Postdoctoral Fellow – Hill lab

1000scholars; Greater London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Francis Crick Institute in London seeks a highly motivated postdoctoral fellow to study structural biology of TGF-β signaling using Cryo-EM and crystallography. You will investigate SKI mutations, SMAD interactions and transcriptional regulation within a collaborative team environment.

Applicants should have a PhD, strong publication record, and expertise in structural biology techniques. The role involves mentoring and leading projects, with sponsorship and extensive benefits.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant biological science, ideally in structural biology.
• Good knowledge and experience of Cryo-EM and crystallography.
• Technical expertise molecular biology, protein production, biophysical and biochemical techniques and structural analysis.
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in refereed journals.
• Strong evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings.
• Strong organisational skills and thorough record-keeping.
• Ability to work independently and also in a team.
• Experience in signal transduction research (desirable).
• Experience in NMR (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Postdoctoral Fellows lead their own projects, contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis, and may guide PhD students.
• Work on structural projects using Cryo-EM and crystallography to gain mechanistic insights into TGF-β family signalling.
• Investigate how SKI mutations affect degradation and transcriptional responses.
• Aim to understand how full-length activated SMAD complexes bind to response elements with transcription factors.
• Collaborate with lab and external partners to advance research.

Skills

PhD in biology

Cryo-EM experience

Crystallography

Molecular biology

Biophysical techniques

Scientific publishing

Data presentation

Team collaboration

Independence

NMR experience

Education

PhD in biological science

Tools

Cryo-EM

X-ray crystallography

NMR (desirable)

Protein production

Biophysical analysis

Job description

Details of the role

Reporting to: Caroline Hill, Head of Developmental Signalling Laboratory

Working pattern: This is a full-time, fixed term (4 years) position on Crick terms and conditions of employment

Salary: From £47,500 with benefits, subject to skills and experience

Application closing date: 30th of September 2026 at 23.59pm

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting‑edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high‑quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

The Research Group

The Developmental Signalling Laboratory headed by Caroline Hill focuses on cell signalling in early vertebrate development and disease. Our work seeks to understand how TGF-b family signalling pathways function normally in early vertebrate development and in adult untransformed cells, and how these signalling pathways are perturbed in disease, in particular in cancer and the Marfan-related syndromes.

Click here to find out more about the Hill Lab

About the role

We are looking for a highly motivated postdoc with proven research abilities and excellent publication record to work on structural projects using Cryo-EM and crystallography to gain mechanistic insights into TGF-β family signalling in health and disease.

We have recently been studying the effects of mutations in the transcriptional repressor SKI that occur in the Marfan-related disorder, Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome. SKI normally binds with SMAD4 (one of the SMADs that acts downstream of TGF-β family ligands) to TGF-β and activin response elements in the absence of signalling to repress transcription. It is then rapidly degraded upon TGF-β/activin signalling as a result of forming a complex with activated SMADs (induced downstream of TGF-β/activin) and the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF111 (also called Arkadia). This frees up the TGF-β/activin response elements for activated SMAD complexes to bind to drive transcription. We have shown that SKI containing the point mutations that occur in Shprintzen-Goldberg syndrome is not degraded and in this context, TGF-β/activin transcriptional responses are inhibited.

We have very recently solved the structure of a complex comprising SKI–phosphorylated SMAD2–SMAD4, that sheds light on the effect of the SKI mutations on SKI–SMAD binding. One of the main ambitions of this new project is to understand now using structural, biochemical and biophysical approaches, how this complex is recognised by RNF111 for proteosomal degradation. We also want to understand how the full length activated SMAD complexes bind at the TGF-β/activin-responsive elements with cooperating transcription factors to activate transcription. We are investigating this for wild type SMADs, but also in the context of another disease, Myhre syndrome, where SMAD4 contains an activating mutation.

Postdoctoral Fellows at the Crick lead their own projects, contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis (both in the lab and with external collaborators) and may guide PhD students in their research. The ability to work in a team is essential.

Click here for full job description

About you

• PhD in a relevant biological science, ideally in structural biology*
• Good knowledge and experience of Cryo-EM and crystallography*
• Technical expertise molecular biology, protein production, biophysical and biochemical techniques and structural analysis*
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in referred journals*
• Strong evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings
• Strong organisational skills and thorough record-keeping
• Ability to work independently and also in a team
• Experience in signal transduction research (desirable)
• Experience in NMR (desirable)

Minimum criteria*

About Working at the Crick

Our values

Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture.

Our values

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently.
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world.
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community.

At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we’ll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply.

What will you receive?

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Health & Well-being:
• 24/7 GP consultation services.
• Occupational health services and mental health support programs.
• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance:
• Back-up care for dependents.
• Childcare support allowance.
• Annual leave purchase options.
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups' support, community and inclusive social events.
• Perks:
• Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts.
• Subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.