About us
The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia.
Based within the UK DRI at UCL, the Duff Lab focuses on understanding and finding treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which are both linked to harmful changes in a protein called tau. These changes, known as tauopathies, cause damage in the brain and lead to dementia.
About the role
The Duff lab (working with the lab of Professor Jernej Ule at Kings College London) seeks a highly motivated, experienced, and self-driven individual to work on an exciting project that aims to look at context-dependent regulation of gene expression in cell, mouse and human systems in response to tau tangle formation and cellular clearance pathways. The project aims to identify suitable gating elements to be used to control the expression of genetic therapies in human AD and FTD-tau.
The project will involve the identification and analysis of RNA mediated gene regulators that respond to the cellular environment exposed to tau pathogenesis and TRIM11 clearance, and to the construction of novel components to control AVV transgene expression and return the cellular environment to homeostasis. The project will combine the Duff lab’s skills in cellular and mouse modelling of AD and FTD, and the Ule lab’s skills in RNA biology.
The post is immediately available and funded by Wellcome until 31 August 2027 in the first instance.
About you
You will hold a PhD in biological science (or be close to obtaining) with experience in RNA biology. Experience in advanced computational approaches to transcriptomics/gene regulation analysis, in microscopy and image acquisition, and in molecular biology is essential, as is experience in protein imagining and of data quality control, data analyses using appropriate software tools and data interpretation. Experience in tau biology and disease pathogenesis and in protein clearance pathways is desirable.
Key details
- Location UK DRI at UCL
- Salary: £43,981-£52,586
- Lab: Professor Karen Duff