Are you planning to submit a senior research fellowship* application from April 2025? The Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge seeks Expressions of Interest from early career researchers who wish to be sponsored for externally funded fellowships that will allow them to start an independent research group in our Department.

We offer a programme of support that will help you to establish your independence as an academic researcher, including assistance with your fellowship application, setting up your lab and recruiting personnel, as well as mentoring and training to help you develop your career. Research fellows will also have access to the comprehensive package of ongoing support available from the School of Biological Sciences https://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/research/research-fellowships.

During the past 10 years, every one of our Senior Research Fellows has secured a lectureship or equivalent position at leading international universities and research institutes.

We are pleased to offer a 10-month Knowledge-Exchange Research Associate position to work on the final stages of an ambitious three-site cross-cultural study of children’s school readiness safely.

This post will be based in Hong Kong and run from as soon as possible after the interview to July 31st 2025. We are offering this as a FT post, but welcome applications from candidates who’d prefer a PT role (60%+).

As the post is based in Hong Kong, fluency in local Chinese is essential. The successful candidate will also have excellent spoken and written English. A key responsibility for the role is to raise the visibility and impact of a WEMP Foundation funded University of Cambridge study of Hong Kong children’s school readiness. The role will be focused but varied, including (but not be limited to) helping to translate a book for teachers, producing briefing reports for policymakers, and making short educational videos for parents.

As an exemplary communicator and coordinator, your mission is to inspire teachers, policymakers, families, and build relationships between these groups with a view to transforming early years education in Hong Kong. Previous experience in teaching, science-communication, or marketing would therefore also be useful. You will operate as part of a team and work collaboratively with both the WEMP Foundation and the University of Cambridge HK Ready or Not team.

Applications are invited for a post-doctoral research associate to work in the group of Prof. Hugo Bronstein from 1st Oct or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will be involved in the design, synthesis and characterisation of new conjugated materials for use in optoelectronic applications.

Applicants should have a PhD in chemistry with expertise in the synthesis of conjugated small molecule and/or polymers. Key skills that are required are the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously including coordinating with other group members and collaborators. Additional expertise in computational, solid state, photophysical, electrochemical characterisation, device fabrication would be highly valued.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate a record of productivity, as measured by the quality and quantity of published work, together with excellent communication, organisational and administrative skills.

Click the ‘Apply’ button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position to help direct and conduct research in a team of scientists under the leadership of Prof Duncan Astle, alongside a wide team of collaborators across the University of Cambridge. The research work will support a Medical Research Council funded research programme aimed at understanding how the development of the human brain, and characterising the drivers of variability in that development. This role holder will use a range of methods, and a strong quantitative background is highly desirable for the role.

Research conducted in the lab sits at the intersection between developmental systems neuroscience, cognition, neuroinformatics and computational modelling. Anyone with experience in those areas is encouraged to apply. A hallmark of our work is the application of novel methodological approaches to large scale datasets, so experience with this would be a real advantage.

Good interpersonal skills are important. A requirement is that you can provide clear seminars on complex issues to an interdisciplinary audience, provide authoritative advice, support students and staff, and work as part of a team on collaborative projects. The position is an ideal springboard for scientists interested in bringing advanced methods to improve our understanding of brain development.

The Cambridge Stem Cell Institute is an international centre of excellence for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Scientists in the Institute collaborate to advance our knowledge of various stem cell types and to perform pioneering work in translational research areas, providing the foundation for new medical treatments (https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/).

The laboratory of Dr Mekayla Storer (https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/people/pi/dr-mekayla-storer) uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand why the distal portion of the digit tip is the only part of the limb that can regenerate in mammals. The key step in this process is the formation of a blastema, a transiently proliferating mass of cells that the regenerates the different cell types of the digit to replicate the original structure. Therefore the broad goal of our research is to understand which cells and molecular pathways are necessary for this process. A portion of our present research builds on our previous work (Storer et al., Dev. Cell 2020) that used high-throughput single-cell mRNA sequencing and Cre-recombinase based lineage tracing to define the transcriptional identity of the mesenchymal cells comprising the blastema and the major transitions during mammalian digit tip regeneration. We are looking for a dedicated post-doctoral researcher to determine which of these factors present during digit tip amputation are necessary for successful regeneration and the mechanisms that underly this process. The post holder will use high-resolution imaging analysis, single cell transcriptomics/multi-omics approaches, in vitro culture with CRISPR-mediated gene regulation and in vivo transplantation assays.

We are seeking highly motivated postdoctoral scientists to join our team and advance our understanding of cardiovascular diseases through innovative approaches. This position will be based at the Sinha lab within the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge. The Sinha lab focuses on using pluripotent stem cell-based systems to generate cardiovascular cells including 3D engineered heart tissues.

The successful candidate will be highly motivated, collaborative and have expertise in pluripotent stem cell biology and cardiac biology. Prior experience in single cell genomics, stem cell culture and gene editing is highly desirable. Key Responsibilities:

Develop and optimize stem cell-based models for disease modeling Analyze single-cell data to uncover insights into cardiac cell development and disease mechanisms Use bioinformatics tools to interpret large-scale genomic data and identify key regulatory pathways involved in heart development Generate new cell lines through genetic editing

A Ph.D. in cardiovascular biology, stem cell biology, molecular biology, genomics, or a related field Strong background in stem cell culture and differentiation techniques Experience with single-cell RNA sequencing and related computational analysis Proficiency in bioinformatics and statistical analysis software (e.g., R, Python) Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative research team

We are pleased to offer a 10-month post-doctoral research associate position to work on the final stages of an ambitious three-site cross-cultural study of children’s school readiness safely.

This post will be based at the University of Cambridge Psychology Department and run from as soon as possible after the interview to July 31st 2025.

Given the complex nature of the data from this study, you must have a strong track record in applying sophisticated statistical analyses (e.g., structural equation modelling, testing for measurement invariance), and in drawing culturally appropriate interpretations of the results.
More than half of the raw data involves videos or transcripts from Chinese speaking families and so you must also be fluent in Mandarin and/or Cantonese (as well as having excellent spoken and written English).

Ideally, you will also have a good understanding of the empirical literature surrounding the cognitive underpinnings of children’s school readiness (e.g., executive functions, mind-reading skills) and of family influences on children’s school success.

Duties associated with this post will be varied, ranging from statistical analysis and preparation of academic articles to assisting a team member in Hong Kong in co-ordinating knowledge-exchange activities and resources (e.g., helping to translate a book for teachers, to produce briefing reports for policymakers, and to make short educational videos for parents

The Bulstrode Lab studies the biology of neural stem cells in development, cancer and neurodegeneration. We are also developing new technology for targeted delivery of treatments to patients. Recent grant awards from Parkinson’s UK and Brain Research UK will each fund a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the group and work respectively on:

(1) ‘Developing an Adaptable Dopamine Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Using the HIF Pathway’

(2) ‘Gene and mRNA therapy approaches to Tumour Associated Macrophages in Glioblastoma’.

The successful candidates will have a strong basic science research track record at doctoral level. Experience in some or all of mammalian cell culture, routine molecular biology workflows, imaging, cloning, and next generation sequencing analysis is highly desirable.

We benefit from privileged access to human patient tissue resected at operation and to human embryo brain tissue, and you will be applying the above techniques to state-of-the-art human model systems including:

• Primary patient-derived cell lines
• Pluripotent stem-derived neurons and organoids.
• Human brain organotypic slice culture
• Isolated human brain cell fractions

Alongside the aptitude and initiative to pursue personal research objectives, candidates will need to demonstrate the scientific knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm to help guide students day-to-day, contribute scientifically and socially to the lab and wider institute, and contribute some admin and organisational duties. It is essential that the successful candidate can work both independently and as part of a research team, with good communication and organisational skills.

A BBSRC-funded Postdoctoral Associate position is available in the Davies lab to study damage signalling in Arabidopsis triggered by root cyst nematodes. The successful candidate will explore the role of extracellular purines and calcium channels in this pathway, in collaboration with Prof. Sebastian Eves van den Akke (Crops Science Centre, Cambridge) and Prof. Taufiq Rahman (Department of Pharmacology, Cambridge). A combination of protein-protein interactions, calcium imaging, electrophysiology (including heterologous expression systems) and quantitative phenotyping can be deployed. The successful candidate will also be involved in preparing publications, presenting at conferences and supervising students.

Applicants must have or be close to obtaining a PhD in Plant Biology, Molecular Biology, Cell Signalling or a relevant field. Where a PhD has yet to be awarded the appointment will initially be at Research Assistant level (Grade 5) and amended to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon the award of your PhD.

The post-doctoral research assistant / associate will join the Kromdijk lab at the Department of Plant Sciences to work on chilling tolerance in maize. Maize is a global food, feedstock and bioenergy crop with a world-wide production volume of 1.09 billion metric tons. Maize was domesticated by ancient farmers in Mexico approximately 9000 years ago and is one of the most susceptible crops to chilling-induced photoinhibition amongst those grown in temperate regions. As a result, maize yields at higher latitudes are limited by a relatively short growing season and maize is sensitive to yield losses due to early and late season cold snaps and poor early season establishment of sufficient leaf area to efficiently capture light and compete with weeds.

Maize operates the C4 carbon concentrating mechanism, which separates carbon acquisition and assimilation between two distinct cell types. While C4 photosynthesis in maize is clearly chilling-sensitive, one long-standing question is how the two photosynthetic cell types (bundle sheath and mesophyll) differ in their responses. To address this question, the postdoctoral researcher will focus on characterising transcriptome responses to chilling, specifically in mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. To do so, the position will focus on testing a set of novel transgenic maize lines carrying TRAPseq and INTACT constructs to probe transcriptomes from these two cell types and using the most promising lines in controlled chilling experiments.

The post-doctoral research assistant / associate will join the Kromdijk lab at the Department of Plant Sciences and be embedded in a larger research team seeking to deploy new thermal detection technology to address a range of global change issues.

The postdoc’s project aims to perform lab-based experiments on the effect of elevated temperature on selected species from a peatland ecosystem (Scottish Highlands, Cairngorms) using a range of optical sensing techniques (thermal, chlorophyll fluorescence and reflectance), which are suitable for upscaling. Ultimately, these controlled experiments aim to enhance our ability to predict peatland responses to global warming.

The overall team is interdisciplinary, comprising researchers in the Plant Sciences, Architecture and Astronomy Departments as well as the industrial partner Super Sharp Space Systems Ltd, who are leading the overall project.

To apply for this vacancy, you need upload two (2) CVs (Curriculum Vitae) in different formats: a Narrative CV and your standard CV (full details in the Further Particulars).

This is a real vacancy that is being studied as part of the Action Research on Research Culture project (ARRC, https://www.arrc.group.cam.ac.uk/).

The ARRC team are investigating the effects of CV format on shortlisting. If you consent to take part in the study, the ARRC team will use information from the shortlisting process to understand the impact of different CV formats. The recruiting academic will not be told whether you have joined the study so your choice about whether to take part in the study cannot influence the decision on who to appoint. Further details can be found in the ‘Further particulars’ document. If you have questions about the ARRC project, please contact: arrcproject@admin.cam.ac.uk

A postdoctoral position is available in the Henderson group to investigate centromere structure, function and evolution using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, funded by the ERC and UKRI. The post is available for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of further extension.

The successful candidate will lead an ambitious experimental genetic program to dissect centromere structure and function, using genetic and epigenetic modification in Arabidopsis. The project will involve combining classical genetics with Oxford Nanopore long-read DNA sequencing, and CRISPR-mediated genome and epigenome engineering. The objective is to understand fundamental aspects of centromere identity, with cross-cutting relevance across eukaryotes. Knowledge of centromere identity will also find translation in building plant synthetic chromosomes.

The post-holder will be supported by a full-time technician to facilitate the planned plant work and molecular biology. The successful candidate will also collaborate closely with a bioinformatics postdoctoral fellow to be appointed at the same time on the same project, and with other Henderson group members.

The post-holder will obtain a cutting-edge training in genetics and genomics, including the generation and analysis of Nanopore long-read data, and CRISPR-Cas9 approaches. The University of Cambridge also offers abundant training opportunities in computational approaches, presentation skills and networking. The University of Cambridge is also a major centre for both plant science, and genomics, providing extensive opportunities for collaboration and presentation of research findings and further career development and growth.

A postdoctoral position is available in the Henderson group to investigate centromere structure, function and evolution using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, funded by the ERC and UKRI. The post is available for three years in the first instance, with the possibility of extension.

The successful candidate will lead an ambitious bioinformatics program to dissect centromere structure and function, using both genetic and epigenetic data in Arabidopsis. The project will involve analysing data derived from classical genetic experiments, as well as Oxford Nanopore long-read DNA sequencing, and the results of CRISPR-mediated genome and epigenome engineering. The objective is to understand fundamental aspects of centromere identity, with cross-cutting relevance across eukaryotes. Knowledge of centromere identity will also find translation in building plant synthetic chromosomes.

The successful candidate will collaborate closely with an experimental postdoctoral fellow and a research technician to be appointed at the same time on the same project, and with other Henderson group members.

The post-holder will obtain a cutting-edge training in bioinformatic analysis of complex genome regions, including the assembly, analysis and epigenome profiling using Nanopore long-read data. The University of Cambridge also offers abundant training opportunities in computational approaches, presentation skills and networking. The University of Cambridge is also a major centre for both plant science, and genomics, providing extensive opportunities for collaboration and presentation of research findings and further career development and growth.

The ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute (ADDI), part of the University of Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) (http://cambridge-ddi.alzheimersresearchuk.org/), is seeking a Research Assistant or Research Associate with a background in animal research and tissue processing to join its established team. The ADDI is part of a network of world-class Drug Discovery Institutes, funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, forming the Alzheimer’s Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance. The work of the ADDI at Cambridge is aimed at validating new drug targets and identifying potential new drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease as well as other types of neurodegeneration.

The successful candidate will join our team to carry out animal research in a drug discovery environment. They will receive training and support to perform hands-on experiments with live animals and tissue samples from animal studies, as well as to provide broader technical support to the in vivo biology team. This is an exciting opportunity to join a cutting-edge drug discovery team focusing on the diseases that cause dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions, and to develop a range of valuable laboratory techniques. You will be expected to have experience in working within a laboratory-based environment, particularly working with animals. You will work closely with other biologists in the team, thereby making an instrumental contribution towards the project pipeline of the ADDI.

A successful Research Assistant candidate will hold a BSc or equivalent in a Life Science or related subject. Priority will be given to applicants with prior roles in animal research, including animal facility technicians and other roles involving mouse husbandry work. Research Associate appointments require a PhD or imminent completion of a PhD with relevant experience.

A position is open for a Postdoctoral Research Associate/Assistant as part of an ERC awarded project funded by UKIR at the University of Cambridge in the group Catalysis and Process Integration group led Dr Laura Torrente (www.capi.ceb.cam.ac.uk).

The successful candidate will have a strong background in the synthesis and characterisation of heterogeneous catalysts and/or expertise in chemical reaction engineering, including a PhD in a relevant area. Experience in inorganic chemistry, nitrogen activation and chemical looping would be advantageous.

The aim of the project is the development of catalysts for the synthesis of green ammonia with a focus on the mechanisms of nitrogen activation and the use of readily available materials. The research will involve the investigation of novel ammonia synthesis routes, including chemical looping systems.

The ability to work both as part of a team and independently, coupled with excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills are required. The duties / responsibilities of this post include developing and driving research objectives, writing up work for presentation and publication, collaborating with academic and industrial partners, assisting in the supervision of student research projects, and delivering seminars and occasional talks as outlined on the Further Information document.

Applicants should provide a CV, including contact details of three referees and a covering letter describing their suitability for the role. For further information contact Prof Laura Torrente (lt416@cam.ac.uk)

A position is open for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant/Associate as part of an ERC awarded project funded by UKIR at the University of Cambridge in the group Catalysis and Process Integration group led Dr Laura Torrente (www.capi.ceb.cam.ac.uk).

The successful candidate will have a strong background in sorption processes (i.e. absorption or adsorption), kinetic studies and characterization of materials, including a PhD in a relevant area. Knowledge of process design as well as the design, commissioning and use of flow systems will be advantageous.

The overall aim of the project is the development of novel green ammonia processes powered by renewable energy and able to cope with its intermittency nature. The position will focus on the study of absorption for the separation of ammonia at relatively low partial pressures. The research will focus on the mechanism and kinetics of ammonia on metal halides as well as their decomposition.

The ability to work both as part of a team and independently, coupled with excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills are required. The duties / responsibilities of this post include developing and driving research objectives, writing up work for presentation and publication, collaborating with academic and industrial partners, assisting in the supervision of student research projects, and delivering seminars and occasional talks as outlined on the Further Information document.

These roles will use advanced characterisation techniques to make critical assessments of the residual stresses present in aerospace alloys. One post will focus on solid state titanium welds, and the other will explore additively manufactured superalloy structures.

The posts will be based at the Rolls-Royce UTC and will be supervised between Prof. NG Jones, Prof. HJ Stone and Dr DM Collins.

Both posts will aim to provide a more complete understanding of the stress states that exist following solid-state welding (in Ti-6Al-4V) or additive manufacturing (in Ni-base superalloys) and how the material relaxes during subsequent thermal treatments.

The work will involve thorough microstructural characterisation and in situ experiments at national radiation facilities. The outcomes will not only be critical to our industrial partners but will be used by other collaborators to help develop more accurate process models. As such, these projects will involve regular meetings with industrial and academic specialists and, therefore, will require the production and delivery of high-quality oral presentations.

Applicants must have achieved a good honours degree in a relevant subject (e.g. Metallurgy, Materials Science, Physics, Chemistry) and have, or be about to complete, a PhD in Metallurgy or Materials Science.

Applicants must have (or be about to receive) a PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related subject. The ideal candidate will have experience in code development and/or use of first principles methods (e.g. DFT, GW, BSE, DMFT). Applicants must also have a strong track record of publications in computational condensed matter and materials science, excellent communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively in a team of scientists with different backgrounds, and a willingness to take a leading role in the supervision of junior group members.

The successful candidate will be part of a thriving community of computational materials scientists as part of the Materials Theory Group in the Department of Materials and as part of the Lennard-Jones Centre in the wider University of Cambridge. Similarly, the successful candidate will benefit from multiple collaborations with local and international experimental teams.

We are seeking to recruit at post-doctoral level but we will consider applicants who have recently submitted a PhD thesis. The salary range if appointed as a Research Associate is £36,024 – £44,263 pa and as a Research Assistant is £29,605 – £33,966 with promotion to Research Associate on attainment of PhD.

The closing date for applications is 23rd August 2024. Interviews are expected to take place between 4th-12th September.

To apply for this vacancy, you need upload two CVs (Curriculum Vitae) in different formats: a Narrative CV and your standard CV (full details in the Further Particulars). This vacancy is real. In addition, this vacancy is being studied as part of the Action Research on Research Culture project (ARRC) https://www.arrc.group.cam.ac.uk/

The ARRC team are investigating the effects of CV format on shortlisting. If you consent to participating in this study, please confirm this in your cover letter. If you consent to take part in the study the ARRC team will use information from the shortlisting process to understand the impact of different CV formats. The recruiting academic will not be told whether you have joined the study so your choice about whether to take part in the study cannot influence the decision on who to appoint. Further details can be found in the documents linked on this advert. If you have questions about the ARRC project, please contact: arrcproject@admin.cam.ac.uk

The successful applicant will be an excellent team player, highly solution orientated and self-motivated. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential, alongside the ability to work independently and with others, with a high degree of accuracy including outstanding record keeping. The Jones group is looking for a person keen to work in a highly collaborative set-up and enthusiastic to join our diverse and interdisciplinary team. Solid communication skills are required to interact with group members and other researchers at SLCU with different scientific backgrounds. Candidates should also demonstrate a history of science communication (e.g. presentations, outreach activities, teaching).

The Laboratory provides a welcoming and collaborative environment with a wide-range of family-friendly benefits and development opportunities. More about the Sainsbury Laboratory and details of what the University offers to employees, can be found at: http://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/.

The Bartlett lab studies the developmental and evolutionary processes underpinning plant diversity. We work to identify the genes that regulate plant development, describe the evolutionary histories of these genes, and connect molecular evolution to the evolution of plant form. Traits we focus on include the evolution of sex determination (Gallagher et al, 2023; Klein et al, 2022, and Subramaniam and Bartlett, 2024), and the evolution of floral organ elaborations called awns ( Schrager-Lavelle et al, 2017; Patterson et al, 2023, 2024). Floral sexuality and awns can be important in crop productivity. Thus, our work dissecting the mechanisms underpinning morphological diversification can have translational applications.

You will explore the molecular development and evolution of sex determination, or the development and evolution of awns. The precise direction of the project will depend on your expertise and interests. Whichever direction the project takes, you will explore morphological and molecular evolution using a range of techniques, including molecular biology, comparative anatomy and morphology, evolutionary genomics, phylogenetic comparative methods, quantitative phenotyping, and microscopy. You will have expertise in one or more of the experimental systems or techniques we use, with a willingness to gain expertise or collaborate in other areas. Foundations in molecular biology and plant developmental biology are required. We particularly welcome candidates with expertise in grass transformation. Proficiency in molecular cloning, genomics and bioinformatics, comparative anatomy and morphology, phylogenetic comparative methods, molecular evolution, or image analysis would also be valuable.

You will be an excellent team player, and excited about collaborating. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required. You will have a track record of science communication, and have published in plant biology. You shall be fully involved in the research, including deciding the direction of your project with Dr Bartlett, leading publications, and presenting your work at conferences and seminars. You may also assist in supervising students.

The Sawarkar lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit is looking to appoint a Research Associate (Postdoctoral Fellow) to contribute to its programme on Epigenetics, tRNA transcription and Neurodegeneration. The project will use state-of-the-art genomic technologies to identify epigenetic determinants that lead to protein misfolding in neurons.

Using single-cell technologies for in vivo mouse models as well as embryonic stem cell differentiation models of neurodegeneration, the project will identify mechanisms leading to age-associated protein misfolding in neurons. The focus of the work will be on the role of tRNAs in neurodegeneration and protein misfolding.

Your role will be to support the research activities of the group and conduct your own research projects within the remit of the research programme at the frontiers of molecular bioscience.

For further details, please see Leone et al (2024) Mol Cell and Mulroney et al (2024) Nature.

You will need to hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in an appropriate field such as molecular cell biology/chromatin/transcription, together with proven skills obtained in a molecular cell biology lab (RNA work, mammalian cell culture, cloning and protein work). You will be able to work both independently and as part of a team, have excellent communication and organisational skills with full commitment to the publication of data.

The Maori lab (https://www.bioc.cam.ac.uk/research/maori), based in the Department of Biochemistry at Cambridge University, is inviting applications for a Research Assistant/Research Associate. The position holder will join our research programme, which centres around RNA transmission between organisms.

RNA flow between organisms has been documented within and among different kingdoms of life. To date, known functions of such transmissible RNA have been limited to host-parasite interactions where the RNA negatively affects the recipient organism. Nevertheless, the question of why any organism would uptake regulatory RNA from the environment has remained largely unanswered.

Honeybees are eusocial insects, living in a colony that is often described as a superorganism. RNA mobility between cells of an organism has been shown in animals and plants. We recently discovered that RNA spreads further in honeybees and is horizontally transferred between individuals and across generations (Maori et al., Mol Cell, 2019; Maori et al., Cell Reports, 20219). Ongoing work in the lab has revealed that RNA originating from a gut-restricted bacterium is taken up and spread systemically within the bee host and has the capacity to target honeybee pathogens. Yet, the extent of RNA transmission between honeybees and their surrounding micro-organisms is poorly understood.

A Research Assistant/Research Associate position is available to utilise computational biology methods to track and study natural RNA transmission between honeybees and the hive biome. Broadly, the project investigates the mechanisms and roles of transmissible RNA, including social immunity and genome regulation with impacts on the physiology and fitness of recipient bees. This research will provide knowledge and tools that will enable studying the biology of horizontal RNA transfer in other organisms, including humans, in diverse biological aspects; hence, it will ultimately contribute to the development of RNA-based applications to promote health and disease control.

The successful applicant will employ surface chemistry techniques, synthetic chemistry and electrochemistry to create new coatings on surfaces to eradiate problematic biofilms. They will be expected to work in multi-disciplinary teams, in particular, they will work with Martin Welch from the Department of Biochemistry to test the new coatins on model pathogenic strains.

Applicants should have (or be about to obtain) a PhD in chemistry, materials science, biophysics or related disciplines. It is essential that the applicant can demonstrate expertise biofouling and basic synthesis. Experience in the use of Quartz Crystal Microbalance/Dissipation and microbiological techniques are desirable. The candidate will gain experience in using a range of state-of-the-art biophysical characterisation methods, as well as personal development and leadership skills.