Postdoctoral Research Associate

UNIVERSITY OF READING; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK research university is seeking a highly motivated computational biologist with a PhD to develop novel methods in platelet biology. The position involves close collaboration with experimental teams and contributions to outreach activities. Candidates should have experience in computational modelling and a willingness to learn about cell biology. This full-time role is funded through a multi-disciplinary project and offers a competitive salary.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant area like biology, physics, or applied mathematics.
• Experience with computational modelling applied to biology.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Develop novel computational methods in platelet biology.
• Work closely with experimental teams to support research.
• Contribute to outreach and dissemination strategies.

Skills

Computational modelling

Numerical analysis

Team collaboration

Strong communication skills

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Job description

Overview

Organisation/Company UNIVERSITY OF READING

Research Field Biological sciences Physics

Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Established Researcher (R3)

Country United Kingdom

Application Deadline 10 Oct 2025 - 00:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract Other

Job Status Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Salary and Conditions

Salary: £43482 - £46049 per annum

Department: School of Psychology & Clinical Language Sciences

Location: Whiteknights Reading UK

Contract: Full Time, Fixed Term (31/07/2028)

Job reference: SRF51665

Eligibility and Sponsorship

By reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship may be possible under the Skilled Worker Route. Applicants wishing to consider the SWR must ensure that they are able to meet the points requirement before applying. Successful candidates not already holding a Skilled Worker visa issued before 22nd July 2025 will need to have a relevant PhD qualification or qualify as a new entrant before being able to be sponsored. There is further information about visas on the UK Visas and Immigration Website.

Role and Project

This exciting position in computational biology combines the development of novel computational methods involving control theory with practical systems modelling, simulation, and data analysis, applied first and foremost to the field of platelet biology and haemostasis. The postholder will play a key role in a project that will develop novel computational means for the objective evaluation of purpose in biology. These theoretical efforts are paired with a bespoke experimental programme focusing on cell communication and coordination, which innovatively considers thrombi as “transient tissues”.

For this multidisciplinary project, we are looking for a highly motivated computational biologist who holds a PhD in a relevant field with a commensurate publication record. We welcome applications from candidates that have acquired their skills in technical fields like physics, engineering, applied mathematics, or computer science, as long as they have had prior experience in applying these skills to biology or allied fields, like neuroscience and medicine. However, candidates without prior exposure to cell biology, and specifically platelet biology and haemostasis, are expected to rapidly acquire the necessary domain knowledge and be interested in building a career in the field.

The postholder will work closely with the experimental team in the School of Biological Sciences and the Reading School of Pharmacy, which will include a second PDRA starting on the project at the same time. Strong communication skills and an ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment are hence essential. Additional outreach and dissemination strategies are integrated into the project (e.g., video blogs and academic workshops) and the post holder will be expected to support these activities.

Candidate Profile

• a PhD in an area relevant to the project, like biology, physics, applied mathematics
• previous experience with computational modelling, method development, and numerical analysis applied to biology (or allied fields like neuroscience and medicine)
• the ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team
• a publication record and experience of presenting at conferences
• knowledge of, or willingness to rapidly learn about, cell biology in general and platelet biology and haemostasis in particular

Context and Outreach

Scientific context: Purpose is fundamental to our existence, from everyday aims to grand questions about life. However, animals also have goals they pursue; plants grow towards the light, and even bacteria move away from acid. Goal-directed behaviour is evident in all living things. Yet the way biologists talk about purpose remains at a conceptual or narrative level. This stands in marked contrast to biological mechanisms which are addressed directly, empirically, and statistically. The reason is that we know how to test hypotheses about mechanisms but no similar method currently exists for purpose. Our goal is to create “purpose fitting”, a way of evaluating hypotheses about purpose with empirical data and statistics. This will add a new standard of statistical analysis and ultimately change the role of purpose in biology. Our accompanying experimental programme in platelet biology and hemostasis, while designed to scaffold this computational development, also has its own research goal. Our experimenters are pioneers in considering thrombi as transient tissues rather than as a collection of individual cells; and we have an exciting experimental programme that systematically investigates how platelet communication and coordination help to protect mammals from blood loss.

Contact

Contact Name: Prof Ingo Bojak

Contact Job Title: Professor in Health and Computational Neuroscience

Alternative Contact Name: Prof Jonathan Gibbins

Alternative Contact Job Title: Professor of Cell Biology

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality. We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 2). Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.