King's College London

About Us 

The post will be based at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at King’s College London: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/bmeis. There is an unmatched infrastructure within the School to support cutting-edge translational research, including one of the UK’s only 7 Tesla MRI systems located inside a hospital environment, state-of-the-art engineering and physics laboratories, high-performance computing, and industry collaboration through the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Assistant to join Dr Ines Violante’s Research Group at the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King’s College London. You will be part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team with access to cutting-edge imaging facilities, sleep labs, and world-leading expertise. 

This position is part of a BBSRC-funded project aimed at developing novel approaches to modulate sleep dynamics and support memory consolidation. The overarching goal of the project is to advance our understanding of the human brain by using causal, non-invasive methods to modulate hippocampal activity. Specifically, the research focuses on exploring the spatial and temporal dynamics of cortical-hippocampal communication during sleep.

In this role, you will support the use of electroencephalography (EEG), non-invasive brain stimulation (including temporal interference stimulation), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). You will be responsible for participant recruitment, data collection (including overnight sleep studies), equipment setup and testing, and data handling and study administration. 

The position is primarily based at St Thomas’ Hospital, with additional data collection taking place at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre. As such, the role will require occasional travel and overnight work to support the execution of sleep-related experiments. 

This role offers hands-on training in a wide range of techniques, including EEG, brain stimulation, and MRI, as well as opportunities to develop technical, analytical, and professional skills within a collaborative research environment.

We welcome applicants with a degree in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, psychology, biomedical sciences, or a related discipline. While prior experience in participant-facing research, data collection, or technical equipment handling is desirable, we also welcome candidates who demonstrate strong interpersonal and organisational skills, a willingness to learn, and a problem-solving mindset. 

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 3.5 years (42 months).

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience: 

Essential criteria

1. Hold a BSc (2:1 or higher) or MSc / BEng (2:1 or higher) or MEng in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience, Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, or closely related discipline 
2. Excellent organisational and multitasking skills to manage study visits and equipment logistics 
3. Excellent communication, relationship and team working skills, being able to work independently as well as collaboratively within a research team 
4. Practical experience within a research environment and / or experience in participant-facing research, including recruitment and informed consent procedures 
5. Ability to communicate well and to produce well-presented reports and presentations 
6. Willing and able to work in a team, conduct overnight recordings and travel locally and within UK if necessary 
7. Ability to manage time and work to deadlines 8. Ability to critically evaluate publications, experimental design, protocols, and research findings. 

Desirable criteria

1. Relevant practical experience, ideally with in human electrophysiology, imaging and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques 
2. Knowledge of human research ethical principles and methods 
3. Knowledge of sleep physiology 
4. Knowledge of principles of research studies design and statistics 
5. Good working knowledge of EEG data analysis, imaging or signal processing methods 

Downloading a copy of our Job Description 

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. 

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert.

If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible. 

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages. Interviews are due to be held in June 2025. 

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.