Vacancies

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The Opportunity:

We are looking for an enthusiastic postdoctoral Research Fellow to join the Rajani Lab as part of the new national BHF-UK DRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research. We use a range of innovative methodologies and models to understand oligodendrocyte changes in vascular and Alzheimer’s dementias, and the interaction of these with other cell types. In this project, funded as part of the UK DRI’s Key Questions programme, the Research Fellow will use iPSC-derived oligodendrocytes to understand the role of genes identified as being epigenetically altered in Alzheimer’s disease and ageing. The Research Fellow will further investigate how these affect oligodendrocyte interactions with neurons and microglia.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• A PhD (or close to completion) in neuroscience or other relevant discipline.
• Experience with glial and/or neuronal cell cultures.
• Ability to work independently.
• Proactive and creative independent thinker.
• Ability to problem-solve and troubleshoot technical difficulties.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and 100% on campus.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and can be addressed to Dr Rikesh Rajani (rikesh.rajani@ed.ac.uk) 

About us

The UK DRI Core Informatics team serves as the core for the UK DRI national informatics programme. The team enhances data access, training, partnerships, and technical capacity for researchers, fostering data sharing and boosting data science capabilities across the national institute. The team is currently based at UCL and interacts closely with the UK DRI at UCL centre staff.

About the role

We are excited to welcome an enthusiastic and experienced Software Engineer to our team. You will lead the ongoing development and maintenance of DataMap, a data-driven research software platform designed to extract knowledge from biological datasets and incorporate it into a knowledge graph. You will work across backend services, frontend applications, graph data models, databases, observability, and Kubernetes to ensure the platform remains robust, scalable, usable, and aligned with research needs.

The role requires someone who can operate as both a strong hands-on engineer and a technical lead: translating requirements from UK DRI researchers into production-quality software, improving architecture and engineering practices, and supporting long-term sustainability of the platform.

The post is available immediately and is funded by the UK DRI until 31 March 2028 in the first instance.

This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 20% of time on site.

For informal enquiries about the role please contact Dr Amonida Zadissa (amonida.zadissa@ukdri.ac.uk ).

About you

You should have professional software engineering experience with a focus on data science or data-intensive applications, in-depth experience designing and developing APIs and backend services, and hands-on experience in web UI development using React and TypeScript. Strong hands-on experience with Python web frameworks, proven experience working with graph databases (especially Neo4j) and a working knowledge of cloud or cloud-native systems (including AWS, Azure, or Kubernetes) is essential. A good understanding of production software systems across development, deployment, and maintenance lifecycles, and the ability to take ownership of a complex technical platform and drive work independently, are also needed for this role.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

• About us:
  The Baljit Khakh Laboratory is relocating from the University of California Los Angeles to the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at Cardiff and is seeking to appoint a number of Research Associates to join a newly established and ambitious research programme investigating the roles of astrocytes in brain function and dementia.
  Professor Baljit S. Khakh, internationally recognized for discoveries in astrocyte physiology and neuron–glia signalling, is launching his new research programme at UK DRI Cardiff University in summer 2026. The lab will integrate molecular genetics, advanced imaging, electrophysiology, and translational neuroscience to explore fundamental neuroscience mechanisms and uncover how astrocyte dysfunction contributes to the onset and progression of dementia.
  This is a new opportunity to join a leading neuroscience lab at one of the UK’s most vibrant and collaborative research hubs. The group will explore how astrocytes shape neural circuit activity, cognition, and neurodegeneration — with the goal of identifying new mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for dementia and related disorders. The laboratory will be housed in state-of-the-art research facilities within the Hadyn Ellis Building.
  What you would be doing
  To conduct research within the laboratory, integrating molecular genetics, advanced imaging, electrophysiology, and translational neuroscience to uncover how astrocyte dysfunction contributes to the onset and progression of dementia and contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University, carrying out research leading to the publishing of high-quality research. To pursue excellence in research and to inspire others to do the same. The posts are full time, require in person attendance and involve extensive experimental work and data analysis.
  Duties and Responsibilities
  To conduct research with expertise in one or more of the following: in vivo imaging, brain slice electrophysiology, behavioural analyses, molecular genetics, viral vector design, molecular biology, proteomics or bioinformatics.
• Contribute to the overall research performance of the School and University by the production of measurable outputs including bidding for funding, publishing in national academic journals and conferences, and the recruitment and supervision of postgraduate research students.
• To develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research including research funding proposals
• To attend and or present at conferences/seminars at a local and national level as required
• To undertake administrative tasks associated with the research project, including the planning and organisation of the project and the implementation of procedures required to ensure accurate and timely reporting
• To prepare research ethics and research governance applications as appropriate
• To review and synthesise existing research literature within the field
• To participate in School research activities.
• To build and create networks both internally and externally to the university, to influence decisions, explore future research requirements, and share research ideas for the benefit of research projects
• To engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally to raise awareness of the School’s profile, to cultivate strategically valuable alliances, and to pursue opportunities for collaboration across a range of activities. These activities are expected to contribute to the School and the enhancement of its regional and national profile.
• To undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.

• To participate in School administration and activities to promote the School and its work to the wider University and the outside world
  
  What we are looking for
  Qualifications and Education
  1. Postgraduate degree at PhD level (or nearing completion / submission) in a related subject area or relevant industrial experience
  
  Knowledge, Skills and Experience
  2. An established expertise and proven portfolio of research and/or relevant industrial experience within one or more of the following research fields:
  1. Molecular biology
  2. RNAseq and data analyses
  3. Proteomics and data analyses
  4. Electrophysiology in any cellular setting in vivo or in brain slices
  5. Calcium imaging in any cellular setting in vivo or in brain slices
  6. Glial biology in cell culture or in vivo
  7. In vivo approaches
  8. Cell culture experience, ideally with stem cell-derived astrocytes
  9. Understanding of cellular and molecular neuroscience
  3. Knowledge of current status of research in specialist field of neuroscience and glial biology
  4. Proven ability to publish in national journals and/or present data at national conferences
  5. Knowledge and understanding of competitive research funding to be able to develop applications to funding bodies
  Communication and Team Working
  6. Proven ability in effective and transparent communication
  7. Ability to supervise the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals
  Other
  8. Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work
  9. Proven ability to work without close supervision

  For informal enquiries please contact Prof Baljit Khakh on KhakhB@cardiff.ac.uk

About the role

We are looking for a motivated Research Associate to lead the genomic and proteomic analyses for STRAT-GLP1, a research programme funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). This post will deliver the core analytical aims of the project, using human genetics, multi-cohort genome-wide association studies (GWAS), plasma proteomics, and drug-target Mendelian randomisation to define metabolically stratified Parkinson’s disease (PD) subtypes and identify which patients are most likely to respond to GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).

What you would be doing

You will be working closely with Dr Cynthia Sandor and collaborators at Cardiff University (Prof Caleb Webber, Dr Samuel Neaves, and Dr Viola Volpato). The project aims to understand how metabolic factors — including insulin resistance, glycaemic dysregulation, adiposity, lipid metabolism, and renin–angiotensin system activity — influence PD risk, genetic architecture, and disease progression. Using large international datasets including UK Biobank, All of Us, Our Future Health, PPMI, and OPDC/Tracking, you will perform stratified GWAS and drug-target Mendelian randomisation to identify genetically defined PD subtypes, and translate these findings into clinically actionable blood-based proteomic biomarkers using Olink (PPMI and UK Biobank) and SomaScan (OPDC/Tracking) platforms.

You will be the primary analyst on the project, with access to established data pipelines and secure compute environments from day one (UK Biobank Application 69610; PPMI; All of Us; Our Future Health; OPDC/Tracking). Advanced statistical approaches will be used to integrate genetic and proteomic data to identify patterns of disease progression and potential therapeutic targets, including GLP1R-related pathways.

What we are looking for

You will hold a PhD in statistical genetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, epidemiology, or a closely related quantitative discipline. You should have demonstrable experience in GWAS, Mendelian randomisation, and large-scale biobank data analysis. Familiarity with proteomic datsets and Bayesian modelling is desirable but not essential.

About the role

Launched in 2017, the UK DRI stands as a beacon of scientific innovation, representing an unprecedented £300 million investment in dementia research—the largest of its kind in UK history. The purpose of the UK DRI is to transform the outlook for people living with or at risk of neurodegenerative conditions through research.

Applications are invited for a Research Associate in oligodendrocyte and neuroimmune epigenomics to join the lab of Dr Alexi Nott (https://nottgroup.com/index.html) in the UK DRI at Imperial.

Following a new collaborative UK DRI Key Questions Award with Dr Sarah Marzi (King’s), Dr Rikesh Rajani (Edinburgh), and Dr Dervis Salih (UCL), we are seeking to appoint a dynamic postdoctoral researcher to lead one or more projects to characterise the epigenome of oligodendrocytes and neuroimmune cell types in early Alzheimer’s and resilience to dementia using patient-derived samples.  This post is funded for three years: the first 1.5 years based at Imperial on the White City Campus under the guidance of Dr Alexi Nott, where you will profile the epigenome of brain-derived oligodendrocytes and neuroimmune cell types. The second phase of the project will be in the lab of Dr Sarah Marzi, at the Denmark Hill Campus of King’s College London, to examine the epigenome of macroglia at single-cell resolution. You will contribute to the design and generation of large-scale ‘omics datasets with a primary focus on epigenomic analysis at cell-type-enriched and single-nuclei resolution to address major research questions relevant to Alzheimer’s and resilience to dementia.

Please contact Dr Alexi Nott for further discussion about the project and role.

What you would be doing

Using your experience in (epi)genomics of the brain, you will:

• Generate cell-type-enriched and single-nuclei CUT&Tag data from patient-derived brain tissue and stem cell model systems.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-site, multidisciplinary research team.

What we are looking for

We are seeking a motivated and organised researchers who is excited by the science we do! You will have:

• Experience in nuclei isolation, preferably from brain and/or human tissue
• Experience of fluorescence-activated nuclei sorting (FANS), and/or FACS
• Experience in epigenomics and/or single-cell genomic technologies.