Current Vacancies
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at UCL
- Salary: £43,981-£52,586 per annum
The UK DRI Single Cell and Spatial Omics (SCSO) Platform carries out wet lab experiments and computational analysis of experiments employing single cell and spatial -omics techniques for researchers based in the UK DRI, UCL Institute of Neurology, and affiliated labs.
The SCSO Platform provides access to specialised equipment and training to utilise said equipment, advice and recommendations for experiment planning and grant writing, and oversees and manages equipment.
About the role
You will work with the Platform Manager to provide services, collaboration opportunities, and technical support across the distributed structure of the UK DRI. You will work with researchers to ensure access to a range of techniques regardless of physical location.
You will also undertake processing and analysis of the large datasets that arise from the studies and carry out bioinformatics analysis of the data or advise on this analysis.
You will use your experience using techniques in spatial transcriptomics to enable UK DRI scientists to apply the techniques to their research. As a scientist who values and prioritises collaboration in research, you will work with UK DRI researchers on a range of neurodegenerative disease types, mechanisms and models, implementing the best available technology for the job at hand and striving for excellence in data quality to help meet the scientific aims of the UK DRI.
The post is available immediately and funded by the UK DRI for eighteen months in the first instance with possibility of further extension.
Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Dr Daria Gavriouchkina (d.gavriouchkina@ucl.ac.uk)
About you
You’ll have a PhD in Neuroscience (or a related subject area) and substantial experience producing, designing, and building a spatial transcriptomics system, designing and implementing analysis pipelines for processing spatial transcriptomics data, and employing advanced computational tolls to select cell type marker genes. Advanced knowledge of Python, R, and bash, and excellent communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills are also essential for this role.
-
Key details
- Location: UK DRI at Edinburgh, Edinburgh
- Salary: £41,064 to £48,822 per annum
- Lab: Dr. Rikesh Rajani
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.
The Opportunity:
The Rajani Lab investigates the mechanisms of white matter damage in vascular and other dementias. We use a range of innovative methodologies and models to understand oligodendrocyte changes in vascular disease, and the interaction of these with neuronal activity. In this project the Research Fellow will use in vitro and ex vivo techniques to investigate the relationship between endothelial cells, oligodendrocytes and neurons in the context of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias. This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and is 100% on campus.
Your skills and attributes for success:
A PhD (or close to completion) in neuroscience or other relevant discipline
Experience with neuronal, glial and/or vascular cell cultures
Ability to work independently Proactive and creative independent thinker
Ability to problem-solve and troubleshoot technical difficulties
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at Imperial
- Salary: £43,863 - £47,223 per annum
- Lab: Dr Nathan Skene
About the role
Applications are invited for a fully funded Research Assistant in Single Cell Genomics 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).
What you would be doing
We are developing new methods for profiling the binding of transcription factors to DNA. We need these methods to work at single cell resolution which is requiring us to push the limits of existing microfluidics capabilities. You will be responsible for developing, testing and implementing novel protocols towards this goal. The Neurogenomics Lab is exploiting these technologies to enable genome function to be understood in disease relevant cell types. This is being done with a view towards commercialisation so would suit a highly motivated tech minded scientist with an engineering approach to molecular biology.
Working in state-of-the-art laboratories on Imperial’s newest campus for innovation in the heart of the west London tech corridor, the research group of Dr Nathan Skene in the UK DRI at Imperial seeks to identify regulatory mechanisms which cause neurodegenerative disorders, along with the cell types in which they act, and determine whether inhibition or activation of the pathway is associated with increased disease risk. Dr Skene’s research focuses on answering simple questions about brain diseases, through the analysis of epigenomic and genetic datasets. A major question of our group is identifying which cell types carry the most genetic load for brain disorders, by linking GWAS data to epigenomic data obtained using single cell methods. This research area is evolving rapidly. You will be given opportunities to train in new methods, develop new competencies relevant to the specific aims set and address major questions of importance for Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative conditions.
What we are looking for
- Development of novel methods for single cell genomics, using customisable microfluidic platforms
- Experience with general molecular biology and cellular genomics methods
- Work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary research team
- Demonstrate an aptitude for an organised, methodical approach to your work
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at UCL
- Salary: 43,981-£52,586
- Lab: Dr. Tim Bartels
About us
Based within the UK DRI at UCL, the Bartels lab fills the gap for scientific research on synuclein multimers and lipidomics associated with Parkinson’s Disease in close collaboration with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Queen Square Brain Bank. The Bartels laboratory is dedicated to understanding the biochemical nature of α-synuclein in healthy and diseased patients.
About the role
We are now recruiting a Research Fellow to work on a research project involving the role of the gut-brain axis in Parkinson’s disease, with focus on neuro-immune interaction in the CNS and ENS. You will be responsible for isolation of protein from human and murine tissue, FACS sorting of cell population shifts in this tissue, in vitro aggregation assays, and will carry out immunohistochemistry and single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.
The post is available from 01 May 2026 and is funded by the UK DRI at UCL for one year in the first instance.
Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Dr Tim Bartels (t.bartels@ucl.ac.uk)
About you
You will have a PhD, MD, or equivalent research experience in Biochemisry, Molecular Biology, or a related discipline, and experience with murine models of synucleinopathy. A background and knowledge in one or more of the following is essential: Neurodegeneration, synucleinopathies, biochemical analysis such as detergent extraction and Western Blot, neuro-immune interactions, IHC. You’ll also have strong communication and interpersonal skills, and be resourceful and able to act on your own initiative.
-
Key details
- Location UK DRI at Cambridge
- Salary: £33,002-£35,608
- Lab: Dr Will McEwan
Applications are invited for a highly motivated Research Assistant to join the McEwan laboratory at the UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge. Our group studies the molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation and its clearance in neurodegenerative disease.
The successful candidate will play a central role in the new UK DRI Human Tau Assemblies platform. They will be responsible for the production of well characterised tau samples for use in mechanistic studies across the UK DRI. This will include:
- Expression, purification and quality control of recombinant tau from E. coli and mammalian tissue culture sources
- Communication with colleagues across the UK DRI to co-ordinate production and distribution of samples
- Contributing to the management of the lab, for example by ordering reagents, assisting with scheduling of equipment repair, etc.
We welcome applications from candidates with a background in biochemistry, molecular biology or related disciplines. The role will require careful attention to reproducibility, dedicated record keeping and a strong ability to work collaboratively as part of a team. An aptitude for practical laboratory work, and experience in protein handling is desirable. Experience in mammalian cell culture or protein aggregation is also desirable but training will be provided.
About the UK DRI Human Tau Assemblies Platform Tau assemblies play a central role in neurodegenerative processes, occurring in approximately 20 distinct diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Recent advances have demonstrated that specific tau conformers exist in each human disease, implying that tau conformation may be critical to disease manifestation. Working with tau is challenging due to the wide range of different structures it can adopt, which reduces reproducibility between and within labs. The UK DRI Human Tau Assemblies Platform will provide researchers with sources of tau that have undergone standardised processes and which are appropriate the biological question. These include recombinant tau and cell-propagated hyperphosphorylated fibrils amplified from patient samples.