Postdoctoral Research Associate

About Us

The Hewitt Lab at King’s College London is seeking a motivated postdoctoral researcher to contribute to a unique programme investigating early lung fibrosis. Candidates should have a PhD in immunology or respiratory sciences and experience in cell culture, advanced microscopy, and immunological assays on human tissue samples. Experience with advanced sequencing and omics analysis is a plus.

The position is based at the King’s Centre for Lung Health (KCLH) in the Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology at Guy’s Hospital, London. KCLH is leading efforts in understanding lung diseases and improving treatments, with a collaborative, vibrant, and inclusive research environment.

The postholder will work closely with clinicians at the Royal Brompton and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals and may spend time collaborating with experts from different labs and institutions.

About the Role

This post offers an exciting opportunity to study early lung fibrosis mechanisms. Interstitial lung disease (ILD) includes over 200 disorders, with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) being the most common. IPF is progressive, incurable, and has a prognosis similar to many cancers. Early changes, termed interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA), can be detected in CT scans and may progress to fibrosis, making them a valuable resource to study the initial stages of the disease.

The research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms in patients with subclinical disease. By tracking ILA progression, we aim to identify causal pathways and potential therapeutics to prevent fibrosis. The postholder will use molecular biology, microscopy, and cell culture techniques, including 3D culture, to investigate early disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets for IPF.

There is excellent access to human samples from Europe’s largest ILD cohort, which will enable tissue processing, primary lung cell sorting, and spatial transcriptomics to study cell populations and interactions. Organoid co-culture models will also be developed to validate epithelial-immune interactions. Candidates with a strong research background and experience in transcriptomic data analysis are encouraged to apply.

The role will be based primarily at King’s College London within KCLH and involve collaboration with experts in 3D culture models, genomics technologies, and informatics. World-class facilities and training are available, with opportunities for industry collaboration and clinical translation.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), with a fixed-term contract until 31/10/2026.

About You

To succeed in this role, you should have the following qualifications and experience:

Essential Criteria

1. PhD in immunology, cell biology, or respiratory sciences.
2. Experience with patient-derived samples, human biobank curation, and human cell culture.
3. Knowledge of molecular biology, advanced microscopy, and bioimage analysis.
4. Strong data analysis and record-keeping skills.
5. Excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a collaborative team.
6. Commitment to generating research outputs with strong writing and presentation skills.

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience in 3D cell culture, flow cytometry, and sequencing technologies (bulk and single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics).
2. Omics analysis experience.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

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