Research Fellow in Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease

UCL AI Centre; London; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The UCL AI Centre is seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to investigate the role of microglia in Alzheimer's disease. This full-time position offers a salary between £43,374 and £51,860 and allows International candidates to apply under the skilled worker visa. The researcher will leverage cutting-edge techniques in a collaborative environment, focusing on connections between immune responses and neurodegeneration.

Benefits

41 Days holiday

Defined benefit career average pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

On-site nursery

On-site gym

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Neuroscience or related field required.
• Experience with macrophage and/or microglia biology.
• Proficiency in cell culture and techniques associated with cell biology.

Responsibilities

• Investigating how Alzheimer's disease risk genes influence microglial function.
• Working closely with teams at the Francis Crick Institute and VIB, Leuven.
• Using a unique human microglia xenograft model for research.

Skills

Cell culture

Molecular biology

Immunology

Microglia biology

Education

PhD in Immunology, Neuroscience, or a related field

Job description

Ref Number B02-08808 Professional Expertise Research and Research Support Department School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02) Location London Working Pattern Full time Salary £43,374 £51,860 Contract Type Fixed-term Working Type On site Available for Secondment No Closing Date 27-Jul-2025

About Us

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia.

Based within the UK DRI at UCL, the De Strooper/Arancibia group focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular emphasis on the cellular phase of Alzheimer’s disease, the neuro-immune axis, and single-cell genomics.

About The Role

We are looking for a motivated postdoctoral researcher to join our team investigating how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk genes influence microglial function in disease. The project focuses on the antigen-presenting role of microglia in amyloid pathology and the immunological impact of MHC-II–mediated responses in the brain.

You will use a wide range of techniques, including our unique human microglia xenograft model (PMID: 31659342, 38539015), and work closely with both computational and experimental teams at the Francis Crick Institute and VIB, Leuven.

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to high-impact research in a world-class, collaborative environment.

The post is available from 01 September 2025 and funded by the Medical Research Council until 31 March 2028 in the first instance.

If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, or have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Institute of Neurology HR Team ([e-mail]).

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Professor Bart De Strooper ([e-mail]).

A full job description and person specification for this role can be accessed below.

About You

You’ll have a PhD in Immunology, Neuroscience, or a related field, with experience with macrophage and/or microglia biology and knowledge of molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, or related disciplines, as well as proficiency in cell culture and cell biology techniques, with a strong understanding of immunology and/or antigen presentation.

Experience animal experiments, particularly in handling and working with mice is also essential for this role.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

What we offer

Appointment as Research Fellow is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be as Research Assistant (salary £38,607 - £41,255 per annum) with appointment as Research Fellow being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• On-site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance
  
  

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Institute prides itself on operating in an all-inclusive environment irrespective of personal, physical, or social characteristics. Teamwork is highly valued, individual strengths are recognised and celebrated, and we are committed to advancing the careers of everyone. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives; visitour EDI websitefor more information about our initiatives and priorities. The Institute also holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce; these include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles.

Available documents

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

• download: UCL Guidance for Candidates.pdf
• download: 2025-05-Research Fellow (De Strooper & Arancibia)-Job description and person specification.pdf