King's College London

About us

​Our contemporary Chemistry Department, based in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences, provides an exciting place to explore the boundaries of the subject. The Department champions the discipline of Chemistry across King’s, leading with its own research and teaching, and encourages close interdisciplinary collaborations.

​​Our PGT and UG programmes have been designed to impart a rigorous theoretical and experimental understanding of chemistry, delivered within the context of biomedical applications. We strive to provide students with a thorough chemical education plus a perspective on, and experience of, diverse practical applications of chemistry that lays down a basis for a flexible, interesting career, particularly at the interface of chemistry and biomedicine.

​To obtain further information about our Department,  please visit our website.

About the role

There are two fixed-term Postdoctoral Research Associate positions available in the group of Professor Paula Booth. One position is for up to 14 months, and the other is up to 20 months (with funding available until 30 August 2026) – both with the potential for extension. The research will focus on the folding and biogenesis of integral membrane proteins.

This is part of a long-term multi-disciplinary project investigating the co-translational folding of membrane proteins using innovative approaches across biochemistry, biophysics, cell biology and chemistry.

The post-holder will work within a vibrant research laboratory and will be able to direct their work and collaborate with other lab members and external research groups. They will also be able to develop new approaches to investigate membrane protein folding. The successful candidate will work in Professor Booth’s laboratories at King’s College London and the Frances Crick Institute. They will also be able to participate in exciting new research initiatives as part of King’s new interdisciplinary research centre for the Physical Science of Life.

The successful candidate will need a PhD in Biochemistry, Biophysics, Chemistry or a related field, and experience with membrane proteins, folding kinetics, Infra-Red spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, computational methods, molecular biology, unnatural amino acids, cell-free approaches or membrane protein biogenesis and insertion would be an advantage.

About you

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

Please note that all applications must be accompanied by a supporting statement. Within that statement, all of the below essential criteria must be addressed.

Essential criteria

1.      PhD qualified in relevant subject area (or pending results) – this includes a PhD in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Chemistry or related disciplines.

2.      Relevant practical research experience with one or more of the following: proteins / folding / biochemical / biophysical methods, laboratory skills & ability to use/manage lab instrumentation.

3.      Strong track record in biophysics, biochemistry, membrane proteins or field related to project, according to experience.

4.      Experience in experiment design, scientific presentations and publication preparation.

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience with cell free protein expression, cell extract systems or co-translational protein folding.

2.      Experience with membrane proteins.

3.      Experience with mutational analyses, labelling pr unnatural amino acid incorporation into proteins.

4.      Experience with some of: membrane proteins, protein folding, optical methods, kinetics, biophysical approaches, fluorescence, infrared, HDX-MS.

5.      Experience with data analysis and programming.

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.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

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.

Interviews are will be held in the week beginning

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