King's College London

About Us

King’s College London (KCL) is one of the world’s leading research universities, renowned for its excellence in both education and cutting-edge research. Located in the heart of London, it offers a vibrant and collaborative environment for students and staff alike. KCL has a strong reputation for research across disciplines, with particular strengths in health sciences, life sciences, and biophysics.

The Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics is a world-class research centre within KCL, focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of cell and molecular biology. The centre brings together an interdisciplinary team of biophysicists, biologists, and computational scientists who work on key problems in cellular mechanics, molecular interactions, and protein function. Researchers at the Randall Centre employ advanced techniques such as super-resolution microscopy, single-molecule imaging, and structural biology to explore dynamic cellular processes.

Joining the Randall Centre offers a unique opportunity to be part of a dynamic research community with access to state-of-the-art facilities and a stimulating intellectual environment. The centre fosters collaboration and innovation, providing excellent opportunities for career development and scientific growth, making it an ideal workplace for those passionate about advancing research in cell and molecular biophysics.

This post is based in the Culley Lab, part of the Cellular Biophysics Section in the Randall Centre. The lab’s speciality is in developing and validating computational methods for fluorescence microscopy, and we welcome members from a broad range of interdisciplinary backgrounds. The post is part of a broader interdisciplinary bioimaging project with Simon Ameer-Beg (Comprehensive Cancer Centre), Simon Poland (Comprehensive Cancer Centre), Andrea Serio (Basic and Clinical Neuroscience) and Robert Henderson (Department of Engineering, University of Edinburgh). 

About the role

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position to develop methods for processing, analysing and visualising multimodal advanced microscopy data.

This project focuses on how metabolism can be investigated using a range of microscopy methods, including fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and optical coherence techniques, for a variety of biological systems. You will work collaboratively as one of five multidisciplinary postdoctoral researchers to develop microscope technology across length-scales from the molecular to whole organ. A critical component of this work will be a software platform which will allow integration of information from different imaging modalities and methods for exploring and visualising this data. The candidate will develop this software as plugins for the python-based multi-dimensional data viewer napari. The analytical methods development will involve aggregating existing techniques for FLIM analysis into one package, registration of large multi-dimensional datasets, and machine learning/AI to explore how information is shared between different imaging modalities.

Candidates are welcomed from a range of backgrounds across biology, physics and computer science. As the role will heavily involve software development, experience of programming is essential.

Access to excellent training and world class facilities will be provided, with opportunities to attend international conferences within the field.

This is a full time post funded by the Wellcome Trust and you will be offered an 11-month fixed term contract with a start date no sooner than 1st March 2025.

The role is suitable for a flexible working pattern with an expected minimum of two days per week on site.

About you

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

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified in relevant subject area *
2. Undergraduate degree in relevant subject area (sciences, computer science or engineering)
3. Prior experience of image analysis, either in microscopy or computer vision
4. Prior experience of programming
5. Demonstrated ability to carry out research and communicate findings verbally and in writing
6. Demonstrated ability to plan and troubleshoot own work
7. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with others
8. An understanding of the benefits and challenges of working in an interdisciplinary field
9. Commitment to diversity and inclusion in alignment with King’s Guiding Principles

* 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. 

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of fluorescence microscopy
2. Experience of programming in Python
3. Experience of software engineering practices including version control and testing
4. Experience of using deep learning-based image processing/analysis

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.

Interviews are due to be held on week beginning 6th January 2025 (this may be subject to change).

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