King's College London

About Us

The Skin Therapy Research Unit (STRU) at St John’s Institute of Dermatology provides a range of services and facilities to support research aimed at improving outcomes in people with skin disease. The Unit provides a range of services and facilities to support research aimed at improving outcomes in people with skin disease. Work extends from genetic discovery through to a comprehensive portfolio of clinical trials (phase II onwards) and biomarker-enabled precision medicine. The Unit works with investigators within both the academic and industry community, collaborating closely with The Cutaneous Immunology Group, Skin Inflammation Genetics Group and Genomic Medicine at King’s College London.

The internationally leading precision medicine inflammatory skin disease research programme includes multi-centre observational studies involving longitudinal clinical data and biological sample collections (e.g. Biomarkers and Stratification To Optimise outcomes in Psoriasis (BSTOP) study, mySkinomics study, as well as interventional studies, e.g. PLAN-psoriasis feasibility trial, and Best systemic treatments for adults with atopic eczema over the long term (BEACON trial).

About the role

The research component of this post will comprise working as part of the Skin Therapy Research Unit under the supervision of Professor Catherine Smith. You will receive comprehensive training, for instance in the conduct of skin barrier assessments and statistical analyses and participate in all aspects of clinical research from design through to delivery and communication of results. The main focus of the research is atopic eczema and psoriasis, in particular the mySkinomics and BSTOP studies, as well as clinical trials including the PLAN-psoriasis feasibility trial and the BEACON trial. You will work as part of and be supported by a large and well established multi-disciplinary research team with a strong track record of producing high impact, translational research. There will also be opportunities to present at national and international meetings.

The clinical component of this job will include the severe eczema clinic held weekly on Wednesdays, and the severe psoriasis clinic held weekly on Thursdays. Regular participation in clinical and other service activities is encouraged.

The post holder will be encouraged to develop their own research interest/project, which could lead to a higher degree (MD/PhD), and to write grant applications to secure additional external funding for such a project or other research projects conducted in the Unit. It is anticipated that if the post holder is successful in securing funding for a full-time MD/PhD Fellowship that they will cease to hold this Clinical Research Fellowship and seamlessly progress to a fulltime MD/PhD Fellowship.

The post holder is encouraged to participate in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and training. The post will be based at Guy’s Hospital. However, it is a requirement of your employment that you be prepared to work at any additional or different location owned or served by the Trust, either on an on-going or temporary basis according to the demands of the service.

The role is available from March 2025.  This is a full-time post (40 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 28th February 2026.

About You

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

Essential criteria

1. Full GMC Registration and hold a licence to practise in the UK
2. MRCP or equivalent
3. Broad based general professional training in general medicine and proven track record of general medicine experience
4. Proven track record of Dermatology training and experience
5. Ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team, and capable of establishing good interpersonal relationships with patients and staff of all grades
6. Understanding of the principles and applications of clinical research
7. Evidence of understanding of and adherence to the principles of Good Medical Practice set out by the General Medical Council, evidence of understanding of the role of clinical management, and evidence of contribution to effective clinical audit and clinical risk management
8. Excellent computer literacy (email, Microsoft Word, Excel, databases)

Desirable criteria

1. Post/approaching CCT in dermatology
2. Dermatology procedural skills including skin biopsy
3. Evidence of original research and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals
4. Experience of working on interventional studies or complex/ large scale observational studies
5. Experience of undergraduate teaching and postgraduate training

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 mid January 2026.

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

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearances.