Research Associate in Biochemistry/Microbiology

Imperial Enterprise; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

43 days’ annual leave and generous p身份

Flexible working policy from day one

On-site leisure facilities

Cycle-to-work scheme

Interest-free season ticket loans

Diverse and inclusive culture

Job summary

Imperial College London’s Moore group, Life Sciences, seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate to advance antifungal natural product biosynthesis in Streptomyces. You will design engineered pathways, edit genomes, and scale production via bioreactors with analytical support.

The role spans basic and applied biosynthesis, collaboration across fermentation and chemistry teams, and supervision of students. Strong training in genetic engineering and biochemistry is essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in biochemistry, chemical biology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience.
• Strong research track record, ideally first-author publications.
• Experience in molecular biology and bacterial genetic engineering, incl. DNA assembly, cloning and strain construction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work independently.
• Experience in genetic engineering of Streptomyces or other actinobacteria, incl. CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and heterologous expression of biosynthetic gene clusters.
• Experience in microbial fermentation or bioprocess development, incl. bioreactor cultivation.
• Experience in recombinant protein expression, purification and enzyme assay design.
• Experience mentoring junior researchers, or working with industry partners or on patent applications.
• Experience in analytical techniques such as HPLC or LC-MS.

Responsibilities

• DNA and strain engineering: design/clone plasmid libraries, conjugation into Streptomyces, genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9 or directed evolution to build production strains.
• Bioreactor cultivation: scale production from shake flasks to high-cell-density bioreactors and develop fed-batch protocols with access to mass spectrometry for analysis.
• Biochemistry: express/purify biosynthetic enzymes and develop assays; purify and analyze natural products by HPLC, LC-MS and NMR.

Skills

DNA/strain engineering

Molecular biology

CRISPR-Cas9

Bioreactor cultivation

Protein biochemistry

Analytical techniques

Communication skills

Mentoring junior researchers

Education

PhD in biochemistry or closely related discipline

Tools

CRISPR-Cas9

HPLC

LC-MS

NMR

Proteomics facilities

Job description

Research Associate in Biochemistry/Microbiology

The Moore group at Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London is looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to help develop new-to-nature antifungal natural products using Streptomyces bacteria. You will design and build engineered biosynthetic pathways, edit Streptomyces genomes, and scale production from shake flask to bioreactor, working alongside a collaborative team spanning microbial engineering, fermentation and analytical chemistry.

Fungal and oomycete pathogens cause major crop losses and threaten UK and global food security, and growers have few chemical options because many are being withdrawn due to toxicity, and developmental fungicides typically degrade quickly in sunlight or soil. This project uses biosynthesis to access new-to-nature natural products with specific activity against crop pathogens and improved stability. The project will also involve co-supervision with Prof Tolga Bozkurt, an expert in plant-microbial interactions within the Department of Life Sciences, as well as Dr Marko Storch at the London Biofoundry.

You will join a diverse, collaborative group working on both basic and applied natural product biosynthesis, alongside postdoctoral colleagues on a parallel international project researching marine natural products, while the group also has regular visiting researchers from Brazil, South Korea and Europe. We encourage applicants with a strong background in some, though not necessarily all, of DNA and strain engineering, bioreactor cultivation and protein biochemistry to apply, as training will be provided. The group is also supportive of your own career development, whether towards an academic fellowship or an industry-facing route.

What you would be doing

Your day-to-day work will centre on three areas. First, DNA and strain engineering: designing and cloning plasmid libraries, introducing them into Streptomyces by conjugation, and editing the genome with CRISPR-Cas9 or directed evolution approaches to build production strains. Second, bioreactor cultivation: scaling production from shake flask to high-cell-density bioreactor conditions and developing fed-batch protocols, with access to mass spectrometry and proteomics facilities at the London Biofoundry for compound and protein analysis. Third, biochemistry: expressing and purifying biosynthetic enzymes and designing assays to characterise their activity, alongside purification and analysis of the resulting natural products by HPLC, LC-MS and NMR. You will also contribute to lab meetings, publications and grant writing, and will have opportunities to help supervise undergraduate and master's students.

What we are looking for

• A PhD in biochemistry, chemical biology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience.
• A strong research track record, preferably with first-author publications in international journals.
• Experience in molecular biology and bacterial genetic engineering, including DNA assembly, cloning and strain construction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to organise your own work and prioritise with minimal supervision.
• Experience in the genetic engineering of Streptomyces or other actinobacteria, including CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and the heterologous expression of biosynthetic gene clusters.
• Experience in microbial fermentation or bioprocess development, including bioreactor cultivation.
• Experience in recombinant protein expression, purification and enzyme assay design.
• Experience mentoring junior researchers, or working with industry partners or on patent applications. We encourage applicants with a strong background in some, though not all, of these areas to apply, as training in the remaining techniques will be provided.
• Experience in analytical techniques such as HPLC or LC-MS for the analysis of small molecules.

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
• Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).
• Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing .

Further information

This is a full-time fixed term position available for 36 months with a negotiable start date (Jan-Mar 2027). Appointments will usually be made at the start of the salary scale dependent on experience.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Simon Moore ([e-mail]).

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications.

If you have any general queries about this vacancy, please contact the hiring manager listed in the ‘ Further Information’ section. Alternatively, you can contact the Recruitment Hub at [e-mail], and we will be happy to assist you.

If you experience any technical issues that prevent you from submitting an application, please contact our Technical Support team at [e-mail] , who will be able to help resolve the issue.

About Imperial

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Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

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This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination, and creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages .

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Our values are at the root of everything we do, and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.