King's College London

About us

his post will be based in Karen Liu’s lab in the Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology (CCRB) at King’s College London. The overall theme of CCRB is to investigate the mechanisms that control head development and repair, underpinning a broader understanding of the genetic basis of craniofacial malformations and disease. Research is multidisciplinary using different experimental models and techniques to explore cell signalling, transcriptional networks and cell behaviour during development and disease. Another focus is studying the in vivo function and biology of stem cells in different craniofacial organs as well as their potential uses for clinical therapies involving the enhancement of natural repair processes and regenerative approaches.

The department has over 60 research staff and major funding from the Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biomedical Science Research Council, ARC, Wellcome Trust and European Union. All the groups occupy newly refurbished laboratories and core facilities on floor 27 of Guy’s Tower. 

About the role

This is a 3-year fixed-term, full-time Research Assistant position funded by a BBSRC research grant. The post holder will work within Karen Liu’s Lab in the Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology at King’s College London, working jointly with Matthias Krause’s Lab at the Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London.

The overall aim of the project is to investigate how the actin cytoskeleton regulates the trafficking and activity of Wnt receptor complexes, combining molecular, cellular and imaging approaches to uncover new mechanisms that control the duration and strength of the Wnt response. 

The Research Assistant will work closely with PhD students and postdocs within the Liu and Krause labs, attending regular joint meetings. Key desired experience includes experience with animal models, ideally Xenopus frogs or mouse. Required skills included experience with molecular cloning, genome editing, protein biochemistry, microscopy, tissue culture and database maintenance. Engagement with research aims may lead to co-authorship. Additional training and career development opportunities for Research Assistants will be strongly encouraged.

This is a full time (37.5 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 3yrs. 

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. BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
3. Good general lab skills
4. Experience of Molecular biology and developmental biology techniques, such as PCR, In situ Hybridisation, immunohistochemistry
5. Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team
6. Problem solving skills
7. Organised record keeping and experimental planning

Desirable criteria

1. Home office personal licence
2. Excellent practical animal handling skills including xenopus and mouse
3. Experience with imaging approaches
4. Familiarity with coding

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.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances.