Research Associate in Molecular Immunobiology

About Us

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in molecular immunology to join the Translational Immunobiology of Critical Illness research group led by Manu Shankar-Hari at King's College London.  

The post is based at the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences at Guy's Hospital, with access to cutting-edge core facilities including flow cytometry, genomics, and translational immunology platforms.

About the role

This post focuses on systems immunology approaches to tackle a global healthcare challenge: sepsis.

The groups’ programmatic work focuses on understanding how immune dysregulation drives sepsis and other forms of critical illness, with the goal of identifying molecular mechanisms, biomarkers, and potential precision immunotherapy strategies. Working closely with clinicians and bioinformaticians, this postdoctoral role will focus on dissecting molecular and cellular immune mechanisms in sepsis using human clinical samples. You will apply advanced wet-lab techniques, including flow cytometry, functional immune assays, and molecular biology, to uncover pathways that drive immune dysfunction in critically ill patients. The overarching aim of this work is to directly inform mechanisms contributing to immunopathology of sepsis.

The Research Associate in Molecular Immunology is required to hold a PhD with expertise in molecular immunology, ideally in acute inflammation in humans, with experience of contributing to research papers and funding applications. The post holder must be a highly motivated and rigorous researcher.

The post will be based at Guy's Hospital and provides access to state-of-the-art core facilities, including genomics, multi-omics platforms, and high-performance computing resources. You will also engage with wider collaborative initiatives that enhance the translational impact of your research.

The post holder will contribute to the inter-disciplinary research programme investigating how immune dysregulation occurs in sepsis, how it drives sepsis (including other critical illnesses), and how such mechanistic insights can inform immunotherapy strategies. The post holder will perform state-of-the-art wet-lab experiments to dissect molecular and cellular immune mechanisms using human samples, including peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), plasma, and tissue samples from critically ill patients.

This post works in close collaboration with clinicians, and immunologists, to translate bioinformatic discoveries into clinically meaningful outputs. Experience in flow cytometry, cytokine signalling, functional immune assays, and related molecular immunology to uncover mechanisms underlying sepsis immunopathology. The postholder will contribute to translating experimental findings into clinically relevant insights, with opportunities to develop an independent research profile.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 36 months.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the  Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the  Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

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