Research Fellow UCL

Vacancy Reference Number

B02-06151

Closing Date

10 Dec 2023

Salary

Starting salary offered at £42,099 per annum.

Address

UK DRI at UCL, Queen Square

Duration

The post is available from 01 March 2024 and funded by the UK DRI for one year in the first instance.

About the job

Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century.

To date there is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia.

Research from UK DRI at UCL covers the journey from the patient to the laboratory and back to the patient with improved diagnosis, biomarkers and candidate therapies put to the test. Led by Professor Karen Duff, UK DRI Centre Director, the team addresses the key unanswered mechanistic questions that link genetic and lifecourse factors to dysfunction in molecular pathways, in cells and in neural systems during the progression of the dementias. This work will be enhanced by clinical resource to link lab work to the clinic.

The Wiseman lab aims to understand the development of Alzheimer’s disease in individuals who have Down syndrome (DS-AD) to inform the development and selection of therapies for this important group of individuals who are at greatly increased risk of disease. Specifically, the lab is interested in understanding how the additional copy of genes on chromosome 21, other than APP, modulate disease development. The broad focus of the lab is to understand the modulation of APP/amyloid-β generation and response and how this contributes to synapse loss and disease-relevant cognitive functions like memory, compulsive behaviour and anxiety and apathy.

We are looking for a highly motivated Research Fellow to undertake a proteomic-neuropathology project as part of an international collaborative project (Wiseman Lab, UCL, Ryan, Fox and Lashley, UCL, UK DRI Biomarkers Factory, Strydom Lab, KCL, and Poiter Lab, ICM, Paris).

You will analyse amyloid-β proteomic data from cases of AD-AD and determine the relationship between a novel amyloid-β species and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) load, as well as test a newly developed anti-amyloid-β antibody for its specificity for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), in cases of DS-AD, FAD and sporadic EOAD.

Also, you will coordinate this work with related work being undertaken in the group of Marie-Claude Potier (ICM, Paris), Andre Strydom (KCL) and the UK DRI Biomarkers Factory, in addition to communicating research findings to collaborative partners and study participants.

Essential Criteria

You will have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD in Neuroscience or a cognate area, as well as experience in immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence methods, including on human post-mortem brain material. Experience in applying specialist skills and techniques in a laboratory setting and an understanding of the legal requirements for working with human post-mortem tissue under UK law is also required for this role.

This role meets the eligibility requirements for a skilled worker certificate of sponsorship or a global talent visa under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL welcomes applications from international applicants who require a visa.

Contact information

To apply visit here.

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Dr Frances Wiseman (f.wiseman@ucl.ac.uk).