Research Associate in Chemical Biology (Francis Crick Institute)

A postdoctoral position in chemical biology is available within the Chemistry Department at Imperial College, London, to work in the Walport laboratory (https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/labs/louise-walport ) based at the Francis Crick Institute.

The Walport lab is a highly interdisciplinary lab that uses a wide variety of techniques, spanning from synthetic and peptide chemistry to cell biology, to study proteins involved in the regulation of post-translational modifications. Our location in the Francis Crick Institute affords us access to a wealth of state-of-the-art technologies and expertise through the Scientific Technology Platforms alongside the stimulating environment provided by both the Crick and the Imperial College Chemistry Department.

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic chemical biologist to carry out novel research employing an mRNA-display-based peptide discovery platform, the RaPID system, to discover tools to better understand protein citrullination. Your work will involve developing new selection protocols to identify chemical modulators of the peptidyl arginine deiminases; enzymes with key roles in inflammatory diseases and various cancers. The project will involve developing and optimising new peptide selection schemes to identify candidate peptides; biophysical and structural characterisation of identified peptides; lead peptide optimisation; and peptide characterisation and testing in cells. The project will be multidisciplinary, involving synthetic and peptide chemistry, biophysical characterisation of peptide hits, structural biology and cell biology. We are therefore seeking someone with experience in a selection of these techniques and a willingness to learn others as dictated by the project. Experience with the development, optimisation and testing of peptide inhibitors or other chemical probes would be desirable.

• You will lead, conduct and record research at the forefront of modern chemical biology


• You will contribute to other projects on a collaborative basis


• You will draft and submit publications to refereed journals


• You will co-supervise PhD, Masters and undergraduate students

• Hold a PhD (or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience) in a relevant field, including chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology or a closely related discipline


• Strong background in chemical biology


• Extensive practical experience working on a multi-disciplinary project


• A proven publication track record appropriate to their career path


• Ability to work independently and within a team


• Eagerness to learn new techniques

The post is full-time and fixed term for 48 months and will be based at the Francis Crick Institute.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant within the salary range £36,694 - £39,888 per annum

The Department of Chemistry proudly holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award and strives to provide a working environment where all our staff feel fully supported to flourish and excel. The Department of Chemistry is committed to promoting the wide range of Family Friendly policies and associated initiatives offered by the College.

To apply, candidates should complete the online application form.

Should you require and further details on the role please contact Dr Louise Walport: [email protected]

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA),which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level.

http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research / 

We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We therefore encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender identity, sex, or sexual orientation. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Disability Confident Leader and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.