King's College London

THIS VACANCY IS OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY

About us

The School of Neuroscience, headed by Professor Mark Richardson, is one of three schools under the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and is comprised of four departments and five centres across the Denmark Hill and Guy’s Campus. We are UK’s second largest Neuroscience school with over 500 researchers and 150 PhD students undertaking world-class research in the study of the nervous system and understanding brain function in health and disease. The School works closely with three large NHS Trusts as part of King’s Health Partners. Commitment to Culture, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CEDI) is displayed through active participation in initiatives across King’s to improve the experience of our staff and students.

Having successfully delivered two cultural projects to help identify, address, and improve the School’s working environment, we continue to foster a diverse and nurturing community within which you will have the opportunity to dedicate time to your professional development, join working groups and professional networks of specific interest, and seek mentoring opportunities to fully explore your career situation outside of your direct line management. In addition, we support staff members requiring flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments. We encourage and welcome applications from across the global community and all appointments are made solely on merit.

The Department of Neuroimaging is one of four departments in the School of Neuroscience at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. It focuses on the use of neuroimaging techniques,  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET, in collaboration with the St Thomas’ PET Centre) to accurately measure brain structure and function in health and disease. Research at the Department focuses on developing technology to extend the use of imaging to unreached cohorts, widen the palette of brain biomarkers and coverage of the central nervous system, and to improve image quality and the sensitivity and specificity of the derived biomarkers. Research is carried out in clinical cohorts, pre-clinical experimental, and in-vitro models to understand neurological and psychiatry disorders and to examine mechanisms and effects of potential new treatments.

The Department is located at the Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences (CNS) at Denmark Hill campus. Researchers have access to state-of-the-art imaging equipment for human MRI scanning at the CNS and at the NIHR King’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF) as well as preclinical imaging at the BRAIN (Biomarker Research and Imaging for Neuroscience) Centre and provides NHS services under the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

About the role

We are seeking a Deputy Director to assist in managing the Preclinical Neuroimaging and Biomarkers Facility at Denmark Hill. This role supports the Director in overseeing daily operations and strategic development, with the goal of establishing a globally recognized centre for neuroscience research.

The successful candidate will collaborate with the Director in strategic and operational planning to enhance research capabilities. They will oversee project coordination, facilitating the provision of imaging and complementary methodologies from inception through to publication. This includes managing protocol meetings, evaluating new projects, and providing cost evaluations and feedback to researchers.

The Deputy Director will provide scientific guidance on a range of neuroimaging and corroborative methods, such as MRI, PET, and histology, to advance studies on the central nervous system. They will play a critical role in promoting the facility’s services and engaging potential users and collaborators through networking, maintaining an online presence, and organizing open days and seminars.

Additionally, this role involves significant liaison work, acting as a key contact between the facility and various committees, methodological experts, and departmental entities. Collaboration with the Head of the MRI Scanning Major Research Facility and the Departmental Business Manager to address logistical and financial issues is also crucial.

The Deputy Director will also take a lead on educational activities at the Brain Centre, designing educational modules and supervising master’s and undergraduate project students to ensure high academic standards and research quality.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute significantly to the advancement of neuroscience research, working in a state-of-the-art facility alongside leading scientific and clinical experts. We are looking for candidates with an advanced degree in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field, who have demonstrated experience in neuroimaging or biomarker research, and possess strong leadership, managerial, and communication skills.

This is a part time post (7 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract

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 a neuroimaging related subject

2.      Good publication record.

3.      Home office animal licence training, modules ABC

4.      Demonstrable excellence in conducting scientific research.

5.      Proficiency in small animal surgery and anaesthesia protocols

6.      Extensive experience in preclinical methods including and related to preclinical MR neuroimaging including histology, autoradiography & behavioural testing.

7.       Experience of working with or within the pharmaceutical industry

8.       Educational experience including supervising Master’s and PhD students as well as lecturing and coursework assessment

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of writing and collaborating on grant proposals

2.      Experience of academic-industrial collaborations

3.      Experience of experimental (rodent) animal models of neurological and psychiatric disorders

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.

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances.