Research Fellow

The mission of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy is to transform the lives of people living with epilepsy for the better by identifying, understanding, and correcting or preventing the underlying mechanisms leading to the epilepsies and associated comorbidities in each individual person. Our vision is to build upon the excellence and breadth of our research, seamlessly integrating basic and clinical science.

Professor Kirill Volynski's research focuses on understanding how the presynaptic release machinery decodes calcium signals and translates them into complex patterns of neurotransmitter release. His group employs quantitative imaging and computational modelling to study the relationship between calcium entry and vesicular exocytosis. They also probe the function of presynaptic ion channels in individual small presynaptic terminals, examining both healthy conditions and disorders caused by alterations in neurotransmission.

We are now recruiting a Research Fellow to work in the field of synaptic neurotransmitter release and neurodevelopmental disorders. This collaborative research opportunity involves working with the laboratories of Professors Kirill Volynski and Dimitri Kullmann at the Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy and Dr Shyam Krishnakumar at Yale University's Department of Neurology & Nanobiology, leveraging the existing expertise at QS IoN in synaptic physiology and neurological disease, and at Yale University in synaptic biochemistry and structural biology.

The project focuses on dissecting the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental disorders caused by mutations in synaptic vesicle release machinery genes, known as SNAREopathies. This work aims to provide crucial insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms of SNAREopathies and to develop gene therapy treatment approaches. You will use electrophysiological and optical methods to conduct a systematic functional analysis of disease-linked variants, including fast fluorescence imaging of quantal neurotransmitter release at the level of single synapses.

The post is available from 01 October 2024 and is funded by an MRC grant awarded to Professor Volynski for two years in the first instance.

If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online, or have any queries regarding the application process, please contact the Institute of Neurology HR Team (ion.hradmin at ucl.ac.uk).

Application deadline: 23:59, 31 August 2024.

We expect to hold interviews in September 2024.

You’ll have a PhD in a relevant discipline within neuroscience or biophysics (or be close to obtaining one) and a track record of experimental laboratory research. Experience of quantitative optical microscopy and/or patch-clamp electrophysiology, molecular biology, and working with cell cultures is essential. Knowledge of scientific computer programming and a strong publication record are desirable.

Appointment as Research Fellow is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be as Research Assistant (salary £37,332 - £39,980 per annum) with appointment as Research Fellow being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

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