Postdoctoral Fellow - Kohl Lab

Details of the role:

• Working pattern: This is a full-time, fixed term (4 years) position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.
• Salary: From £47,500 with benefits, subject to skills and experience.
• Application closing date: 10th of June 2026 at 23.59.

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world-class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions. The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state-of-the-art infrastructure, cutting-edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher. This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high-quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher to lead an ambitious project aimed at reconstructing the cell-type-specific connectome of the mouse hypothalamus. You will combine viral tracing, spatial transcriptomics, and computational analysis to uncover how molecularly defined hypothalamic neuronal populations are interconnected to control instinctive behaviours and physiological states. To achieve this, the project will implement BRISC (Barcoded Rabies In Situ Connectomics), a recently developed method that combines barcoded rabies tracing with in situ sequencing to map long-range synaptic connectivity at high throughput and cellular resolution. The resulting datasets will link neuronal identity, spatial organization, and connectivity across hypothalamic circuits. The project will involve close interaction with computational and experimental collaborators and offers the opportunity to work at the interface of systems neuroscience, spatial transcriptomics, and data science.

The Research Group

The Kohl lab uses a multidisciplinary strategy, ranging from in vivo calcium imaging and in vivo / ex vivo electrophysiology to behavioural profiling, viral circuit tracing and molecular approaches to investigate the neuronal and circuit-level mechanisms by which physiological states alter information processing in the brain. The team currently includes four postdocs, three PhD students, three research scientists, and one MSc student. We are committed to maintaining a supportive and collaborative research environment, and we particularly value collegiality and open scientific discussion. This project will involve close collaboration with the neighbouring Znamenskiy lab, which is developing in situ connectomics approaches for high-throughput reconstruction of neural circuits.

You will:

• Lead an independent and ambitious research project aligned with the aims outlined above.
• Develop and implement custom viral tracing and spatial transcriptomics workflows, including experimental pipelines, data acquisition, and analysis.
• Generate, analyse, and interpret high-quality datasets.
• Establish and maintain close collaborations with computational and experimental researchers within and beyond the institute.
• Provide scientific and technical support for group members.
• Manage data and analysis, write up manuscripts.
• Present at scientific meetings.
• Guide PhD students in their research.

About you

You will have:

• PhD in Neuroscience or a related field or in the final stages of PhD submission.
• Experience with viral tracing, circuit neuroscience, systems neuroscience, or related approaches.
• Strong analytical, quantitative, and coding skills (particularly in Python).
• Experience handling and analysing large-scale biological datasets.
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in refereed journals.
• Evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings.

About Working at the Crick

Our values: Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture. We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently. We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. At the Francis Crick Institute, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed, regardless of their background, identity, or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences. We are a Disability Confident: Committed employer and want to ensure that everyone can apply and be part of our recruitment processes and so we'll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply.

What will you receive?

At the Francis Crick Institute, we value our team members and are proud to offer an extensive range of benefits to support their well-being and development:

• Visas: Applicants for this role will be eligible for sponsorship to work in the UK.
• Generous Leave: 28 days of annual leave, plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays.
• Pension Scheme: Defined contribution pension with employer contributions of up to 16%.
• Health & Well-being: 24/7 GP consultation services, occupational health services and mental health support programs, eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work-Life Balance: Back-up care for dependents, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options, Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• Perks: Discounted gym memberships, bike-to-work scheme, and shopping discounts, subsidised on-site restaurant and social spaces for team interaction.

Please note you must meet the essential criteria listed within the Role Profile, to have your application reviewed.

We reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any given time due to the number of applications received.