Postdoctoral Research Associate

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 3 years

Where passion meets purpose. Be part of something bigger.

We offer careers and roles in just about every area you can think of. Whether you’re looking to take the next step in your current specialism, explore a new challenge, or broaden your experience, we offer opportunities where you can flourish and make a real difference. Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds, each bringing their abilities and experiences to our organisation, helping us thrive and innovate together.

The University of Edinburgh is a world-class organisation. We look for the best in the field across all disciplines and provide a working environment where academics can develop their careers and passion for their chosen subject area. We offer the full range of academic roles and have a genuine focus on our student’s performance and wellbeing.

The opportunity:

Epigenetic regulation of stem/progenitor cells in growth and ageing

We are seeking an enthusiastic cell biologist to join our research team as a postdoctoral researcher. Funded by an ERC Advanced Grant we aim to address fundamental mechanisms controlling tissue cellularity that result in epigenetic ageing and determine size in mammals.

We have discovered a new accelerated ageing syndrome, that links a cell intrinsic clock with both ageing and human size (Sarni et al. Nat Genet 2026). The project team will use stem cell culture systems, targeted epigenomic engineering, CRISPR barcoding and mouse models; to define mechanisms connecting DNA methylation at lineage-determining genes to profound changes in stem cell output and tissue regeneration. The long-term goal is to identify targetable cellular pathways for future therapies, and to shed light on how this DNA methylation clock could regulate size and longevity across mammalian evolution.

The post-holder will be part of a multidisciplinary team in the lab of Prof. Andrew Jackson FRS, working in a cross-disciplinary environment that addresses both fundamental cellular processes and disease mechanisms. The lab is based in the Institute of Genetics and Cancer, a highly collaborative and supportive environment.

The research group is internationally diverse and strongly competitive, consistently publishing in high-level journals. For further details on the research group:

institute-genetics-cancer.ed.ac.uk/research/research-groups-a-z/a-jackson-group

People have always been at the heart of our work. Our people are at the centre of the University community and everything we do. We value colleagues with drive, determination and a passion for what they do. We are a place where everyone is welcome and offer a range of policies and benefits designed to support you in building the right meaningful flexibility that works for you.

A career with us has a range of other benefits that can be tailored to your lifestyle:

• Professional development and subject matter expertise
• Opportunities to develop new skills and broaden your experience
• Leading-edge research
• Working within one of the world’s leading universities

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.

Advert information