Post-doctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term)

A Postdoctoral Research Associate position is available within Dr Daniel Fazakerley's group at the Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS), University of Cambridge. The successful applicant will join an innovative programme investigating mechanisms by which insulin signalling regulates glucose transport in adipose and muscle tissue, and how this process breaks down in metabolic disease.

The Postdoctoral Research Associate will lead studies to investigate glucose metabolism and insulin resistance in a human iPSC-based model of skeletal muscle, with the overall aim of finding ways to restore normal glucose uptake by muscle in type 2 diabetes. The position is part of a UKRI-funded project in collaboration with the Lieberam lab at King's College London and Song Lab at UCL.

The successful candidate will develop a scalable 3D-coculture system to investigate insulin responses in muscle. The culture system combines motor neurons and myofibers directly derived from human iPSCs into a multi-well device suitable for high content imaging. Myofibers will carry a fluorescent reporter transgene, which will allow us to track the intracellular movement of the insulin-regulated glucose transporter GLUT4. The successful applicant will use cutting-edge molecular and cell biology techniques, in combination with a range of phenotyping and imaging techniques to provide new insight into the control of insulin sensitivity in muscle cells. This position is an ideal opportunity for a highly motivated scientist to develop their career in cell biology (including IPSC culture), signalling and membrane trafficking in the context of metabolic disease in a world-class research environment and with access to a growing network of national and international collaborators.

The major roles associated with the job will include:

• plan and design experiments, informed by the published literature;
• collect and analyse data;
• ensure the research is carried out in accordance with good practice and in compliance with local policies and legal requirements;
• identify, develop, and apply a broad range of techniques to pursue your research objectives;
• contribute to laboratory-wide discussions on developments within the field;
• present scientific work at internal and external seminars and meetings;
• draft scientific papers and contribute to overall preparation of research for publication;
• assist in training students and other members of the laboratory;
• identify funding sources to support your future work and career development opportunities.

To be considered for this position, you must:

• possess a Ph.D. in a relevant field (i.e. cell biology, biochemistry, metabolism);
• have a publication record that demonstrates scientific rigor and productivity;
• have skills in working independently to solve experimental problems;
• be self-motivated, creative, and curious;
• possess excellent record-keeping, organisational, communication, and interpersonal skills;
• a good working knowledge of IPSC culture, and/or insulin signalling and/or protein trafficking processes would be highly advantageous.

The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and a CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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