Postdoctoral Research Associate in Membrane-Protein Biophysics and Molecular Simulation

Queen Mary University of London; Greater London; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 53,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salaries

Pension scheme

30 days leave per annum

Season ticket loan

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Queen Mary University of London’s School of Physical and Chemical Sciences invites a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join Dr Wojciech Kopec’s group on the Dark Channelome project. You will generate membrane-protein assemblies, analyse pore geometry and hydration, and apply computational electrophysiology to test candidates.

Collaborating with Oxford partners, you will translate findings into experimental predictions and contribute to an openly shared resource, with opportunities to publish,

Qualifications

• Experience in biomolecular MD, protein structural modelling, scientific programming, Linux-based HPC, and membrane-protein biophysics.
• A relevant PhD is required by the start date.

Responsibilities

• Generate and assess membrane-protein assemblies.
• Analyse pore geometry and hydration.
• Use computational electrophysiology to test candidates.
• Collaborate with Oxford partners to turn findings into experimental predictions and share resources.

Skills

Biomolecular MD

Protein modelling

Scientific programming

Linux HPC

Membrane-protein biophysics

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Tools

AlphaFold

MD simulation

Job description

About the Role

Can the physics of a predicted protein pore reveal an undiscovered ion channel? We seek a Postdoctoral Research Associate for Dr Wojciech Kopec's group at QMUL, on the BBSRC Pioneer Award project Dark Channelome, which combines AI-based structural modelling with molecular simulation to discover and functionally classify candidate human ion channels.

You’ll generate and assess membrane-protein assemblies, analyse pore geometry and hydration, and use computational electrophysiology to test candidates and explore why some plausible pores fail to conduct. Working with partners at Oxford, you will turn findings into experimental predictions and contribute to an openly shared research resource. The post offers scope to develop research independence, publish, mentor students, and pursue career development, with access to local GPU and QMUL high-performance computing facilities.

About You

You bring experience in biomolecular MD, protein structural modelling, scientific programming, Linux-based HPC, and membrane-protein biophysics. A relevant PhD is required by the start date. You should be able to diagnose computational problems, assess evidence critically and explain your own contribution to previous research. Experience with AlphaFold-based prediction or ion-channel simulation is an advantage.

About the School/Department/Institute/Project

The School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at QMUL is a large, multidisciplinary and research-intensive school within the Faculty of Science and Engineering. While it’s built around the core disciplines of Physics, Astronomy, and Chemistry, it also incorporates data science, reflecting a growing emphasis on computational and data-driven approaches across science.

The School has a diverse and active community, with over 900 undergraduate students, more than 100 postgraduate taught students, around 115 postgraduate researchers, and approximately 150 academic and professional staff. It fosters a highly collaborative culture, working across faculties and with industry partners and external stakeholders.

SPCS is primarily based at the Mile End campus, with facilities in the G.O. Jones and J. Priestley buildings that include advanced laboratories, workshops, and shared study and social spaces. Teaching is also delivered at the London City Institute of Technology and internationally in partnership with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) in Hainan, China.

About Queen Mary

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a 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, 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 have a range of work-life balance and family-friendly, inclusive employment policies, as well as flexible working arrangements.

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. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups, and from women in all stages of life.

£39,187 to £52,790 per annum (Candidates close to completion of their PhD will initially be appointed in the junior research training zone of the salary scales (Grade 4; £39,187 - £39,802), before this increases upon PhD completion)