Research Assistant

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative supporting research to fill the major knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause dementia.
The Schiavo Lab, based in the UK DRI at UCL, aims to elucidate the mechanisms of axonal transport regulation and tau dynamics in healthy and diseased neurons, while identifying new targets to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other neurodegenerative diseases characterised by impaired axonal transport.

We are now recruiting a Research Assistant to join the lab and work on the project “Unveiling the role of pathological Tau in promoting Golgi fragmentation in axons”.
The project aims to further investigate the effect of neuron stimulation, tau overexpression, and the build-up of pathological tau at the synapse in driving Golgi fragmentation and re-localisation in distal neuronal compartments. We believe this will provide pivotal information on Golgi dynamics in tauopathies and the identification of critical biochemical nodes for this process, which might be used to halt neurodegeneration in tauopathies.

You will have the opportunity to use a variety of techniques, including live imaging, molecular, cellular, and functional approaches.

The post is available from June 2025 and is funded by the UK DRI until 28 February 2026 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).

Informal enquiries regarding the role can be addressed to Dr Anna Masato (a.masato at ucl.ac.uk).

For a full job description and to apply for this role please visit UCL’s online recruitment portal (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/search-ucl-jobs) and search using vacancy reference B02-08685.

You’ll have a Bachelor’s degree and/or Master’s degree in Neuroscience, Biology, or a related discipline, coupled with experience in cellular biology, biochemical approaches, and tissue culture of cell lines and/or primary mouse neurons. Experience in confocal microscopy, image analysis, and the ability to maintain high standards of research excellence and experimental reproducibility are also essential for this role.

Starting salary offered in the range £38,607 - £39,257 per annum, inclusive of London Allowance.

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.

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on EDI initiatives; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/equality-diversity-inclusion for more information about what we’re doing. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce; these include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles.

Customer advert reference: B02-08685

Advert information