Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century.
The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill this gap.
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.
We are looking for a highly motivated and qualified Research Fellow to join the Bartels lab which is specialised and fills the gap for scientific research on synuclein misfolding and lipidomics associated with PD in close collaboration with UCL, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the Queen Square Brain Bank.
The Bartels lab is dedicated to understanding the biochemical nature of á-synuclein in healthy and diseased patients. Tim Bartels first discovered disease-resistant forms of the á-synuclein protein and their destabilisation in Parkinson’s Disease. His lab is interested in identifying the different factors that destabilize á-synuclein and that lead to neurotoxicity.
The research project will comprise the analysis of various cell culture models including iPSC-derived and primary human neurons, human post mortem brain material as well as structural in vitro assays using recombinant protein. The native brain tissue and the in vitro models will be used to study pathological á-synuclein aggregates. In vitro aggregation assays, electron microscopy, CD spectroscopy and other biophysical and biochemical assays will be used to characterize aggregates.
Person criteria
The successful candidate will have a PhD or MD or have equivalent experience in Biophysics/Biochemistry/Molecular Biology or a related discipline. Applicants must have experience in presenting complex scientific concepts and content, written and verbal. They will have an understanding of the UK DRI mission and embody its values through excellent collaborative interpersonal skills with an ability to work co-operatively in a multidisciplinary setting.
Experience of working with in vitro aggregation assays and with structural characterization of proteins is desirable.
Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at research assistant Grade 6B (salary £31,479 - £33,194 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.
For informal enquiries about the role please contact Tim Bartels (email: t.bartels@ucl.ac.uk).
If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact Oksana Shapoval, HR Officer, Institute of Neurology, 23 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG (email: ion.hradmin@ucl.ac.uk).
