Research Associate In Structural...

Rosalind Franklin Institute; Southmoor; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rosalind Franklin Institute seeks a motivated postdoctoral research associate to develop methods for reconstructing macromolecular structures from in-situ cryo-electron tomography data, focusing on cytoskeletal and mitochondrial changes during aging and disease.

You will work within the Grange group, coordinating specimen acquisition and developing structure-determination pipelines, in collaboration with Imperial, UCL and Oxford to map macromolecular diversity in human tissues.

Responsibilities

• Develop and streamline computational approaches to in-situ structure determination methods from tissue sources that enable an assessment of macromolecular diversity.
• Demonstrate leadership as part of a team working with clinicians to prepare tissues for cryo-electron tomography.
• Plan and conduct experiments, analyse and interpret results and supervised delivery of outputs (research reports, patent applications) in a scientific/technology area of interest.
• Work within a project team, contributing to wider projects around key Franklin's Challenges.
• Lead major contributions to research outputs including papers, patents and both internal and external presentations.
• Support and develop others including day-to-day supervision of students or visitors in areas related to your own research.
• Have supervised, staged progression to first stages of scientific independence with opportunities to further develop science and skills/experience.
• Enhance your research through collaboration with other researchers and make active contributions to exchange of ideas through your own network.
• Be able to understand, interpret, create and communicate appropriately within a research context.
• Develop search and discovery skills and techniques.
• Be supervised by a Scientist/Senior Scientist in delivery of research outputs, either in the context of a project or Franklin's Challenge or as an early career development fellow.

Job description

The Role

The (the Franklin) is a technology institute established by the UK Government as a unique centre committed to advancing tools that are needed to transform healthcare in the future.

The Institute brings together researchers in life and physical sciences, and engineering, to develop a spectrum of tools which we will use to image, interpret and intervene in biological systems. These insights will speed up the discovery of new medicines, help find new diagnostics and contribute to a deeper understanding of human health and disease. Our Science Strategy seeks to focus the Franklin’s research and unite our researchers around our Technology Innovation Challenges and Life Science Challenges. For more information on the Franklin’s Challenges .

The Grange group is developing tools that can image the 3-dimensional organisation of macromolecular complexes within brain tissues. This utilises fast vitrification of surgical biopsies and in-situ structural biology methods (cryo-focused ion beam milling, cryo lift out, electron tomography). We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral research associate who will be able to develop methods to investigate content-rich data taken from human tissue resections and reconstruct the molecular make-up of supramolecular complexes utilising quantitative approaches. The project will focus on cytoskeletal and mitochondrial changes during aging and disease.

As part of this post, you will drive a project aimed at the computational reconstruction of macromolecular structures from in-situ data, pushing integration of workflows to enable the molecular sociology of cytoskeletal and mitochondrial processes to be examined in the context of aging and neurodegeneration. As part of the team, you will work with partners at Imperial, University College London and the University of Oxford to coordinate the procurement of specimens, work towards the acquisition of high-quality cryo-electron tomography data and develop structure determination pipelines capable of delivering a comprehensive overview of macromolecular organisation and diversity.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and streamline computational approaches to in-situ structure determination methods from tissue sources that enable an assessment of macromolecular diversity.
• Demonstrate leadership as part of a team working with clinicians to prepare tissues for cryo-electron tomography.
• Plan and conduct experiments, analyse and interpret results and supervised delivery of outputs ( research reports, patent applications) in a scientific/technology area of interest.
• Work within a project team, contributing to wider projects around key Franklin's Challenges.
• Lead major contributions to research outputs including papers, patents and both internal and external presentations.
• Support and develop others including day-to-day supervision of students or visitors in areas related to your own research.
• Have supervised, staged progression to first stages of scientific independence with opportunities to further develop science and skills/experience.
• Enhance your research through collaboration with other researchers and make active contributions to exchange of ideas through your own network.
• Be able to understand, interpret, create and communicate appropriately within a research context.
• Develop search and discovery skills and techniques.
• Be supervised by a Scientist/Senior Scientist in delivery of research outputs, either in the context of a project or Franklin's Challenge or as an early career development fellow.