Research Assistant

About us 

The Department of Diabetes in the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences (SCMMS) at King’s College London focuses on all aspects of diabetes research, ultimately aimed at improving the lives of people living with diabetes. This project will be based in the Diabetes Research Group at the Guy’s Campus of King’s College London, where we carry out non-clinical science studies to identify mechanisms of optimising islet function, which will lead to improved glucose control in people with diabetes. There are currently ten independent principal investigators in the Diabetes Research Group at Guy’s, each with their own research teams in shared laboratory space. Further information about ongoing islet biology research in the Department of Diabetes at King’s College London may be found here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/islet-biology.

About the role

Applications are invited for a four-year Research Assistant position working on a project funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation entitled ‘Towards translation: improving the functional survival of stem cell-derived beta cells’. You will work under the supervision of Prof. Shanta Persaud, Dr. Aileen King and Prof. Peter Jones in the Diabetes Theme within the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences at King’s College London. The project will apply our expertise in beta cell/islet biology to ensure the optimal performance of stem cell-derived islets in vitro and in vivo. You will provide support to a post-doctoral researcher working on the same project.  

You will have a BSc, MSc or PhD in a relevant biomedical sciences subject and will be familiar with in vivo experimental models, and in vitro techniques in cell biology. The main responsibilities will be supporting the post-doctoral researcher in determining the effects of experimental manipulations on beta cell function in vitro, and on evaluating the effects of stem cell-derived beta cells/islets in diabetic mice in vivo. You will be held within a vibrant islet biology research community at the Guy’s campus of King’s College London.

Specific queries relating to the post can be directed to shanta.persaud@kcl.ac.uk. 

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 4th August 2028.

We plan to hold interviews in June. Candidates will be notified at least 5 days prior to the interview if they have been shortlisted. We would like the successful candidate to start on 05 August 2024. Previous applicants for this post should not reapply.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• BSc, MSc or PhD in a relevant biomedical sciences subject.
• Experience in isolation of rodent islets AND/OR recent holder of Personal Home Office Licence (or equivalent).
• Experience of mammalian cell culture.
• Familiarity with general molecular cell biology techniques, such as qRT-PCR, scRNAseq, immunohistochemistry, immunoassays.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of using mouse models for diabetes or metabolic studies.
• Experience with using islets of Langerhans or beta cells in functional studies.
• Experience of small animal surgery.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document.

Closing date: 23 June 2024

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