Research Associate (Imperial)

Organisation/Company UK Dementia Research Institute Research Field Neurosciences Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Country United Kingdom Application Deadline 7 Jul 2025 – 23:59 (Europe/London) Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 18 Aug 2025 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number MED05301 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Dementia is the biggest health challenge of our century.

To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap.

The UK DRI at Imperial brings together researchers from diverse backgrounds with fresh perspectives, drawing on the university’s unique strengths, resources and focus on science, engineering, medicine and business. The team recognises that the challenges of dementia demand new concepts, new approaches and a diverse range of new research tools and directions. Their holistic approach views the ageing brain in the context of the ageing body, not in isolation.

About the role

The Matthews Lab invites applications from talented, highly motivated and creative postdoctoral scientists to take a leading role to investigate the molecular neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease based on the study of post-mortem human tissues.

Today, over 1 million people in the UK are living with dementia and related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron disease (MND). The impact of these incurable and progressive conditions on individuals and their families is devastating. The cost to the economy and public services is large and growing as the UK population ages. However, due to major advances in our understanding of the biology of these diseases, the scientific field is at a tipping point, with the next decade promising to deliver transformative breakthroughs in therapies and a new era of predictive, preventative, and precision medicine for neurodegenerative conditions. The UK is well placed to play a leading role in this revolution due to its scientific strengths in the field, led by the UK Dementia Research Institute ( UK DRI ) working with our world-class, university-based centres. We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 900 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a step change in our understanding of neurodegeneration, and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent dementia. Our principal funder is the Medical Research Council (MRC).

What you would be doing

You will lead a project intended to develop a molecular description of how glial cells may trigger neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. The work will be guided by explorations of how risk variants associated the disease that are expected to modulate microglial function, lipid homeostasis or pathological protein degradation lead potentiate neurodegenerative processes. A strong foundation for this work has been established with the development of methods for highly multiplexed imaging mass cytometry, multi-omic data acquisition and analyses.

• You will be a motivated and organised researcher, excited by the science we do.
• You will hold (or be near completion of) a PhD in neuroscience (or related discipline).
• Experience of one or more laboratory techniques including immunohistology, single cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics
• Experience of statistical analysis
• Experience of emerging genomics approaches, e.g., long-read sequencing

Additional Information

Research Associate

Job number

MED05301

Faculties

Faculty of Medicine

Departments

Department of Brain Sciences

Salary or Salary range

Location/campus

White City Campus – On site only

Full time – Fixed term

Posting End Date

7 Jul 2025

About the role

The Matthews Lab invites applications from talented, highly motivated and creative postdoctoral scientists to take a leading role to investigate the molecular neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease based on the study of post-mortem human tissues.

Today, over 1 million people in the UK are living with dementia and related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and motor neuron disease (MND). The impact of these incurable and progressive conditions on individuals and their families is devastating. The cost to the economy and public services is large and growing as the UK population ages. However, due to major advances in our understanding of the biology of these diseases, the scientific field is at a tipping point, with the next decade promising to deliver transformative breakthroughs in therapies and a new era of predictive, preventative, and precision medicine for neurodegenerative conditions. The UK is well placed to play a leading role in this revolution due to its scientific strengths in the field, led by the UK Dementia Research Institute ( UK DRI ) working with our world-class, university-based centres. We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 900 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, driving a step change in our understanding of neurodegeneration, and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of interventions that will help diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent dementia. Our principal funder is the Medical Research Council (MRC).

What you would be doing

You will lead a project intended to develop a molecular description of how glial cells may trigger neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. The work will be guided by explorations of how risk variants associated the disease that are expected to modulate microglial function, lipid homeostasis or pathological protein degradation lead potentiate neurodegenerative processes. A strong foundation for this work has been established with the development of methods for highly multiplexed imaging mass cytometry, multi-omic data acquisition and analyses.

What we are looking for

• You will be a motivated and organised researcher, excited by the science we do.
• You will hold (or be near completion of) a PhD in neuroscience (or related discipline).
• Experience of one or more laboratory techniques including immunohistology, single cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics
• Experience of statistical analysis
• Experience of emerging genomics approaches, e.g., long-read sequencing
• Access to a range of cutting-edge technologies
• An inclusive and collegial working environment.
• Strong national links through the UK DRI with attendance at its annual scientific meeting ‘Connectome’.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further information

This is a full-time post on a fixed-term contract for 3 years.

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