Research Associate in Molecular Modelling of RNAs

About Us

The Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics is located in the heart of London and is part of King\’s College London. It is part of the School of Basic & Biomedical Sciences which sits within the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine which has a broad spectrum of research interests spanning fundamental biology, disease, and physiology.

We are based at the Guy\’s Campus of King\’s College London which is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive universities.

Our research addresses fundamental biological questions at the interface between the physical and biomedical sciences.

We develop and apply state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to study molecular and cellular processes in biology and medicine. The Centre is internationally recognised, helping us to foster cross-organisational collaborations and attract the best emerging and established talent from across the globe.

About the role

This role is part of a BBSRC-funded project to investigate RNA structural ensembles in silico . You will work on studying RNA structural ensembles and develop new tools to sample these ensembles more efficiently. These will continue current research in the group that integrates ML into physics-based simulations and on a coarse-graining model developed in collaboration with external partners.

The aim of this project is to enable fast and accurate simulations of RNA structural ensembles, which in turn will be used to identify potential binding sites for small ligands. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with experiment (Prof. Conte\’s lab at KCL) and with external collaborators at the University of Cambridge and Universite de Paris.

You will be able to develop skills in scientific programming, RNA structural biology, integrative modelling and ligand discovery. There will be opportunities to present the work at international conferences. You will be expected to present work internally, actively follow open science principles and produce software that is well documented. There may be opportunities to train Masters and PhD students in the research group.

This role requires a significant amount of experience in scientific computing and molecular simulations (see essential criteria). This role is therefore only suitable for candidates with such background. If you are not sure that you meet this criterion, please contact Dr. Roeder for more detail.

This is a full-time role, and you will be offered a fixed term contract for two years with a start date no sooner than 1st November 2025. The role may be held in a hybrid fashion, with up to 3 days a week work from home.

Research staff at King\’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers , applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD qualified in computational molecular science or similar relevant subject area *
2. Experience in setting up and running molecular simulations
3. Track record of disseminating research outputs in appropriate formats (publications, presentations and software contributions)
4. Advanced skills in data analysis for molecular simulations
5. Track record of method development for molecular simulations
6. Experience of working effectively in a team
7. Experience of working with high-performance computing

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Desirable criteria

1. Track record in developing AI methods for molecular simulations
2. Experience in collaborating with wet lab researchers
3. Knowledge of enhanced sampling methods
4. Experience in modelling RNAs

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King\’s.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our \’ How we Recruit \’ pages.

Interviews are due to be held in late September (maybe subject to change)

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearance. #J-18808-Ljbffr