Research Fellow

About us

University College London is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No. 1 in the UK for Research Power in Medicine as well as Health and Life Sciences (Research Excellence Framework 2021). The Division of Medicine is the largest department in UCL’s Faculty of Medical Sciences and is research intensive, with a near-equal mix of internationally renowned clinical and non-clinical scientists, many of whom enjoy close contacts with various world-leading London hospitals. The Division excels at interdisciplinary research, teaching and clinical practice with national and international impact. 

About the role

This exciting project, generously funded by the US National Institutes of Health, is in the lab of Prof Jennifer Rohn. A collaboration between three leading urinary tract infection (UTI) labs, the post is for 3 years in the first instance. UTI is a pressing global problem in terms of healthcare burden and the antimicrobial resistance crisis, but its pathophysiological mechanisms in humans is poorly understood. The human urothelium is lined by a thin layer of polysaccharide-containing mucous, called the GAG layer, which is thought to protect the bladder from infection and insult. However, some bacteria can subvert this protective layer by utilizing the polysaccharides for their own purposes. The project’s overall objective is to determine the contribution of GAG degradation by uropathogens to UTI and catheter-induced UTI to progression and severity. The candidate will contribute by leveraging the Rohn lab’s innovative human 3D-UHU microtissue model to answer these questions, working closely with the two collaborating labs, run by Chelsie Armbruster (Univ at Buffalo, New York) and Nicole De Nisco (Univ of Texas, Dallas). Please contact Kinga Podolak (k.podolak@ucl.ac.uk) with any questions. 

About you

• You will have a PhD in a relevant subject, including but not limited to: biomedical science, microbiology, cell/molecular biology or tissue engineering
• You will have an eagerness to learn new techniques, and the ability to work across disciplines and liaise with multiple collaborator groups
• You will have passion, drive, curiosity and evidence of past excellent performance in academia
• You will have the ability to organize your time well, take meticulous experimental notes and communicate about your work in both writing and orally
• Desirable would be some experience in some or all of the following techniques: cell culture, organoid culture, tissue engineering, cell biology, high resolution fixed and live imaging, genetic engineering of bacteria 

What we offer

This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team working across the Division of Medicine. 

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. 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+ people. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.

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