King's College London

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL CANDIDATES ONLY

About Us

Applications are invited for a Research Associate position to work for a 9-month contracted period on a Wellcome-Trust funded post.

The project will be based in the lab of Dr Elisabetta Brunello in the Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics which is located in the heart of London within King’s College London. It is part of the School of Basic & Biomedical Sciences which sits within the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine that has a broad spectrum of research interests spanning fundamental biology, disease, and physiology.  

We are based at the Guy’s Campus of King’s College London which is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive universities.

Our research addresses fundamental biological questions at the interface between the physical and biomedical sciences. 

We develop and apply state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to study molecular and cellular processes in biology and medicine. The Centre is internationally recognised, helping us to foster cross-organisational collaborations and attract the best emerging and established talent from across the globe.

About The Role

The successful candidate will measure the conformation of myosin motors in heart muscle cells in conditions close to those in diastole and systole in the heartbeat, and the effects on those conformations of the myosin inhibitor Mavacamten, which is used to treat some forms of heart disease. The overall aim is to improve our understanding of the structural basis of force generation by myosin in the heart, its regulation, and its modulation by drugs for the treatment of heart disease.

For more details on the project, or questions about the application, please contact Elisabetta.brunello@kcl.ac.uk 

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30/06/2026.

Start date no sooner than 1st October 2025.

This role is based on-site within a laboratory.

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.

About You

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

Essential criteria

1. PhD in Physiology, Biophysics or related field
2. An enthusiasm for the research project
3. Ability to prepare intact and demembranated samples from the heart of animal models (e.g. trabeculae)
4. Acquisition of Fluorescence for In-Situ Structure (FISS) data from demembranated trabeculae
5. Familiarity with biophysical instrumentation
6. Quantitative skills in data analysis
7. Experience with image analysis
8. Publication record and evidence of contribution to writing

Desirable criteria

1. Managing an independent research project
2. Supervision and teaching of other researchers and students
3. Acquisition of Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) data from demembranated trabeculae  
4. Good time management and organizational skills
5. Experience working collaboratively with multidisciplinary team 

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 page. 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.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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 mid-September (may be subject to change).

This post is not subject to Disclosure and Barring Service but is subject to Occupational Health clearances.