Postdoctoral Research Associate

King's College London; City Of London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university is seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Associate to conduct independent research on primary headache disorders. Candidates should hold a PhD and possess experience in preclinical models and rodent sensory testing. This full-time position includes supervising junior staff and contributing to laboratory management. The role is fixed-term for 2 years with a focus on developing novel therapeutic targets.

Qualifications

• PhD qualified in relevant subject area or pending results.
• Experience in preclinical models of migraine or related preclinical disease modelling.
• Home Office Personal Licence required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct independent research projects in primary headache disorders.
• Supervise junior staff and students.
• Ensure compliance with health and safety requirements in the laboratory.

Skills

Experience in preclinical models of migraine

Experience in rodent sensory testing

In-vivo surgical experience

Ability to work collaboratively

Education

PhD in relevant subject area

Job description

About us

The post will be based in the Headache Group under the supervision of Dr Philip R Holland, a preclinical research group with expertise in primary headache disorders, electrophysiology, disease modelling, behaviour, chemogenetics and in vivo neural imaging technologies.

The Headache Group is part of the WSPaRC, with broad expertise in sensory biology (pain, vision & hearing) and regeneration (spinal and head injury). Based on the Guy's campus, we are just a short walk from London Bridge station.

About the role

We are seeking a motivated Postdoctoral Associate with an interest in primary headache disorders and related co-morbid conditions to help uncover novel disease mechanisms that can lead to the development of novel therapeutic targets. The individual will report to the PI of the Headache Group, Dr Philip R Holland and will be responsible for conducting their own independent research projects, the supervision of more junior staff and students, while contributing to the running of the laboratory to include health and safety requirements.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and the successful candidate will be offered a fixed term contract for 2 years.

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 (or pending results)
2. Experience in preclinical models of migraine or related preclinical disease modelling
3. Experience in rodent sensory testing
4. Home Office Personal Licence
5. In-vivo surgical experience and physiological monitoring

Desirable criteria

1. Ability to work collaboratively between groups
2. Knowledge and experience in headache research
3. Experience in biochemistry

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.

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.

Further information

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 provisionally due to be held in October 2025.