Research Associate Synthetic Biology and DNA Storage

Location: South Kensington Campus

About the role:

Dr Thomas Heinis and Dr Thomas Ouldridge are looking for aspiring PostDoctoral researchers who are interested in joining a collaborative project at Imperial College aiming to developing highly efficient, automated approaches to molecular nanotechnology. Our particular focus is on data storage in DNA origami; we want to store arbitrary binary information in DNA nanostructures and to read it back, using minimal resources and in an automated fashion.

What you would be doing:

We are looking for a candidate with strong wetlab skills (DNA origami, liquid handling robots for automation, reactions in small volumes) to work closely with our team of computer scientists, synthetic biologists and lab automation specialists.

The successful candidate will be a member of the Principles of Biomolecular Systems and DNA Data Storage groups at Imperial College which focus on high impact interdisciplinary research, i.e., novel DNA technologies, assay formats and developing ground-breaking data storage techniques.

What we are looking for:

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in biology/chemistry (or related) with research interests that significantly overlap with DNA data storage. More generally, we are interested in candidates with skills in the following areas:

• Synthetic biology
• DNA origami/nanostructures
• Low-volume, droplet reactions
• Lab automation
• Single molecule microscopy

Basic data analysis skills (bioinformatics tools for sequence alignment etc.) are expected.

See job description for full list of requirements. 

*Candidates who not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be hired at Research Assistant level: salary scale £43,003 - £46,297 per annum.

What we can offer you:

You will have the opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution. Imperial College is consistently in the top 10 world university rankings with the Department of Computing ranked top of the 2021 UK REF assessment.

You will receive a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 38 days off a year) and a comprehensive early career development support package including 10 training and development days.

Further Information

Full-time, Fixed term contract to start ASAP until 30/11/2026

In addition to completing the online application candidates should attach: 

• A full CV
• Full list of publications
• A 1 page research statement on how your experience meets the above requirements.

For informal enquiries about the position please email:

Dr Thomas Heinis: t.heinis@imperial.ac.uk

For queries regarding the application process contact:

Jamie Perrins: j.perrins@imperial.ac.uk

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