Post-doctoral Research Associate, Randall Cell & Molecular Biophysics

About Us

The  Atherton lab (King’s College London)  is seeking an enthusiastic post-doctoral researcher to decipher how viruses manipulate the host cell cytoskeleton during infection and replication. The Atherton group is based in  Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics,  home to a diverse array of structural and cellular biology research, which is part of the  School of Basic & Biomedical Sciences . We sit in the  Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine , which has a broad spectrum of research interests spanning fundamental biology, disease, and physiology. We are based at the Guy’s Campus of King’s College London situated in the heart of London. King’s is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive universities.

About the role

An increasing number of viruses are emerging that encode cytoskeleton-binding or modulatory proteins. The core aim of this role will be determining how viruses manipulate host cell cytoskeletons to enhance their replicative capabilities.

The core techniques used will be single-particle cryo-EM and in situ cryo-electron tomography, with support from classical cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology methodologies.

The cryo-EM research group at KCL is fast-growing and the university are investing heavily in the technique. We have access to excellent cryo-EM facilities, including an on-site autoloading JEOL cryoARM200 + K3 direct electron detector and a state-of-the-art Titan Krios electron microscope housed at the Crick Institute.

The successful applicant should have a demonstrable passion for revealing fundamental molecular mechanisms and hold significant experience in protein expression/purification, structural biology and cell culture. Experience in cryo-EM is essential and experience in in situ cryo-ET, fluorescence microscopy and an understanding of cytoskeletal biology and virology would be advantageous.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30 June 2028 starting no sooner than 1st July 25.

This is a laboratory-based role and as such it needs to be performed on site for roughly 80% of the time, but there will be opportunities to work remotely for roughly 20% of the time, for example when processing data or preparing manuscripts and presentations.

About You

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

Essential criteria

* 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

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 within a month of the Application Closing Date (this may be subject to change).

Grade and Salary: £44,355 - £45,497 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID: 114965
Close Date: 03-Jun-2025
Contact Person: Joe Atherton
Contact Details: joseph.atherton@kcl.ac.uk