Research Assistant in Nutritional Sciences

About Us

The School of Life Course & Population Sciences is one of six Schools that make up the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. The School unites over 400 experts in women and children’s health, nutritional sciences, population health and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages, treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum. We are interdisciplinary by nature and this innovative approach works: 91 per cent of our research submitted to the Subjects Allied to Medicine (Pharmacy, Nutritional Sciences and Women's Health cluster) for REF was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We use this expertise to teach the next generation of health professionals and research scientists. Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments.

About the role

We are looking to recruit a Research Assistant to help in a project studying the role of specific elements of the human intestinal microbiota, including Mycobacterial species, and their interaction with the local immune system in patients with Crohn’s disease. The successful applicant will form part of an established team including gastroenterologists based at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and microbiologists at Lancaster University, researching the potential involvement of bacteria in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease.

The project includes:

• Histological examination of gut tissue samples
• Specialised bacterial culture work
• In vitro studies of immunocytes and bacteria

This post offers an exciting opportunity for individuals who want to develop their research skills working within a laboratory environment with opportunities to collaborate with clinical researchers. The successful applicant will have some previous research experience, excellent organisational skills and understanding of intestinal microbiota.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/01/2026.

About You

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

Essential criteria

• BSc in a biological subject
• Experience working in a laboratory setting
• Excellent knowledge of human cell biology and microbiology to engage in high quality research
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise different tasks with conflicting deadlines
• Good record keeping and attention to detail
• Demonstrable experience of maintaining bacterial cultures

Desirable criteria

• Understanding of human microbiota research
• Experience of data handling
• Experience of writing reports

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