a permanent basis and is funded by the Wellcome Trust until 30 June 2030, in the first instance. In line with the University’s fair employment for all principles, our goal is to create more opportunities for career growth and stability for each employee.

This role may be subject to additional background screening.

The post

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Graduate Research Assistant or a Postdoctoral Research Associate to support the work of Dr Yu Hsuan Carol Yang. The GRA/PDRA will take a leading role in projects focused on understanding how the crosstalk between the nervous system and the endocrine pancreas impacts glucose homeostasis in health and disease. This Wellcome Trust funded post is available from 1^st May 2026. The Yang lab is part of the vibrant Living Systems Institute and Exeter Centre of Excellence for Diabetes Research. The candidate will be working very closely with members of the Yang lab (including the principal investigator, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students) and our collaborative partners.

You will take on a central role in completing a research programme focused on investigating how different populations of pancreatic nerves are dynamically changing on the molecular and cellular level in response to healthy aging and diabetic states. You will be responsible for collecting and analysing data from in vivo zebrafish studies, which will allow us to decode the heterogeneity of pancreatic nerves and their interactions with the pancreas under varying physiological contexts. The desirable candidate would have experience working with animal models, conducting advanced microscopy, analysing 4D image datasets, and modelling dynamic systems. These studies will be important in understanding how different neural input contributes to pancreas development, maintenance, and physiology. You will have access to state-of-the-art facilities to achieve our research aims and a supportive environment to advance your professional development.

The successful applicant will be investigating the dynamics of neural signalling within the endocrine pancreas, and how specific neural signalling are altered in disease settings to impact the controlled release of hormones from the endocrine pancreas. The GRA/PDRA will support/lead on projects funded by Wellcome, conduct experiments with live zebrafish, and present findings at international conferences. Relevant skills required for completing the research projects include zebrafish handling, in vivo microscopy, 4D image analysis, computational modelling, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and molecular biology. The candidate will have access to a supportive environment to advance their professional development and the opportunity to learn the relevant skills to complement their current skillset in a multidisciplinary institute.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities & in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 & QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience & Student Outcomes.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews & workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

Further information

For further information please contact Yu Hsuan Carol Yang, e-mail Y.C.Yang@exeter.ac.uk.

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