King's College London

About us

The Frost Lab investigates the role of mobile genetic sequences, known as transposable elements, in the biology of the placenta. We are based in the Medical and Molecular Genetics Dept at King’s College London, in the Tower Wing of Guy’s Hospital, in London Bridge. King’s College London is one of the world’s top 40 universities, the fourth oldest in England and a founding college of the University of London.

About the role

We are looking for a skilled postdoctoral researcher with a strong background in molecular biology, cell biology, genetics or development. The project will investigate the role of transposable elements in pregnancy complications. The postholder will combine genome-wide genetic and epigenetic analyses of patient samples with functional assays utilising human tissue culture of trophoblast cells and organoids, as well as molecular cloning to generate CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing constructs.

Applicants should hold (or be near completion of) a PhD in a relevant area of biological science and have the ability to independently drive an interdisciplinary project. Expertise in molecular biology, tissue culture, or genomics are all advantageous.

Applicants should have keen interests in the regulation of gene expression and the molecular basis of human disease, excellent communication skills, and the ability to write for scientific publication. This will be a full time, wetlab post based at Guy’s Hospital.

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract for 2 years.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week)

About you

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

Essential criteria

1.     Hold or be near completion of a PhD in a relevant area of biological science 

2.     Have a strong track record in a key area of research such as epigenetic regulation, chromatin biology, cell biology, development or the genetic basis of human disease 

3.     Excellent practical experimental skills and the ability to independently drive a project, including planning, decision-making and problem solving 

4.     Strong communication skills both in writing and for oral presentation.  

5.     Capacity to work as part of a team and supervise more junior colleagues.   

6.     Ability to lead in the preparation of manuscripts for publication and communicate the outcomes of projects to researchers from a broad range of disciplines 

7.     Enthusiasm for the research being carried out in the lab 

8.     Ability to address complex problems creatively.  

Desirable criteria

1.     Expertise in one or more of in vitro culture of mammalian cells and/or organoids, molecular cloning, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, cell transfection, or genome-wide epigenetic analysis assays such as ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq and CUT&RUN/CUT&Tag-seq.

2.     Computational genomic analysis skills or experience with GWAS

3.     Experience in giving poster or oral presentations

4.     Experience in supervising undergraduate or graduate researchers

5.     Experience in writing scientific papers or conducting peer review

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.