Reader in the Physical Sciences of Life

Location: Strand Campus

Contact details: Professor Mike Malim and Professor Abigail Tucker. [email protected]  and [email protected]

We are recruiting for up to two Reader positions as part of a major expansion in research and education in the physical sciences of life at King’s College London.

These positions form part of a major £45m investment into interdisciplinary science at King’s, focused on boundary-breaking science research, education and innovation that benefits society. This investment is accelerating growth across science disciplines and stimulating new initiatives at the interfaces between traditional areas.

We are looking for talented academics with strong track records in research and education. Specific areas of interest include, but are not restricted to:

• Applying interdisciplinary empirical, analytical and modelling approaches to understand the complexity of living systems in health and disease
• Integrating biological, biophysical, biochemical, mathematical and computational methods across scales: spanning molecules, cells, organs, organisms and populations
• Leveraging complex and diverse datasets to understand biological processes and pathways
• Developing and using physical and life science methodologies to study biological and physiological processes in real-time
• Using chemical biology and synthetic chemistry to investigate or disrupt biological systems; for example, drug discovery, imaging, designer switches for regulatory cascades

Successful candidates will play a key role in developing and executing internationally leading research, working collaboratively across King’s. You will have a strong research track record, demonstrating interdisciplinary engagement, and be ready to establish and grow a research programme that attracts external funding. You will also be committed to educating scientists of the future through a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, including innovative new programmes in Natural Sciences.

This is an opportunity to contribute to the strategic growth of world-class research, working synergistically across disciplines, and identifying and growing promising early career researchers. We also wish to maximise the relevance of our work to society through engaged research that engages diverse audiences, especially in our local communities in London and beyond.

It is important that King’s reflects the diversity of the population we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Shortlisted candidates will be consulted on appropriate discipline areas and host departments as part of the selection and interview process.

Essential criteria:

• PhD/DPhil degree
• Scientific synergy with current research at King’s
• Significant, established expertise in an area of fundamental science research related area to physical life sciences
• Experience in leading high impact interdisciplinary research
• Outstanding independent track record of publication in peer reviewed journals
• Strong and consistent record of attracting peer reviewed research grant funding or fellowships
• Ability to define and lead a research area, taking responsibility for planning and undertaking own work
• Ability to work well as an effective member of a wider multi-disciplinary team and to share and encourage good practice
• Significant experience in contribution to academic administration
• Experience in supervising and developing research students and/or research staff
• Experience of serving on professional scientific boards and committees

Desirable criteria:

• Significant experience of delivery of undergraduate teaching
• Experience of working in collaborative projects across disciplines
• Experience of serving on professional scientific boards and committees
• Active membership of peer-reviewing bodes, for UK and overseas research councils
• Experience of industrial/commercial funding opportunities to underpin applied research