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Vacancy: Centre Director, Parkinson's Research Centre
In partnership with Parkinson’s UK, we are seeking to appoint the inaugural Director of our new Parkinson’s Research Centre (PRC) to be launched in 2025. The PRC will adopt a distributed, network structure, with researchers hosted in leading universities across the UK. You will lead and set the scientific direction and vision of the PRC, with the overarching objective of driving research excellence.
Closing date: 23 April 2025
Full information
Current Vacancies
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Key details
- Location UK DRI at Imperial
- Salary: £36,381 - £39,379 per annum
- Lab: Dr Nathan Skene
About the role
Applications are invited for a Research Technician in the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial, within the Neurogenomics Lab of Dr Nathan Skene, Department of Brain Sciences (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/n.skene).
Today, over 1 million people in the UK are living with dementia and related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. The impact of these incurable and progressive conditions on individuals and their families is devastating. The cost to the economy and public services is large and growing as the UK population ages.
The UK DRI is a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 900 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a step change in our understanding of neurodegeneration, and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent dementia.
We are recruiting a Research Technician to provide technical support within the Skene Lab to one or more projects including combinatorial padlock-probe-amplified fluorescence in situ hybridization (coppaFISH). This is a method that amplifies a selected panel of RNA transcripts in situ using barcoded padlock probes and reads out their barcodes combinatorially through multiple rounds of seven-colour fluorescence imaging. The beauty of this method for Parkinson’s disease research is that it will enable us to simultaneously identify the cell type identity of every cell within a tissue section at a low cost. This will enable disease neuropathology to be done at an unprecedently high throughput, which will in turn transform what we know about Parkinson’s disease.
What you would be doing
Building on laboratory experience and under the direction of the line manager, you will:
- Undertake training and demonstrate an aptitude for an organised, methodical approach to your work.
- Provide up-to-date technical expertise, advice and support for specialised methods appropriate to the research project.
- Select and order situ hybridisation probes for coppaFISH and execute multi-step staining protocols using coppaFISH
- Organise, collect and QC tissue samples
- Run software analysis pipeline for coppaFISH
- Basic methods for molecular biology (PCR, qPCR, Western blotting) of human tissue samples
What we are looking for
You will be dynamic, creative, and independent. You should be interested in the questions being pursued, as well as performing your work to the highest standards. Experience with running software pipelines and some computational experience will be advantageous. Having experience working with neuropathology and handling of post-mortem samples will be beneficial. While close supervision will be provided when needed, the post holder also will be given opportunities in areas of expertise and in supervising rotating project students for their technical training.
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Key details
- Location: UK DRI at Cardiff, Cardiff
- Salary: £40,497 - £45,413
- Lab: Connor-Robson
We have an exciting opportunity to appoint an enthusiastic and experienced bioinformatician to join Dr Connor-Robson’s research group within the UK Dementia Research Institute at Cardiff University. Dr Connor-Robson’s lab centres on the use of cutting-edge induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models to study the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases with particular focus on endocytic dysfunction. The group study neurons, microglia and astrocytes models to translate the complex genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease into a better understanding of cellular and molecular changes that occur during disease. The labs ultimate aim is to translate our findings into better drug targets and therapeutic strategies.
We are seeking an enthusiastic Research Associate to join the team. This person will work with transcriptomic and proteomic datasets from our novel Alzheimer’s disease patient derived iPSC lines and use them to investigate disease mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic avenues. The project is a collaboration with the pharmaceutic company Sparc who the successful candidate will work alongside to help identify novel therapeutic targets. The successful candidate will work together with others in the lab to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease. They will be highly independent and will help drive the project to its fruitful completion.Job Description
Job Purpose
To conduct research to understand the molecular mechanisms relating to the endocytic pathway in Alzheimer’s disease using novel transcriptomic and proteomic datasets from our unique patient derived iPSC models. This project is in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Sparc who you will work closely with to develop the bioinformatics findings to potential therapeutic targets. You will 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.
Duties and Responsibilities
Key Duties
Research
• To conduct bioinformatics and functional genomics research on a range of biological data relevant to cellular dysfunction and molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease and 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.
• To work with novel transcriptomics and proteomic datasets to provide insight into cellular changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
• 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 review and synthesise existing research literature around informatics relevant to Alzheimer’s disease.
• 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.
Other
• To engage effectively with industrial, commercial and public sector organisations, professional institutions, other academic institutions etc., regionally and nationally 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
• Any other duties not included above, but consistent with the role.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications and Education
1. Postgraduate degree at PhD level in bioinformatics, 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 Bioinformatics/Biostatistics, especially gene and protein expression/functional genomics.
3. Experience in using R, UNIX/Linux and/or Python scripting and the manipulation and analysis of large biological datasets in different data formats.
4. Knowledge of current status of research on the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration
5. Proven ability to publish in national/international journals or other research outputs
6. Knowledge and understanding of competitive research funding to be able to develop applications to funding bodies
Communication and Team Working
7. Proven ability in effective and persuasive communication
8. Ability to supervise the work of others to focus team efforts and motivate individuals
Other
9. Proven ability to demonstrate creativity, innovation and team-working within work
10. Proven ability to work without close supervision
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Key details
- Location UK DRI at Imperial
- Salary: £48,056 - £56,345 per annum
- Lab: Dr Marco Brancaccio
The Brancaccio Lab invites applications from talented, highly motivated and creative postdoctoral scientists to take a leading role in one of the following projects investigating molecular cellular and circuit mechanisms driving circadian dysfunction in pre-clinical models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
What you would be doing
Project: Leveraging circadian clocks to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
In this project, you will develop new molecular tools modifying circadian pathways to prevent/ delay Alzheimer’s disease. This project stems from newly established mouse models and clock molecular targets identified in the Brancaccio Lab. You will perform viral delivery of gene therapy viral vectors, behavioural assessment of sleep-wake cycles and cognition, multiplexed live imaging in brain tissue, combinatorial intersectional genetics, and multivariate statistical analysis of time series to validate new chronotherapeutic interventions in Alzheimer’s disease. Further experience with analyses of large ‘OMICS dataset and advanced molecular biology tools in addition to stereotaxic brain surgery and live imaging will be an element of significant strength for this position. Previous knowledge of circadian biology is desirable but not strictly necessary.
What we are looking for
- You will be a motivated and organised researcher, excited by the science we do.
- You will hold (or be near completion of) a PhD in neuroscience (or related discipline).
- Experience of one or more laboratory techniques including live imaging microscopy and advanced techniques of molecular biology (e.g., cloning, viral vector design, construction and production, CRISPR/Cas9 and/or RNAi functional interference
- Experience of one or more software packages is essential: MATLAB, ImageJ, SigmaPlot,
- Prism, R, as is experience in statistical analysis.
- Practical experience with RNAseq, RNA scope, and spatial transcriptomic techniques is highly desirable.
- Experience with multivariate statistical analysis of (circadian) time series is highly desirable.
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Key details
- Location UK DRI at Cambridge
- Salary: £46,735-£59,139
- Lab: Prof Mina Ryten
Applications are invited for a Group Leader in the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
The mission of the UK DRI at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Mina Ryten, is to create a collaborative, inter-disciplinary Centre that combines world-leading expertise across cell biology, chemistry, transcriptomics and genetics to understand the mechanisms driving neurodegeneration. We study all stages of disease in order to identify therapeutic targets with the greatest potential to treat dementia. Our existing research themes encompassing protein aggregation and clearance, ER dynamics, autophagy, DNA repair and transcriptomics, have already been highly successful and we intend to build on this momentum by continuing to recruit talented scientists.
We are looking for a clinical or non-clinical researcher to lead an individual internationally competitive research programme into neurodegeneration within the UK DRI here at Cambridge. We seek creative and innovative proposals for a new research programme in areas including but not limited to: the genetics of neurodegenerative disorders, the application of 'Omics technologies to the study of neurodegenerative disorders and the development of computational methods with a particular focus on integrative approaches.
For questions relating to the post, please contact Professor Mina Ryten at mr2022@cam.ac.uk for an informal and confidential discussion about the role.
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 5 years in the first instance.