Research Assistant

About Us

King’s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Through its commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, King’s College London is creating positive change in its communities, both in London and on the world stage. The Strategic Vision 2029 looks forward to King’s College London’s 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out ambitious plans in five key areas:

• Educating the next generation of change-makers;
• Challenging ideas and driving change through research;
• Giving back to society through meaningful service;
• Working with our local communities in London;
• Fostering global citizens with an international perspective.

About the role

The Research Assistant will be responsible for processing biological specimens collected from participants recruited to the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust site of a two centre clinical study involving older patients undergoing elective colorectal cancer surgery (with or without subsequent systemic anti-cancer treatment), with specimens collected before and at multiple timepoints postoperatively. The study is part of a global initiative in experimental and translational medicine to accelerate interventions to prevent and treat loss of resilience amongst older people.

You will be responsible for the preparation of stool specimens for further analysis using state of the art metagenomic sequencing. This will allow assessment of the resilience of the gut microbiome to the stressor effects of surgery and chemotherapy. You will also be responsible for preparation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum, and plasma. This role will offer the opportunity for further training and development in assessment of senescence markers in adipose and muscle tissue, working with teams across multiple schools.

This post is expected to offer enhanced career development opportunities through development and testing of their own research questions and training in statistical analysis.

This is a full time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 18 months from the date of commencement of employment.

About You

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

Essential criteria

• Undergraduate degree (e.g., BSc) in biological or biomedical subject
• Previous laboratory experience handling biological specimens
• Strong attention to detail and able to follow protocols carefully
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels in a complex multi-disciplinary environment
• Ability to meet competing and demanding deadlines
• Ability to work in a team and liaise effectively with all members of staff
• Ability to think critically to solve problems

Desirable criteria

• Masters degree qualification in biological or biomedical subject
• Previous experience in ageing research
• Previous experience in microbiome research
• Previous experience in data science and handling large datasets

Closing date: 22 July 2024

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