Postdoctoral Fellow - Kohl Lab

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: 14th June.

About the Francis Crick Institute

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.

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. Our 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.

What you will be doing

• 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 to group members.
• Manage data and write manuscripts.

Qualifications

• In the final stages of PhD submission or a PhD in Neuroscience or a related field.
• 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, evidenced by publications or submitted manuscripts in refereed journals.
• Evidence of data presentation at scientific meetings.

Working at the Crick

Our values: bold, open, collegial. 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 background, identity or personal circumstances. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities and experiences. The Crick is a Disability Confident employer and will make reasonable adjustments if needed.

Benefits include sponsorship to work in the UK, 28 days annual leave plus three additional days over Christmas and bank holidays, defined‑contribution pension with up to 16% employer contributions, 24/7 GP consultation, occupational health and mental health support, eye care vouchers, discounted healthcare plans, childcare support allowance, annual leave purchase options, Crick Networks support, discounted gym memberships, bike‑to‑work scheme, shopping discounts, on‑site restaurant and social spaces.

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.