Postdoctoral Fellow (Frohlich Lab)

Location: The Francis Crick Institute, London

Short summary

We are seeking an ambitious Postdoctoral Fellow to develop the next generation of deep mechanistic models (DMMs; Fabrini & Fröhlich, bioRxiv 2026, doi: 10.64898/2026.07.30.741759) for biological systems.

You will lead a computational research project extending DMMSs from population-level to single-cell data, combining neural networks with mechanistic differential equation models to understand signalling differences between individual cells. You will develop open-source computational tools (www.github.com/PEtab-dev/petab_sciml) and apply them to cutting-edge single-cell datasets generated within the lab and from public resources. 

There is significant scope to shape the project around your interests, including live-cell imaging, flow matching, optimal transport or cell-cycle modelling.

Key Responsibilities 

These include but are not limited to:

• Leading an independent research project in scientific machine learning and mechanistic modelling.
• Developing deep mechanistic models for single-cell biological data.
• Building and maintaining reusable, open-source computational tools.
• Applying new methods to biological datasets and interpreting their biological significance.
• Collaborating with computational and experimental researchers across the Crick and internationally.
• Publishing your research and presenting at national and international conferences.
• Supporting and mentoring graduate students where appropriate.

About you

You will have:  

• PhD in mathematics, physics, data science, engineering, systems biology or a related field, or be in the final stages of PhD submission.
• Strong scientific programming skills in Python.
• Knowledge of mathematical models of biological systems and numerical methods for differential equations.
• Experience developing and pursuing independent research ideas.
• Strong written and verbal scientific communication skills.
• A collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach and interest in applying computational methods to biological questions.
• Commitment to reproducible research and open science.

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it to the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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