King's College London

About Us

Within the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine (FoLSM), the School of Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Sciences (https://www.kcl.ac.uk/bmeis)  is a cutting-edge research and teaching School dedicated to development, translation and clinical application within medical imaging and computational modelling technologies. Our objective is to facilitate research and teaching guided by clinical questions and is aimed at novelty, understanding of physiology and pathophysiology as well as development of new diagnostic tools and therapies. In this way, basic science can be rapidly translated into clinical applications (and vice versa). The School consists of eight research departments: Cardiovascular Imaging, Cancer Imaging, Early Life Imaging, Imaging Chemistry & Biology, Biomedical Computing, Surgical & Interventional Engineering, Imaging Physics & Engineering and Digital Twins for Healthcare.

This post is jointly hosted by the Research Department of Cardiovascular Imaging and the Royal Brompton Hospital’s Imaging Department in Chelsea. The School of BMEIS has worked in partnership with Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT) to deliver specialist clinical services for many years. When the Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals joined GSTT in February 2021, we became the largest specialist heart and lung centre in the UK and among the largest in Europe. Together, we provide treatment for people with heart and lung disease, including rare and complex conditions, offering some of the most sophisticated treatment that is available anywhere in the world. Our integrated approach to caring for patients from before birth, through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood and old age has been replicated around the world and has gained Royal Brompton and Harefield an international reputation as a leader in heart and lung diagnosis, treatment and research.   

About The Role

The clinical research fellow in cardiorespiratory CT will undertake clinical and research activities focused on advanced cardiorespiratory photon counting CT imaging (PCCT). They will be under the overall supervision of Prof Amedeo Chiribiri, supported locally by Dr Jonathan Weir-McCall, and will contribute to the work of a small team of clinical academic consultants. They will gain experience in a range of cardiorespiratory applications that includes congenital and non-congenital heart and lung diseases, and care of cardio-oncology patients.

The post is suitable for Specialty Trainees in Cardiology or Radiology who intend to specialise in a cardiorespiratory imaging sub-specialty. This may be cardiac, cardiovascular, cardio-oncology, cardiorespiratory, or pulmonary vascular focused, with all interests welcome, although any appointees will be expected to contribute to the whole research portfolio conducted on the PCCT.   Applicants may have already commenced training in general Cardiology or Radiology and wish to gain more sub-specialty experience in Cardiorespiratory CT, by taking an Out-Of-Programme Experience (OOPE) from their current training programmes or have obtained CCT.  The ideal candidate would be looking for sub-speciality experience in cardiorespiratory CT imaging by seeking a year’s clinical research experience, allowing them time to write grants and apply for further fellowships leading to a higher degree (such as an MD or PhD) or use the academic work to further an application for an intermediate level fellowship. However, those looking to further their medical career through augmentation with advanced imaging experience and familiarisation with the academic environment are also encouraged.

This post has a significant clinical component including care of patients at GSTT. It is primarily based at the Royal Brompton Hospital but there may be a requirement also to attend other GSTT and KCL sites. The post holder will support at least six diagnostic imaging sessions per week during which they will complement their clinical role with recruitment to a range of research studies including PCCT components and also undertake data analyses tasks, such as spectral decomposition analysis to determine PCCT’s value in detecting a range of cardiorespiratory conditions. There will be up to two sessions of multi-disciplinary team engagements, with the rest of the time available for direct research and professional development activities, working on a number of research projects.

This role requires an individual who is highly organised, driven, ambitious, and passionate about improving patient care through research. They will be responsible for ensuring excellent standards of research governance and compliance with ICH-GCP (Good Clinical Practice) guidelines. The successful candidate will lead on the delivery of projects on a day-to-day basis, ensuring reporting deadlines are met, compliance with project milestones, and providing strategic support for ongoing development and sustainability of the School’s imaging research portfolio. To succeed in this role, the post holder will need a proven background in clinical research delivery and/or management, and experience of working in a multidisciplinary clinical academic environment.

This is a full time post offered as a fixed term contract of 1 year.

About You

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

Essential criteria

1. MBBS or equivalent and with a GMC registration with license to practice
2. Valid ILS Qualification at the time of appointment
3. Training Certificate in Good Clinical Practice (GCP)
4. Clinical experience in care of cardiorespiratory patients in both outpatient and inpatient settings (either through wards/clinics or radiology department environments)
5. Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment
6. Proven knowledge of ICH GCP guidelines
7. Good verbal and written communication skills and good computing skills
8. Demonstrates understanding of the importance of audit/quality, excellent organisational/time management skills and the ability to work to clinical and scientific deadlines

Desirable criteria

1. MRCP/FRCR or equivalent
2. BSCI/BSCCT, EACVI, or SCCT Level 1/2 or equivalent experience and knowledge (as outlined in their guidance)
3. Post-CCT or higher specialist training
4. Experience in cardiorespiratory imaging, including attendance at courses and experience preparing IRAS/REC documentation
5. Proven experience in prior publications in their speciality

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.