King's College London

About us

King’s College London Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine is one of the largest and most successful centres for research and education in the UK. It consists of over 2000 staff and 5000 students within seven Schools and two Schools of Education.

Centre for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine (CGTRM) Department: CGTRM is located on the Guy’s Hospital Campus in central London. It acts as a nucleus for vibrant research community spanning the entire University and the NHS Foundation Trusts of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. The goal of CGTRM is to bring together researchers with diverse skill sets and a common interest in elucidating the extrinsic and intrinsic signals that regulate stem cell behaviour.

The Spagnoli lab is a highly dynamic team, doing exciting science in the field of development and stem cell biology.

We are part of the Centre for Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine at King’s College London, UK - a world-class research environment with all facilities essential for this ambitious research programme. 

About the role

The Spagnoli group in the Centre for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine is seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, motivated Research Assistant to work within its research group.

Our team uses interdisciplinary approaches for studying pancreas development and islet cell engineering from pluripotent stem cells. The candidate will be part of a T1D Grand Challenge research programme aiming at harnessing the islet microenvironment in all its complexity for stem cell therapy of diabetes.

This is an exciting interdisciplinary research programme that will require expertise in stem cell culture, human tissue, bioengineering, computational analytical methods and islet transplantation. Applicants should have a recent BSc degree in biological sciences and relevant experience within a research environment.

The Research Assistant appointed will carry out research in the areas of stem cell biology, cell culture, molecular biology, histology, animal work as well as ordering to support the work of the Spagnoli group. Candidates should have an BSc degree in biological sciences, relevant experience within a research environment and optional holds a Personal License for carrying out procedures on animals. They will be highly motivated individuals, with excellent organisational and communication skills, and the ability to work within a closely collaborative team.

This is a full time post – 100 % full time equivalent (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an a fixed term contract of one year, with 6 months probation time. This role is a Lab based role.

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. BS level in Biology or relevant subject area, Work experience in academic research environment
2. Expertise in cell culture (human ES and/or iPS cells) 
3. General web-lab skills including molecular biology 
4. Expertise in histology and confocal microscopy 
5. Excellent record keeping and time management 
6. Good communication (oral and written) skills 
7. Ability to work independently & as part of a team 
8. Pro-active, ambitious and enthusiastic

Desirable criteria

1. Experience in pancreas and islet biology 
2. Expertise in bioengineering, biomaterials 
3. Personal license for animal work 

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 in November 2026