Research Fellow in Disordered Protein Biophysics

The Division of Biosciences at UCL is one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences. We have an outstanding international reputation and a community of over 500 staff and more than 300 PhD students engaged in cutting-edge research and collaboration.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the eXtreme Dynamics & Therapeutics laboratory, led by Dr Gabriella Heller in the Department of Structural and Molecular Biology at UCL. The lab combines NMR spectroscopy with computational approaches to characterise intrinsically disordered proteins and their interactions with small molecules, with the aim of developing new therapeutic strategies for diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration, that have historically been considered difficult to target. The postholder will join a collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment at the interface of structural biology, biophysics, and drug discovery.

About the role: This role is an open-ended contract with a funding end date of 01 October 2027 in the first instance. Research Fellows - 'Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B (salary £38,357 - £41,005 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.'

About you: You will be expected to lead the day-to-day experimental work on JPT2, from protein expression and purification through to NMR data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation, generating structurally resolved insights into its interactions with NAADP and microtubules. Within the first year, you will be expected to build on the existing backbone assignment to characterise binding interfaces and oligomeric behaviour in mechanistic detail, translate these findings into at least one high-quality publication, and contribute to the preparation of external funding applications to sustain the project beyond its initial phase.

You must have a PhD (or be close to completion) in structural biology, biophysics, biochemistry, or a related subject area, and proven knowledge of protein NMR spectroscopy, including experience with backbone and/or side-chain assignment of proteins. Experience in JPT2 is also essential, along with a track record of independent experimental design and data analysis. Experience with protein-protein or protein-ligand interaction studies (e.g. titration experiments, relaxation dispersion, or related biophysical techniques) is desirable, as is familiarity with microtubule biology.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits. Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our division holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.