Research Associate

UK DRI is seeking an enthusiastic Research Associate to join the team. The successful candidate will work with our novel Alzheimer’s disease high endocytic polygenic risk iPSC lines and use them to investigate disease mechanisms. The project will also include collaboration with Prof Steve Finkbeiner’s (UCSF) group to develop novel image analysis techniques.  The successful candidate will work together with others in the lab to collect experimental data and to analyse the data. They will be highly independent and will drive the project to its fruitful completion. 

Dementia is the greatest health challenge of our century. There is no way to prevent it or even slow its progression, and there is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap in our basic understanding of the diseases that cause it. The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap. The UK DRI is a joint £290 million investment from the Medical Research Council (MRC), Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. Centred on the need for innovative, early-stage science to advance our understanding of how dementias develop and progress, the UK DRI’s research will bring new therapies to patients faster. The Institute’s mission is to find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent dementias, whilst finding better ways to provide care for people with dementia. The UK DRI at Cardiff is one of 7 UK centres bringing together world-leading scientists to deliver a step-change in the scientific understanding of dementia, generating new targets for drug development, reinvigorating the therapeutic pipeline and helping to transform care.  

Dr Connor-Robson’s group centres on the use of cutting-edge induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models to study the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases with particular focus on endocytic dysfunction. The group studies neurons, microglia and astrocytes both in mono and coculture settings. The lab aims to translate the complex genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease into a better understanding of cellular and molecular changes that occur during disease. We hope to translate our findings into better drug targets and therapeutic strategies.  

For any informal enquiries regarding this vacancy please contact Natalie Connor-Robson at [email protected]  

This post is full-time (35 hours per week), available from 1st January 2024 and fixed term until 30th December 2026 based at the Hadyn Ellis Building, Cathays campus.  

Salary: £39,347 - £44,263 per annum (Grade 6). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances. 

The majority of roles at Cardiff University are currently operating under “blended working” arrangements, with staff having the flexibility to work partly from home and partly from the University campus depending on specific business requirements. Discussions around these arrangements can take place after the successful candidate has been appointed. 

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (incl bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.
Closing date: Sunday, 31 March 2024

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.