Research Assistant in RNA Delivery

KINGS COLLEGE LONDON; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 44,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent university in the UK seeks a full-time researcher to conduct pioneering laboratory work in engineering extracellular vesicles for oral delivery of mRNA. Candidates should have a relevant degree and substantial research experience. The role involves participating in meetings, disseminating research, and supervising undergraduate students. The contract is fixed term until December 31, 2026, with a salary of £43,909 per annum including London Weighting Allowance.

Responsibilities

• Carry out laboratory work in engineering extracellular vesicles for mRNA delivery systems.
• Participate in research meetings to communicate research and receive feedback.
• Engage in disseminating research via publications and prepare manuscripts.

Skills

Research experience in Extracellular Vesicles

Research experience in nanomaterial characterisation

Research experience in intestinal epithelial cell culture

Research experience in nucleic acid delivery

Research experience in milk‑derived EVs

Supervision of undergraduate students in research projects

Education

Degree in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Science, Biological Science, Chemical/Materials Science or similar

Job description

Offer Description

About Us

About the Faculty

The Faculty of Life Science & Medicine at King's College London is one of Europe's largest centres for biomedical research and teaching. The School’s academic expertise is globally acclaimed in a wide range of basic and applied sciences, continuing a rich legacy of pioneering King's scientists. Many of the research groups were top rated in the last HEFCE Research Assessment Exercise.

The Faculty’s students enjoy unrivalled learning opportunities, supported by strong partnerships with industry and healthcare organisations. At both undergraduate and postgraduate level, students benefit from the School’s first‑class facilities and those of its partners, including the world‑renowned partner NHS Trusts.

As the academic partner of choice for some of the world’s leading businesses the Faculty of Life Science & Medicine is shaping the future of healthcare through its membership of the government’s Global Medical Excellence Cluster and its award‑winning spin out companies.

The Faculty is based at the Guy’s (London Bridge) and Waterloo Campuses. The two campuses are located in close proximity to each other on the vibrant South Bank. The facilities for teaching and research at the Guy’s and Waterloo Campuses have been greatly enhanced since 1998 through a capital investment programme of approximately £200 million, which has provided state‑of‑the‑art laboratories and a high‑quality learning environment.

Within the Faculty, research divisions provide the focus for the organisation of research activity while teaching is delivered by discipline‑based departments.

The Waterloo Campus provides the home for the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, the Analytical and Environmental Sciences Division, the Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Division, and the Vascular Biology section of the Cardiovascular Division. Some aspects of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science activity are located on the Guy’s Campus. Teaching is organised by the Departments of Pharmacy & Forensic Science, Nutrition and Dietetics. Specialist facilities include SRIF‑funded Genomics and Mass Spectrometry centres, a radioisotope suite, cell culture facilities, a Biological Services Unit, a metabolic unit for human feeding studies and high‑quality library and IT provision. There are excellent analytical facilities including ultracentrifuge, NMR spectroscopy, HPLC, GC, GC/NIMS, GC/EIMS, GC/MS‑MS, LC/MS‑MS, ICP‑OES and ICP‑mass spectrometry equipment (see also http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ms‑facility ).

About the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science

From molecules to medicine

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (IPS) is concerned with gaining a detailed understanding of the human pathological state and employing this knowledge to discover, design, develop and deliver drugs to the patient with a view to managing disease. It provides the multidisciplinary approach required to contribute to the overall development of pharmacologically active compounds from their earliest stages of conception at the bench through their presentation as medicines, to the analysis of their use within the community. IPS is one of the largest divisions in the health schools and is currently organised in five groups: Pharmaceutical Biophysics, Chemical Biology, Drug Delivery, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, and Clinical Practice and Medication Use. There is a vibrant PhD programme with more than 100 students, and a comprehensive suite of postgraduate taught programmes.

In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, based on ‘power’, a factor taking into account the quality of the research output and the number of researchers assessed, King’s College London was ranked first in the UK out of the 83 universities that made returns in Unit of Assessment 3, to which IPS contributed.

The Institute of Pharmaceutical Science has strong links with many of the other research divisions at King’s College London and consequently has developed a critically important central role in the total research effort of the College. Staff have a substantial number of collaborations at a local, national and international level. Following the accreditation of King’s Health Partners, our Academic Health Sciences Centre, IPS joined three NHS trust pharmacy departments (Guy's and St Thomas', King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts) and the Guys Drugs Research Unit to form the Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical Academic Group. The aim is to cement the collaboration between staff in the Institute and the NHS Trusts and achieve excellence in service provision, research, and in education and training.

About The Role

The post-holder is expected to carry out pioneering laboratory work in engineering extracellular vesicles (EVs) to create novel delivery systems for oral delivery of mRNA. Experience in isolation and characterisation of EVs, together with intestinal epithelial cell culture is mandatory for the role. Furthermore, the candidate is expected to have strong skills and experience in nanomaterial characterisation and biological assays such as cytotoxicity testing and measurement of cell uptake of materials.

The post holder is expected to participate in regular individual and group research meetings to communicate their research and receive feedback, in addition to attending external scientific meetings/conferences. Additionally, the post holder will be expected to engage in disseminating their research via publications and as such, they are expected to prepare manuscripts for publication. Finally, the post holder may be required to supervise undergraduate project students and will be expected to participate in regular lab management activities.

This is a full‑time role and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/12/2026.

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

• Degree in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Science, Biological Science, Chemical/Materials Science or similar
• Research experience in Extracellular Vesicles
• Research experience in nanomaterial characterisation
• Research experience in intestinal epithelial cell culture
• Research experience in nucleic acid delivery
• Research experience in milk‑derived EVs
• Supervision of undergraduate students in research projects

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 page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

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 person specification section of the job description. 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 due to be held in January/February 2026.

Grade and Salary:£43,909 per annum inclusive of London Weighting Allowance
Job ID:134265
Close Date:04-Jan-2026
Contact Person:Driton Vllasaliu
Contact Details:[e-mail]