King's College London

About Us

Our guiding mission is to identify and investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms that cause and control inflammation and to relate these findings to human health and disease.

We are interdisciplinary in nature; by bringing together different disciplines, we will accelerate our understanding of the common as well as the unique mechanisms that contribute to inflammation-related pathologies.

To achieve this, we conduct discovery-led, applied and clinical research (including clinical trials) related to inflammatory joint, lung, gut, liver, kidney and skin disease. We extend these investigations to cancer, pain, neurodegeneration and certain psychiatric and mental health disorders where inflammation is increasingly recognised as an important contributor.

We are highly committed to educating, training and inspiring the next generation of scientists and clinicians in these areas of research.

About the role

The successful candidate will join a team in Dr. Yin Wu’s lab investigating the role of gamma delta T cells in cancer. The post is part of a Wellcome Trust Career Development Award to Dr. Wu investigating the cancer recognition code of gamma delta T cells.

The post holder will be responsible for carrying out experiments, helping design experiments, co-ordinating the project, timelines, meetings and generally ensuring the smooth running of the lab. In addition, the postholder may also be responsible for training PhD and project students in the lab. There is an emphasis on translating findings in collaboration with the wider team which derives funding from multiple sources including Breast Cancer Now and Cancer Research UK. The job will involve working with human gamma delta T cells and primary human tissues as well as interpreting multi-omics datasets. The role will therefore require familiarity with state-of-the-art technology and confidence in wet-laboratory research, molecular biology, data analytics, and oral and visual communication. 

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract until 31 Aug 2027.

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 immunology *
2. Theoretical knowledge of gamma-delta T cells and practical expertise in culture and manipulation of these cells
3. Theoretical and practical expertise in cellular and molecular immunology in human model systems including organoids
4. Publications in gamma-delta T cell biology and butyrophillins  
5. Experience of working in academia
6. Experience of molecular biology, especially cloning of T cell receptors, TCR ligands and mutagenesis 
7. Experience of multiparametric flow cytometry and fluorescence activated cell sorting

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6. 

Desirable criteria

1. First author publication(s) in gamma delta biology
2. Experience of working in biotech/industry
3. Theoretical and practical expertise in BTN and BTNL biology
4. Experience in lab management and supervision of undergraduate students
5. Experience of drug development 

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

At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.

The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.

We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.

When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day.

We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.

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 on first week in April.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances.