Vacancies

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.

Research from UK DRI at UCL covers the journey from the patient to the laboratory and back to the patient with improved diagnosis, biomarkers and candidate therapies put to the test.

The Hong Laboratory, based in the UK DRI at UCL, investigates glia-immune mechanisms of synapse loss in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. We study how the brain’s immune system (microglia and border-associated macrophages) interacts with glia (astrocytes) to influence neuronal synapses, as well as peripheral immune contributions such as gut-brain signaling. Our interdisciplinary work uses cutting-edge techniques including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, proteomics, super-resolution microscopy, in vivo tracking, mouse models, and human patient tissues and iPS-derived cells.

About the role

We are seeking a motivated Research Fellow to join the Hong Lab, focusing on neuroimmune interactions along the gut–brain axis in Parkinson’s disease. You will lead a project exploring how gut-resident macrophages and T cells contribute to synucleinopathy, building on recent discoveries from the lab (De Schepper et al., Nature 2026; ; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09984-y). The role involves designing and executing experiments using in vivo models, advanced imaging, omics, and cell-based approaches, as well as analysing and disseminating data.

The role is available from 01 April 2026 and funded by a Wellcome Trust Discovery Award until 31 March 2027 in the first instance.

We are looking for a collaborative, independent, and ambitious researcher with a PhD in Neuroimmunology, Neuroscience, or Immunology, and a strong track record of publications, presentations, and research skills.

You will have demonstrated ability to design, execute, and analyse complex experiments, and to contribute to interdisciplinary projects. You are proactive, resourceful, and able to work both independently and as part of a team, with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. A commitment to high-quality research, mentoring students, and contributing to the wider scientific community is essential.

As our Science Communications Manager, you will play a defining role - bringing our science to life, supercharging our community, and demonstrating the real-world impact of our work. You’ll sit at the intersection of science storytelling and digital innovation, shaping how groundbreaking research is understood, shared and discovered globally.

In this role you will:

• Lead the development and delivery of high-impact science communications that elevate the UK DRI’s profile nationally and internationally
• Own and evolve our digital ecosystem - website, SEO, analytics and emerging AI discoverability - ensuring our science is visible, authoritative and future-ready
• Translate complex neuroscience and dementia research into compelling, accessible content for diverse audiences - from world-leading researchers from different fields to people living with dementia, policymakers and the public
• Drive the creation of standout, multi-format content including articles, case studies, reports, newsletters, video, social media and digital campaigns that showcase the impact of our science, initiatives and partners
• Partner closely with researchers, senior leadership and collaborators to identify powerful stories, shape narratives and align communications with key scientific milestones
• Build and nurture relationships across the research ecosystem, working collaboratively with academic, industry and funding partners
• Use data and insight to continuously optimise content performance, reach and engagement
• Act as an ambassador for the Institute - championing our mission and strengthening our national and global community

About You

You are a confident and creative science communicator who thrives on turning complexity into clarity and impact. You’re as comfortable shaping narratives as you are creating hands-on content, and you bring a strong digital reach mindset to everything you do.

• Proven experience in science communications, with a strong portfolio of engaging, high-quality content
• Exceptional writing, editing and storytelling skills, with the ability to adapt tone and style for different audiences and platforms
• Strong digital expertise, including web design, content, SEO, analytics and social media, with an eye on emerging trends including AI-driven discoverability
• Ability to quickly understand and translate complex scientific concepts into clear, compelling narratives
• A proactive, self-starting mindset with the drive to spot opportunities and make things happen
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with experience working collaboratively across scientific, academic or policy environments
• Highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects and deliver to tight deadlines
• A genuine passion for science communication and a commitment to improving lives through research

About the Project
The British Heart Foundation and UK Dementia Research Institute are funding a 4-year PhD programme across the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, Leicester and University College London, focused on Vascular Contributions to Dementia and Neurodegeneration.
The programme will recruit 5 students per year, with the first intake in September 2026. Stipends and fees will be paid at the BHF rate, and additional research funds and travel costs will be available to host laboratories.

Programme:
Students will spend the first year rotating across laboratories to gain training in a broad range of research techniques, before selecting a full research project and supervisor for the subsequent three years. Available projects span the full spectrum of research into vascular dementia and neurodegeneration. Potential supervisors and projects are listed below.

How to apply:
Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, at least an upper second-class degree in any area of Biological or Physical Sciences. Non-UK applicants may apply and, if successful, will receive the normal BHF stipend, but may be required to cover the international fees.
To apply, please send a CV and a statement (maximum 2 pages) outlining your interest in the programme, and arrange for two referees to submit references to: neurophd@ucl.ac.uk
Please note that applicants are responsible for ensuring referees submit their references.
Please also specify in your application which university you would prefer to attend.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an online interview shortly after the deadline. The PhD programme will commence in September 2026.

For further information:
Please contact one of the following university leads:
David Attwell, UCL, d.attwell@ucl.ac.uk
Jatinder Minhas, Leicester, jm591@leicester.ac.uk
Axel Montagne, Edinburgh, axel.montagne@ed.ac.uk
Sana Suri, Oxford, sana.suri@psych.ox.ac.uk

About the role:

The team of Prof. Jernej Ule is seeking a Laboratory Technician to join a team of researchers working on the roles of ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNP) and their defects in neurodegenerative disorders.

The post holder will focus on biochemistry and molecular biology techniques, in particular transcriptomic studies of RNA regulation and protein-RNA interactions, maintenance and characterisation of human cell lines, preparation of cell extracts, RNA extraction and general biochemistry such as western blots, thus contributing to relevant publications in collaboration with other team members.

The post is based at the Ule Regulatory RNA Networks lab at UKDRI Centre at King’s. The lab consists of 8 researchers including PhD students and postdoctoral fellows. For more information, please see the laboratory website.

This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30/09/2027

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. MSc in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Neurobiology, Cell Biology or a related discipline
2. Experience in molecular and cellular biology
3. Experience with transcriptomic studies of gene expression
4. Experience in experimental design and bench work
5. IT proficiency (Spreadsheet, Word Processing, Database, Email, Web based applications)
6. Excellent communication and organizational skills, with a meticulous and accurate approach to work.
7. Strong problem-solving abilities
8. Excellent inter-personal skills with an ability to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting

Desirable criteria

1. Experience with bioinformatics
2. Experience in studies of protein-RNA complexes
3. Experience in immunostaining
4. Experience with differentiating iPS cells into neurons
5. Interest in and a commitment to supporting high quality research

About the role:

Dr Daniel Solomon is seeking a Research Assistant to support a research project investigating how mutations in the TDP-43 protein associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia alter nuclear pore transport and its interaction with the nuclear pore permeability barrier. This role will contribute to advancing mechanistic understanding of how disease-associated mutations disrupt nucleocytoplasmic transport, a key feature of neurodegeneration.

The postholder will work closely with the Principal Investigator and will undertake a combination of biochemical and cell-based experimental approaches. This will include recombinant protein expression and purification, in vitro assays, fluorescence microscopy (including FRAP), and cell-based transport assays. The Research Assistant will contribute to data acquisition, quantitative analysis, and optimisation of experimental workflows, ensuring high standards of reproducibility and scientific rigour.

The role offers the opportunity to work on a multidisciplinary project at the interface of cell biology, biophysics and neurodegeneration research. The postholder will also support the organisation and day-to-day running of the laboratory, maintain accurate experimental records, and contribute to the timely delivery of project objectives.

This is a fixed-term position focused on delivering key experimental outputs within a defined study, with scope to contribute to publications and future funding applications.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed-term contract until 30/11/26.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. MSc/BSc/MSc in cell biology, biochemistry, biophysics, neuroscience or a related discipline.
2. Practical laboratory experience in molecular biology and/or protein biochemistry (e.g. protein expression and purification).
3. Experience working with mammalian cell culture and basic cell biology techniques.
4. Experience with fluorescence microscopy and image acquisition (e.g. confocal imaging).
5. Ability to perform quantitative data analysis and interpret experimental results.
6. Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage and prioritise experimental work across multiple assays.
7. Excellent attention to detail and commitment to reproducible, high-quality research.
8. Good communication skills and ability to work effectively as part of a research team.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience with protein biochemistry or working with recombinant proteins.
2. Experience with phase separation or biomolecular condensate assays.
3. Experience working with image-based data analysis tools.
4. Familiarity with cell-based assays in a research laboratory setting.
5. Experience working in a multidisciplinary research environment (e.g. combining cell biology, biochemistry or biophysics approaches).

About us

The UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC), based in the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and led by Professor Nick Fox, is a hub for clinical research into various forms of dementia. Our work focuses on identifying and understanding the disease processes that cause dementia, the factors that influence these disease processes, and how best to support people with dementia and their families. In addition to our research, we also provide a cognitive disorders clinic within the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

About the role

We are seeking an outstanding and highly motivated Clinical Research Fellow to join the internationally recognised UCL Dementia Research Centre (DRC). The post will involve cross-cutting work at the UK DRI at UCL and clinical contributions at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN), Queen Square, London. The post is strongly translational, bridging population science, biomarkers, imaging, and clinical neurology. This post would particularly suit clinicians planning a career in academic neurology, old age psychiatry, or clinical neuroscience.

You will be involved in assessing research participants as part of a new project with participants recruited from the 1958 British birth cohort. Responsibilities will include clinical assessment of study members, obtaining PET/CT imaging, and blood sampling for genetics and biobanking. Contributing to data cleaning and curation, and to data analysis, you will work closely and collaboratively with the study coordinators, other researchers in the DRC clinical and imaging team, the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, and Institute of Nuclear Medicine, all at UCL. The working environment is collective and multidisciplinary.

There may be the option to register for a part-time PhD for a research project within the department.

An honorary contract will be sought from UCLH NHS Foundation Trust, for which a DBS check will be required.

The post is available from August 2026 and funded by the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL for one year in the first instance.

About you

You will be a registered medical practitioner with a licence to practise in the UK and have completed MRCP (or hold an equivalent qualification from an international institution).

You will have experience in lumbar puncture and in neurology, or a relevant medical speciality, to a minimum of SHO/ST2 or equivalent level and be able to demonstrate a record of academic excellence.

Excellent oral and written communication skills and strong problem-solving abilities are essential, as is the ability to work cooperatively in a team environment with the ability to be self-organised and work efficiently. A very high level of consideration and care for patients and research subjects is also a requirement.

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 the role:

Dr Andrea Serio & Dr. Sarah Marzi are seeking a highly motivated and skilled Research Associate at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) at King’s College London.

This opportunity would suit a bright, talented, highly motivated, and ambitious individual to who will play a key role working on a project focused on the development of a multiomic platform to investigate early molecular signatures of ALS pathology in human motor neurons using a novel system developed in the Serio lab.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrable track record and experience bioinformatics and data analysis, particularly -omics approaches in biology and a keen interest in neuroscience and neurodegeneration. Demonstrable experience dealing with iPSC-derived cultures and data in the context of neurobiology or neurodegeneration studies is desirable.

The successful candidate will have at least a PhD in a relevant field and postdoctoral experience in a research lab with projects, preferably focused on neurobiology or neurodegeneration.

The post holder will work with other team members across the Serio and Marzi lab to generate stem cell-based models of ALS using a novel cell culture platform developed in the Serio lab for the study of axons, and will lead on the multiomic analysis to compare different genotypes.

The post holder will specifically generate multiomic data, including next-generation sequencing and proteomic data from in vitro models of ALS, and analyse newly generated data and public datasets that may include RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, proteomics and single cell/nuclei datasets.

Successful candidates will be highly motivated with demonstrable experience in multiomics and bioinformatics, with an interest or basic understanding of stem cell modelling applied to neuroscience and neurodegeneration studies.

The post will be linked to a MNDA project and a UK DRI funded programme and will take place between the Basic & Clinical Neuroscience department and the Francis Crick Institute.

Some of the key skills involved include;

• To conduct high quality research under the supervision of Dr Serio and Dr Marzi, and in collaboration with other members of the Serio group.
• To present findings in regular group meetings to the PI and colleagues.
• Work in a collaborative manner, sharing knowledge and expertise within the team, department and with collaborators.

This is a full -time post (35 hours per week) and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30/09/2028

About you:

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in Neurobiology or related subject with clear track record of bioinformatics, data analysis -omics analysis.
2. Postdoctoral experience in a neuroscience or neuroengineering project.
3. Knowledge of basic neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases and ALS
4. Strong programming skills in R, python or other coding languages
5. Practical experience with a high-performance computing and Unix/Linux environments
6. Practical experience in a broad range of bioinformatics approaches, including the analyses of some or all the following assays: 

•       RNA-seq (NGS and longreads) 

•       Single cell genomics 

•       ChIP-seq/CUT&Tag/ATAC-seq 

•       Proteomics 

Desirable criteria

1. Ability to work with version control systems, i.e., Git and GitHub
2. Experience in iPSC-derived in vitro models
3. Knowledge of next-generation genomic approaches, specifically those pertaining to RNA and chromatin biology
4. Practical cell culture skills

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is committed to transforming the lives of people affected by neurodegenerative conditions. In partnership with Parkinson's UK, we are excited to announce the launch of our new Parkinson’s Research Centre (PRC) in 2025.  Led by inaugural Centre Director, Professor Miratul Muqit, FRSE FMedSci, the PRC will adopt a distributed, network structure, with researchers hosted in leading universities across the UK.

We are now seeking to appoint one Group Leader (principal investigator) who will drive innovative research and contribute to our collaborative and inclusive scientific community. 

As a UK DRI Group Leader within the PRC, you will lead an internationally competitive research programme focused on Parkinson’s disease. You will contribute to an integrated, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and open science environment. We welcome applications from applicants whose research lies in any aspect of molecular research including cell biology, biochemistry, CRISPR- based screening or structural biology relevant to Parkinson’s, that aims to advance our understanding of the mechanisms of Parkinson’s. We welcome applicants at any stage of research career from those seeking independence for the first time to established tenured researchers.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is committed to transforming the lives of people affected by neurodegenerative conditions. We are seeking to appoint two Group Leaders (Principal Investigators) who will drive a visionary programme of experimental and translational research in any area of neuroscience relevant to dementia and neurodegeneration while also contributing to our collaborative and inclusive scientific community. As part of a distributed national MRC institute, these posts will be based at the UK DRI at Cardiff University with the ability to collaborate across sites

As a UK DRI Group Leader, you will lead an internationally competitive research programme. All areas of neuroscience will be considered, but we are keen to receive applications with experimental approaches that use mouse genetics and physiology, organoids, human-to-mouse chimeric models or human tissue. We welcome applications focussing on molecular, cellular or systems neuroscience, including glial biology, neural circuits and neuron-glia and gliovascular interactions. You will contribute to an integrated, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and open science environment. The UK DRI will provide support to enable the rapid translation of the fundamental insights gained into drug development and tangible benefits for people living with neurodegenerative conditions.

Applications are welcome from those seeking independence for the first time, as well as from established tenured researchers from the UK and abroad. The primary criteria for evaluation will be recent research excellence, scientific vision and potential for collaborative research across the UK DRI.