Postdoctoral Fellow – Vinuesa Lab

Reporting to: Carola Vinuesa, Principal Group Leader – Assistant Research Director

Working pattern: This is a full‑time, 4 year fixed term position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

Salary: From £47,500 with benefits, subject to skills and experience.

Application closing date: 2nd of June 2026 at 23.59pm

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.

The Research Group: Dr Vinuesa’s laboratory focuses on understanding the regulation of protective antibody responses and the mechanisms underpinning antibody‑mediated diseases. The research aims to unravel the pathogenesis of autoimmune and allergic diseases, and the processes that control the quality of antibody responses. The goal is to improve the outcomes of patients with autoimmune disorders (AID) with a particular focus on systemic autoimmune diseases like lupus. In our research to date, we have identified genes, cell types and checkpoints that are important to prevent autoimmune disease in which antibodies are harmful.

The Project: The purpose of this role is to study the role of different triggers of TLR7 signalling including bacterial and viral infections to the onset of autoimmunity. We will take advantage of a mouse model in which we introduced a rare TLR7 gain‑of‑function variant identified in a child with severe SLE. The mouse model develops lupus‑like disease. The analysis of immune response to pathogens and self‑antigens involves detailed investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms.

What you will be doing:

• Undertaking own research project and independently designing and performing experiments to study different triggers of TLR7 signalling including bacterial and viral infections to the onset of autoimmunity.
• Mouse colony management and independently conducting in‑vivo experiments.
• Conducting single cell BCRseq and clonal analysis using bioinformatic pipelines.
• Scientific and technical support for group members.
• Data management and analysis, writing up of manuscripts.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Immunology or in the final stages of PhD submission.
• Experience in mouse models of immunology, including mouse models of vaccination, allergy, and autoimmunity.
• Experience with mouse husbandry, sample harvesting and processing.
• Expertise in multiple aspects of B cell biology, including germinal center and extrafollicular responses, plasma cell biology, class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation.
• Experience in BCR sequencing and clonal analysis.
• Experience in mucosal immunology and mucosal B cell responses.
• Excellent track record of high‑quality research as evidenced by first author publications in refereed journals.

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 and 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 we’ll make reasonable adjustments if you need them - just let us know when you apply. If you need assistance with applying (i.e., would like to apply by phone or post) please email: karen.au@crick.ac.uk.

Benefits:

• 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%.
• 24/7 GP consultation services.
• Occupational health services and mental health support programs.
• Eye care vouchers and discounted healthcare plans.
• Work‑Life Balance: Childcare support allowance.
• Annual leave purchase options.
• Crick Networks offering diverse groups’ support, community and inclusive social events.
• 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.