Post-Doctoral Research Associate

King's College London is one of the world's leading universities whose School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences unites basic, translational and clinical expertise to accelerate progress against cancer. Within the School, the Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) integrates molecular discovery, drug-development pipelines and patient-facing trials, with strengths in personalised medicine, immuno-oncology and early detection research.

Your position will be embedded in the CCC's Advanced Microscopy Development Group, led by Dr Simon Poland and based in the purpose-built laser and microscopy development laboratories at Guy's Campus, London Bridge. The group specialises in inventing custom fluorescence-lifetime and multiphoton technologies and coupling them with powerful computational pipelines to answer pressing biological questions across development, cancer and immunology. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with biologists, clinicians, engineers and data scientists, providing an exceptionally interdisciplinary environment, first-class mechanical and electronics workshops, and access to the King's core facilities network.

King's is committed to an inclusive, supportive research culture. Researchers benefit from a dedicated Research Staff Hub, mentoring schemes, grant-writing workshops and leadership programmes that provide the development, infrastructure and environment needed to succeed. Our central-London location offers unparalleled opportunities for collaboration with neighbouring universities, research institutes and NHS Trusts—placing you at the heart of one of the world's most vibrant biomedical ecosystems.

About The Role

The post-holder will lead the design and realisation of a state-of-the-art multiphoton microscope that couples ultrafast femto- and picosecond laser excitation with high-speed fluorescence-lifetime detection (Fast-FLIM) and temporal focusing. This instrument will deliver quantitative, sub-second imaging of live three-dimensional cell-culture and organoid models, advancing fundamental and translational questions in developmental and cancer biology. The position sits within Dr Simon Poland's Advanced Microscopy Development Group in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre and interfaces closely with biologists, clinicians and facility engineers to translate optical innovation into biological insight.

Responsible to: Dr Simon Poland, Principal Investigator, Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Responsible for:

• Leading the optical and mechanical design of the microscope;
• Integrating adaptive-optics modules, beam-shaping elements and bespoke detectors;
• Developing synchronous control and lifetime-analysis software;
• Managing procurement and technical liaison with campus workshops;
• Planning and analysing imaging experiments with collaborators;
• Supervising and mentoring junior researchers;
• Disseminating results through peer-reviewed publications, open-hardware repositories and conference presentations.

This is a full-time appointment (35 h pw) on a fixed-term 30-month contract at Grade 6 (£44,355 – £51,735 per annum, inclusive of London Weighting), based at Guy's Campus, New Hunt's House, King's College London. The post offers access to dedicated microscopy suites, electronics and mechanical workshops, and a personal training budget, providing an excellent platform for an ambitious researcher aiming to consolidate technical leadership and progress toward an independent career in advanced optical instrumentation.

Essential profile: Applicants must hold a PhD in Physics (or a closely related discipline) and demonstrate substantial, hands-on experience in optical design and advanced microscopy development, including a proven track record of conceiving, building and commissioning bespoke imaging systems. Only candidates who meet these criteria will be considered for interview.

About You

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

• PhD in Physics, Optical engineering, or a closely related field (award received or thesis submitted and awaiting viva)
• Hands-on experience designing and building custom optical microscopes—for example multiphoton, FLIM, confocal or comparable ultrafast-laser systems.
• Extensive experience in optical and mechanical design
• Experience with beam shaping techniques (e.g., spatial light modulators, diffractive optical elements)
• Proficiency in programming languages like LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, or C++, and experience in image data processing and analysis
• Familiarity with femtosecond/picosecond lasers and safe alignment practice.
• Clear, timely communicator who enjoys collaborating across physics, engineering and the life sciences.
• Experience with adaptive optics for aberration correction in microscopy
• Experience in cell preparation and cell culture
• Demonstrated leadership skills and interest in developing project and team leadership abilities.
• Tenacity and creativity when tackling complex, multi-disciplinary projects.

If you meet most—but not all—of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply; enthusiasm and the ability to learn quickly are highly valued in our team.

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.

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. 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.

We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.