King's College London

About Us

We are a new group which translates novel chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cells into the clinic for the treatment of patients with blood cancers.   

We perform pre-clinical work to aid submission to regulatory authorities. We develop molecular and flow cytometry assays to detect CAR T cells in patient samples for translational studies. Our laboratory is closely linked with the clinical haematology department at King’s College Hospital which has one of the largest CAR-T cell programmes in the UK. Diseases that we are currently targeting include multiple myeloma and B cell lymphoma, for which we have funding from Blood Cancer UK and Cancer Research UK.  

About The Role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Research Associate to join the Translational Immune Effector Cell Therapy Group at the Rayne Institute, Denmark Hill campus. 

Candidates applying for this role should have significant experience working within immunology and should be competent in flow cytometry including assay optimisation and panel design, previous experience using spectral flow cytometry would be ideal. Additionally, experience with PCR, and ideally digital droplet PCR is desirable. Previous experience manufacturing research grade CAR T cells and performing functional assays is desirable.

The successful candidate will be expected to provide training in lab techniques to students within the group and help with the overall management of the lab.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31st March 2028.  

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 qualified in relevant subject area  
2. Expertise in flow cytometry  
3. Expertise in molecular biology  
4. Ability to work independently  
5. Ability to supervise laboratory students  
6. Experience in laboratory management 
7. Expertise in data analysis 
8. Experience writing up research work for publication 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience in CAR T research  
2. Experience in writing up own research proposals and grants  

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. 

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. 

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.

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.