Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the Role – the project and research group

Queen Mary University of London has a Postdoctoral Research Assistant vacancy to join the multidisciplinary project entitled “Human Tendon-CHIP: Novel In Vitro Predictive Models to Explore Tendinopathy”. The project is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and part of the organ-chip research work underway within the Centre for Predictive in Vitro Models.

The project aims to use organ-on-a-chip technology combined with bioengineering approaches to develop, validate and use a suite of vascularised human tendon-chip models. These high quality physiologically relevant models will provide crucial platforms to mimic disease pathology, and better understand and treat tendinopathy. 

The project will generate tendon-chips using in-house commercially available platforms at our prestigious Centre for in vitro Predictive Models (https://www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk/ ), and work with project partners based at the Cross Institute Advanced Tissue Engineering (CREATE) lab at the Blizard Institute to build and test custom made tendon-chips, using advanced bio fabrication techniques.   

You will join the Screen research group - a multidisciplinary team of scientists from engineering and biomedical sciences backgrounds combining expertise in organ-chip technology, cell biology, bioengineering and bio fabrication, with a collective aim to better understand tendon physiology and disease.

About You 

The successful candidate will have a PhD (or soon to be awarded), or equivalent experience which has involved significant practical cell culture, and ideally experience with molecular biology techniques (including PCR) and cell imaging. Previous experience of organ-on-a-chip approaches or in vitro models and experience of working in musculoskeletal tissues is desirable but not essential.

The post is a full time, fixed term appointment for 3 years, available from August 2025.

About the School/Department/Institute/Project 

The post is based in the School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS), which houses the in vitro models centre alongside cell culture, biochemistry, microscopy and molecular biology labs. Details about the school and multidisciplinary bioengineering research activity can be found at www.sems.qmul.ac.uk . QMUL is also home to the cross-cutting Centre for Predictive in vitro Models, providing a vibrant community of researchers active in the in vitro models area: www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk .

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable.

Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. We continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

 Benefits  

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities.

Queen Mary’s commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes. Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.