Postdoctoral Research Associate in Systems Medicine

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Systems Medicine

King's College London is one of the world's leading research universities, renowned for its excellence in education, groundbreaking research, and innovation. Our Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine (FoLSM) is dedicated to pushing the frontiers of medical science to improve healthcare outcomes. Within FoLSM, the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences (SIMS) plays a key role in research and education, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms of disease and developing new therapies.

This role is located within the prestigious Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies, where our researchers are at the forefront of liver disease research. As part of this vibrant academic environment, you will join the Zhang group,





an innovative research team at the intersection of systems medicine, bioinformatics, and liver disease. Based at the James Black Center, Denmark Hill campus, our team works on understanding and modeling metabolic and inflammatory processes that drive liver disease progression. We are dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and translating our research into real-world medical solutions, offering a dynamic and collaborative setting for cutting-edge research.

About the role

This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research at the forefront of systems medicine, focusing on the progression of Metabolic Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). The successful candidate will work within a multidisciplinary team to unravel the metabolic drivers of MASLD through cutting-edge spatial multi-omics and computational metabolic modeling.

The role involves developing and implementing computational methods to integrate genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs)





with single-cell and spatial transcriptomics data. Using advanced techniques such as MALDI-MSI metabolic profiling and enzyme-constrained GEMs, the candidate will generate region-specific models to predict metabolic fluxes associated with liver disease. This research will provide key insights into the metabolic alterations driving MASLD progression, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The post is based at the James Black Center, Denmark Hill campus, and the candidate will report directly to Dr. Cheng Zhang. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with clinicians, computational biologists, and experimentalists, ensuring that computational models are seamlessly integrated with experimental data.





Responsibilities also include the supervision of junior researchers and the preparation of high-impact research publications.

This role is ideal for individuals with expertise in systems biology, bioinformatics, and multi-omics data analysis, who are eager to make significant contributions to the field of liver disease research. This is a fixed-term position for two years, with a potential start date in December 2024, providing an exciting opportunity to be part of a dynamic and forward-thinking research group.

This is a full time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30 January 2026.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:







Essential criteria * PhD qualified in relevant subject area *

- Strong programming skills with proficiency in Python, R, and tools relevant to multi-omics data analysis (e.g., CellRanger, GECKO, tINIT)
- Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and meet competing deadlines in a dynamic research environment
- Experience in analyzing large-scale multi-omics datasets, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, using advanced statistical and computational methods
- Expertise in genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) and familiarity with flux balance analysis or other metabolic flux modeling approaches






- Ability to communicate effectively within a multi-disciplinary team and produce high-quality verbal and written reports and publications

- Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Desirable criteria * Knowledge of liver disease, cancer and/or metabolism
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to develop novel computational methods for data integration and analysis
- Experience with machine learning approaches for biological data modeling and predictive analytics

Downloading a copy of our Job Description







Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement,





detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ' ' pages.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.

Company

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world and among the oldest in England. King's has more than 27,600 students (of whom nearly 10,500 are graduate students) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 6,800 staff.







King's has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) King's was ranked 6th nationally in the 'power' ranking, which takes into account both the quality and quantity of research activity, and 7th for quality according to Times Higher Education rankings. Eighty-four per cent of research at King's was deemed 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent' (3* and 4*). The university is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of more than £684 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: .

King's £600 million campaign, World questions|KING's answers, has delivered huge global impact in areas where King's has particular expertise. Philanthropic support has funded new research to save young lives at Evelina London Children's Hospital; established the King's Dickson Poon School of Law as a worldwide leader in transnational law; built a new Cancer Centre at Guy's Hospital; allowed unique collaboration between leading neuroscientists to fast-track new treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, motor neurone disease, depression and schizophrenia at the new Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute; created the Cicely Saunders Institute: the first academic institution in the world dedicated to palliative care, and supported the King's Sierra Leone Partnership in the Ebola crisis. Donations provide over 300 of the most promising students with scholarships and bursaries each year. More information about the campaign is available at .

Company info Mini-site Telephone +(44)02078365454 Location STRAND
LONDON
WC2R 2LS
GB

Share this job

Save jobClick to add the job to your shortlist

You need to or to save a job.

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

© 2015 - 2024 THE World Universities Insights Limited. Powered by Madgex Job Board Software

Close

Before you apply -
Turn on alerts for jobs like this!

We'll send them straight to your inbox :

What is your email address? required

When you create this job alert we will email you a selection of jobs matching your criteria. Our and apply to this service and you can unsubscribe at any time.

By clicking to continue to apply below, your email address will be shared with the employer.

Create alert and continue to apply (This will open in a new window from which you will be automatically redirected to an external site after 5 seconds)

▶️ Postdoctoral Research Associate in Systems Medicine
🖊️ King's College London
📍 London