King's College London

About us:

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia. 

We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of 700 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a change in our understanding of neurodegeneration and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent dementia.  Our laboratory-based research groups are located at King’s College London, University College London, the University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Edinburgh University, and Imperial College London.

Dementia is a major health challenge of our century – currently affecting fifty million people worldwide, projected to triple by 2050, with huge financial, emotional and social impact on people directly affected, their carers, families and the community.

Dementia is a symptom of several neurodegenerative disorders, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for about 60% of cases. To date, there is no way to prevent or even slow the rate of progression of neurodegeneration. 

About the role:

Dr Sarah Marzi https://ukdri.ac.uk/team/sarah-marzi) is seeking to appoint a Research Associate. Her research programme aims to determine the role of epigenetic regulation in neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, using state of the art epigenetic and genomic techniques in cell populations and at the single cell level. We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on epigenetic and transcriptional profiling of toxicant exposures and Parkinson’s in cell and animal models as well as postmortem human brain tissue.

The successful candidate should have laboratory experience in epigenetics techniques, particularly chromatin profiling. Prior experience in single cell genomics approaches is essential. You will be a dynamic, creative, and motivated scientist interested in pursuing questions deeply. With strong molecular biology experience of genomic/epigenomic approaches, you will use a range of methods for cell and brain tissue analyses including next generation RNA sequencing, ChIP sequencing and CUT&Tag (or equivalent) and ATAC sequencing methods, and particularly 10X single cell multiome profiling.

The Marzi Lab is highly collaborative. You will join a multidisciplinary team on the Denmark Hill Campus with a leading role in:

• Designing and performing experiments
• Developing technical advances
• Performing data analysis
• Presenting the results
• Writing up manuscripts to be submitted to peer-review journals

This is a full -time post (35 hours per week) and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/03/2028 with scope of to extend the role till 31/05/2029 based on future funding.

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. Hold a PhD in Molecular Biology, Neuroscience or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

2. Practical experience within a research environment and publication in relevant and refereed journals and ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature

3. Knowledge of gene regulation and chromatin biology, particularly in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.

4. Practical experience in a broad range of standard laboratory techniques including light microscopy and molecular biology (e.g., immunofluorescence on brain tissue, cloning, qPCR, cell culture

5. Practical experience single cell or single nuclear genomics methods, including experience with dissociation protocols from low input material

6. Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication

7. Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative

8. Practical experience with epigenetic assays, including any of the following:

   1. ChIP-seq
   2. ATAC-seq
   3. CUT&Tag

**** ***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. Experience working with bio-banked tissue
2. Familiarity with neuroanatomy and/or immunology
3. Knowledge of Parkinson’s disease genetics and neurobiology 

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.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving rapidly, and we recognise its growing role in professional work. Applicants may use AI tools to support preparation of their application, for example to research the role or structure written responses. However, applications must reflect the applicant’s own work and experience. AI tools should not be used during interviews or assessment activities unless this has been agreed in advance as a reasonable adjustment. Further guidance on the use of AI in recruitment can be found here.

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 week commencing Monday 29 June tbc

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearance