38 Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Computational modelling is at the core of climate science, where complex models of earth systems are key to the scientific process. Most models embed significant inherent and accidental complexity which hampers verification and maintenance, reproducibility, and performance. Furthermore, modern models are exceptionally data-rich, both in terms of observational inputs and simulation outputs. There is consequently a pressing need for multi-disciplinary research, bringing together computer science, data science and climate science to deliver new high-quality, high-performance, and high-assurance models capable of yielding real transformational insights into our changing climate. Fostering such multi-disciplinary research is the aim of this 3-year Early Career Advanced Fellowship in the Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS) at the University of Cambridge.

The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) is a highly interdisciplinary research centre, addressing the challenges and opportunities of AI. The Centre has close links with a wide international network of researchers and research institutes, as well as with industry partners and policymakers in the AI field. It sits within the new Institute for Technology and Humanity, in the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Cambridge.

This is a new Senior Research Associate post, and the appointee will play a key role at CFI as Associate Director (Operations). This is an opportunity for a talented individual to make a major contribution to the development of a new field of research, on a topic that seems likely to be one of the most important of our time.

You will work closely with the Centre’s Academic Director, Associate Directors for Development and Education, Research Programme Directors, and Centre Coordinator in the management and development of CFI’s research and teaching activities. This involves day-to-day responsibility for the Centre’s research operations, and contribution to longer-term development of the Centre and its research profile and aims.

This Senior Research Associate position is supported by the Wellcome Foundation, one of the largest global charitable foundations. The incoming Senior Research Associate will collaborate with Dr. Yeun Joon Kim’s research team and the Institute for Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge to conduct interdisciplinary research on various topics in Organisational Behaviour, particularly culture creation, creativity, and Human-AI collaborations. The role holder will have ample opportunities to collaborate with esteemed faculty members in the field of Organisational Behaviour at Cambridge Judge Business School.

The successful candidate will be educated to PhD level in a relevant specialist subject (e.g. Organisational Behaviour) and will have considerable post-doctoral experience. The role holder should possess sufficient breadth and depth of specialist knowledge in their discipline and of research methods and techniques to develop research objectives, projects and proposals. Excellent organisational, administrative and time management skills are prerequisites for this role, and preference will be given to candidates who possess skills, knowledge, and experience in Python, R, and prompt engineering.

Human mitochondria incorporate ~1100 proteins which are encoded two distinct genomes: nuclear DNA and mtDNA. Although inherited by totally different mechanisms, the proteins encoded by nDNA and mtDNA directly interact and are essential for mitochondrial function. Preliminary evidence indicates that the two genomes have co-evolved in the human population, but the underlying genetic mechanisms for this interaction are now known. The post holder will harness the power of very large whole genome sequence datasets, including UK Biobank and the NIHR BioResource, to establish a framework to look for nuclear-mtDNA epistasis and determine whether specific nuclear-mtDNA interactions are under selection at the population level. This will form the basis for human disease studies, where a disruption of the normal balance between nuclear genes and mtDNA contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. Down-stream functional work will include transcriptomic and metabolomic datasets.

The successful candidate should have (or be about to obtain) a PhD in chemical biology or synthetic chemistry, and should be highly motivated and able to work independently. Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills are required to ensure success in liaising with a large and diverse research team. Previous experience with gel-based and cellular assays is desirable.

A postdoctoral position is available for 12 months (in the first instance, extension possible) from 1 March 2024 to work with Florian Hollfelder at the Biochemistry Department of Cambridge University (https://hollfelder.bioc.cam.ac.uk/). The project is part of the Horizon Europe project BlueTools (https://www.bluetools-project.eu/) and involves collaborations with various EU and UK groups on harnessing marine microbiomes and marine culture collections for novel biocatalysts that may play a role in future sustainable processes with higher resource and energy efficiency.

We will develop ultrahigh throughput assays to screen metagenomic libraries for new catalysts for applications in recycling, bioremediation and green chemistry. Candidate enzymes are mechanistically investigated, structurally characterised and subsequently improved by directed evolution. Ultrahigh-throughput screening in microfluidic picoliter droplets allows us to interrogate enzyme libraries with more than 10 million members experimentally in a day, increasing the chances of success in catalyst discovery.

We are seeking to appoint a researcher who will be based in the Research Strategy Office and affiliated with the Bennett Institute for Public Policy. You will work in a small, collaborative team of interdisciplinary researchers. You will contribute to the detailed design and implementation of the study (the overall project structure is fixed); and develop plans for follow-on studies.

The successful candidate will investigate how the brain noradrenergic and serotonergic systems dynamically encode different types of uncertainty in the environment. The project will specifically evaluate whether anti-anxiety medications that block the active reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin (i.e., SNRIs and SSRIs) improve anxiety symptoms by adjusting the representation of uncertainty signals in the brain. Applicants should have completed a PhD in neuroscience, pharmacology, biology, psychology, or other relevant discipline. We are looking for someone with experience in behavioural neuroscience and psychopharmacology in rodents, with a working knowledge of Pavlovian and instrumental tasks, including touchscreen-based technology. Skills in histology, immunohistochemistry, RNAscope, Western blotting, and stereotaxic surgery are essential. Experience with MRI, biosensors, and computational modelling would be desirable, but is not essential.

We are looking to appoint a Research Associate on a fixed term contract to 26th February 2026, with the possibility of extension, to undertake a project investigating early imaging changes (multi-modal MRI and amyloid PET) in the PREVENT-Dementia study, an ongoing multi-site cohort study of people in midlife who are at increased risk of developing dementia (see: https://preventdementia.co.uk/).

The post is funded by research grants supporting the study. You will be based within Professor O’Brien’s research group, a vibrant interdisciplinary group of basic and clinical scientists at the University of Cambridge undertaking clinical and biomarker studies seeking to understand the causes of and improve interventions for those with and at risk of dementia. See http://www.psychiatry.cam.ac.uk/oap

The Aiken laboratory seeks a post-doctoral research associate to join a team working on an exciting new MRC-funded project. We aim to use cutting-edge in vitro techniques, including placental organoids, to evaluate the impact of metformin on the placenta early in pregnancy. Evidence suggests that metformin could be an effective preventative treatment for both miscarriage and pre-eclampsia. These conditions are urgent clinical priorities; they are frequent, severe, and have very few current effective therapeutic options. The project has been funded on the basis of a high chance of significant clinical impact.

Scientists are encouraged to apply if they have substantial practical experience of laboratory-based research involving the placenta. Applicants should have a background in tissue culture and familiarity with a variety of common laboratory techniques. The role holder will be responsible for running their own research projects and will collaborate with PhD students, technicians and other post docs. Appointments will be made on a fixed term basis until 28 Febuary 2027 due to limited funding. Please ensure you read the Further Particulars document in full prior to submitting your application.

We are seeking to recruit a colleague who shares our passion for discovery and who looks for an exciting challenge within a multidisciplinary group. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in cell biology and immunology as well as a broad experimental skill set, which should include molecular and cell biology. We seek an applicant who is willing to manage research project and its administrative tasks, documentation and quality control of methodology, experimental data and results. The successful candidate will possess strong organizational skills and may contribute to teaching by assisting in the supervision of student research projects.

Experience in animal studies including a home office license would be ideal as one part of this project will involve studying the role of a G-protein coupled receptor in murine models of Crohn’s Disease.

The project is based around Professor Hall’s Senior Fellowship with UK in a Changing Europe that analyses the uneven nature of the economy across UK regions and how they are being impacted by significance global economic changes. The project will analyse policy interventions aimed at supporting local economies. The research is based in a number of case study locations including Mansfield (Nottinghamshire), Teesside in North-East England, Belfast, London and Milton Keynes. In depth qualitative research is being conducted to understand how firms and households are responding to significant challenges to the UK economy including Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis.

The successful applicants will be involved in designing and leading qualitative research with firms and households across the UK as well as triangulating this data with secondary information and policy analysis. A significant component of the role will include communicating research findings to a range of non-academic audiences including policy makers, civil servants and journalists in line with the wider aims of UK in a Changing Europe.

The Robot Experimentalist project will develop a prototype AI system able to intelligently and flexibly design experiments. In all previous AI Science the type of experiment that can be executed are limited to a small stereotypical set. Specifically, the Robot Experimentalist when given (1) a hypothesis, and (2) a set of laboratory equipment, output (3) a protocol to test the hypothesis using the equipment.

The post holder will be primarily responsible for (a) developing an inference engine for designing of experiments on the basis of given hypothesis and background knowledge, and (b) developing compilers to translate generated experiments into executable protocols on the laboratory robotic systems Eve, AIRC, and RIKEN. They will work on knowledge representation of (suitable for full automation): yeast biology, experimental hypotheses, laboratory equipment, and experimental protocols.

The role holder will collaborate with colleagues at the University of Cambridge and at the University of Nottingham to develop cell-based modules with integrated sensors and fluidics. Significant amounts of time will be spent working with cell cultures, growing and monitoring these cultures within the modules. The candidate will also be expected to assess the biological characteristics of the resulting system. The successful candidate will work and collaborate in the fabrication of these devices, requiring an understanding of design and fabrication techniques for device manufacturing.

Excellent writing and presentation skills are required, along with the ability to develop and drive research objectives. Good communication skills and ability to manage their own and others work is essential. The ability to work independently towards collaboration objectives and timelines, coupled with excellent organisational and problem-solving skills is essential for this role.

(18) Postdoctoral Fellowship Position

Postdoc Fellowship Position summary/title: Research Associate Quantum GaN-O-Photonics (Fixed Term)

Deadline : 31 January 2024

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Under the supervision of Professor Gordon Harold, the postholder will be responsible for supporting the research and professional development objectives of the MWB pillar, including implementation of advanced quantitative methods with the core purpose of delivering and promoting primary research objectives, impacts and applications. Specifically, the postholder will be expected to substantively contribute to new MWB pillar focused research projects and initiatives; utilise UK and other international longitudinal datasets, working specifically with project aligned data and related resources, implementing advanced statistical methods to examine factors that influence mental health and wellbeing; with a focus on workplace and workforce applications and interventions.

The Faculty of Divinity, West Road, Cambridge, invites applications for a new fixed-term appointment as Research Associate in the field of theology, gender and sexuality. Funded by a generous gift from Mr Michael Huffington to Trinity College, the post will be fixed term for five years from 1 September 2024 and will be located within the Faculty of Divinity. The successful candidate will in addition be appointed a member of the Trinity Postdoctoral Society and will be able to take two meals per week at High Table in Trinity College at the College’s expense.

Candidates should have a research specialism in the field of theology, gender and sexuality, should have completed a doctorate in that area before 1 September 2024, and be able to take up the post on that date or as soon as possible thereafter. The post might be particularly suitable for an early career researcher looking to develop their research and teaching profiles.

Applications are invited for a Full-time Research Associate position, to contribute to the exploration of a range of habitable and ecological conditions on Hycean worlds, planets with habitable ocean-covered surfaces and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. The project, which is funded by the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe, is led by Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan of the Institute of Astronomy (IoA), University of Cambridge. The successful candidate will join a collaborative team of researchers including Prof. Madhusudhan at the IoA and Dr. Emily Mitchell at the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge.

Applicants are expected to have strong expertise in one or more of the following areas: (1) Modelling of planetary atmospheres and/or interiors, (2) Ecological modelling and/or quantitative ecology (3) Earth climate modelling (4) Astrobiology (5) Quantitative palaeontology (6) Evolutionary biology. Candidates with expertise in other related areas are welcome to apply.

The laboratory of Dr Mekayla Storer (https://www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/people/pi/dr-mekayla-storer) uses multidisciplinary approaches to understand why the distal portion of the digit tip is the only part of the limb that can regenerate in mammals. The key step in this process is the formation of a blastema, a transiently proliferating mass of cells that the regenerates the different cell types of the digit to replicate the original structure. Therefore the broad goal of our research is to understand which cells and molecular pathways are necessary for this process. A portion of our present research builds on our previous work (Storer et al., Dev. Cell 2020) that used high-throughput single-cell mRNA sequencing and Cre-recombinase based lineage tracing to define the transcriptional identity of the mesenchymal cells comprising the blastema and the major transitions during mammalian digit tip regeneration. We are looking for a dedicated post-doctoral researcher to determine which of these factors present during digit tip amputation are necessary for successful regeneration and the mechanisms that underly this process. The post holder will use high-resolution imaging analysis, single cell transcriptomics/multi-omics approaches, in vitro culture with CRISPR-mediated gene regulation and in vivo transplantation assays.

The key responsibilities and duties are developing industry and lab-based demonstrators providing digital automation solutions; testing and experimenting with solutions to assess their effectiveness and impact on connected manufacturing systems and people; and generating and supporting research publications, presentations, reports and funding proposals.

The skills, qualifications and experience required to perform the role are to have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD in Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering, Engineering, Computer Science or related subjects; experience in planning and development of digital automation or augmentation systems; experience in publishing research in peer-reviewed, international outlets; and experience in the use of low cost sensing, communication and computing devices.

We are looking to recruit a Research Assistant/Associate to work at the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance (CERF) based in Central Cambridge at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. CERF was founded in 2001 as an independent endowment in the University of Cambridge. The formal objective of CERF is to promote research within the University into all aspects of finance, financial institutions and financial markets, and their relationship with economic behaviour and performance.

You will be expected to conduct empirical finance research in areas such as corporate finance, asset pricing, banking, market microstructure, asset management, behavioural or alternative finance. This will include developing research objectives and proposals, conducting individual and collaborative research projects, presenting your research to members of the Cambridge Finance research community and publishing your research in journals of the highest international standard. In addition, you will liaise with colleagues across the Cambridge Finance community, attend weekly CERF meetings and regular seminars and build a network of contacts.

We seek an enthusiastic postdoctoral research associate to join our team studying novel protein modulators of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signalling. This project combines artificial intelligence (AI) models with experimental assays to unveil the roles of the newly discovered non-canonical proteome in the cellular physiology of GPCRs. This interdisciplinary project links AI, bioinformatics, genetics, proteomics, structural biology, pharmacology and cell biology. It aims to use AI to identify and prioritize alternative proteins involved in the regulation of GPCR signalling, and to experimentally validate predictions. This project is a collaboration with Dr Brunet, University of Sherbrooke, Canada, and includes the possibility of working in Dr Brunet’s laboratory for a period of up to six months.

The Cell Signalling lab: The Cell Signalling Lab uses multidisciplinary approaches to investigate GPCR signalling, and enjoys collaborations with both academia and industry. The focus of the lab is to establish how different cellular components can control GPCR agonist bias. You can find more information about the lab at: https://www.phar.cam.ac.uk/research/Ladds and on Twitter: @GPCR_Ladds.

We are looking for a Research Assistant/Associate to work on the project FEVER-IT: Fact Extraction and VERification with Images and Text funded by the Alan Turing Institute and DSO labs, Singapore. The successful candidate will be based in the Natural Language and Information Processing group (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/nl/) at the Department of Computer Science and Technology. The project will focus on constructing a dataset and developing approaches enabling the verification of claims which require both text and images as evidence. Particular focus will be paid to accompanying the verdicts with suitable justifications.

Candidates will have completed a Ph.D. (or be close to completing it) in a relevant field such as NLP, Information Retrieval, Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning and be able to demonstrate a strong track record of independent research and high-quality publications. Essential skills include excellent programming (Python), NLP techniques (multimodal NLP in particular), Machine Learning, and proven communication skills.

This research assistant or postdoctoral research associate position’s purpose is to support the delivery of the Population Evidence and Data Science theme of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in the East of England. The post holder will contribute to the development, conduct, analysis and evaluation of applied population health research that focuses on the use of health and care data to improve population health and address health inequalities.

Although based at the University of Cambridge, the post-holder will work closely with researchers from the other universities within the NIHR ARC collaboration. The implementation of approaches that improve the quality, access to, and the use of population heath data by services and researchers is a key goal for the theme. The post holder will be expected to pro-actively engage with partner organisations that are able to contribute to this goal. It is anticipated that the post-holder will also be involved in the preparation of peer review publications and dissemination material for practice stakeholders and members of the public.

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is the biggest UK initiative driving forward research to fill this gap. We are a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of 700 staff investigating the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders causing dementia, with laboratory-based research groups located at University College London, the University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, Edinburgh University, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

Cambridge Developing new treatments that can prevent the onset of dementia or protect neurons from damage is hindered by our lack of knowledge in the fundamental causes and mechanisms behind neurodegeneration. Scientists at the UK DRI at Cambridge use cutting-edge approaches to build our understanding of the biological processes behind the earliest stages of neurodegeneration and ageing. They explore mechanisms causing the loss of vital connections between neurons and the pathways that drive repair of these connections, which are essential for memory formation and survival of brain cells and identify key molecular targets for translation into effective treatments to stop, slow or reverse dementia.

The project will involve the study of correlated electron materials of interest including unconventional superconductors and unconventional insulators under high-applied pressures, low temperatures, and high magnetic fields. The role will include designing and preparing of diamond anvil pressure cells and / or cubic anvil pressure cells to perform low temperature electrical resistivity measurements on various materials under high hydrostatic pressures above 10 GPa. These high pressure conditions will be combined with facilities offering low temperatures down to 10 mK and high magnetic fields up to 22T in the laboratories of Prof. Suchitra Sebastian at the Maxwell Centre, Department of Physics, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, UK, and Prof. Katsuya Shimizu at the Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Japan.

The BioNano Engineering group at UCAM is composed of 11 PhD students, 4 postdocs and number of visiting postgraduate and MPhil students of different profiles. The group exploits bioinspired strategies to develop new processes and materials to address ongoing health and sustainability challenges. Our interests are in design of new strategies to prepare bio-nano hybrid materials to be used both for medical and functional material design applications. It is expected that outcomes from this research will be published in top journals, and disseminated at international conferences, but will also have a huge practical impact in creating more sustainable textile dyeing processes.

Working closely with Colorifix also means that the postdoctoral researcher will spend time adapting the lab-based processes to industrial scale with the help of Colorifix scientists. The role holder will be expected to interact with industry collaborators and disseminate results regularly across the involved research teams, delivering presentations, seminars and occasional talks when required at national and international conferences. To publish papers on the research project and present results at national and international conferences. It is expected that there will be IP generated on a project.

The post-holder will contribute to the development and application of analytical methods (including statistics, machine learning and/or AI) to address major population health questions related to the prevention of multiple chronic diseases (including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and chronic kidney disease). This will involve deriving and validating new risk prediction models, performing cost-effectiveness evaluations through simulation modelling, and designing and conducting proof-of-principle randomised controlled trials.

Research will involve application of the developed methods to large and rich databases, and will provide internationally unique and unusually detailed insights into the prevention of multiple chronic diseases, leading to a series of publications. The post-holder will be trained to become an approved researcher for access to an extensive portfolio of large complex datasets including 57M-individuals in the NHS England Secure Data Environment with the CVD-COVID-UK/COVID-IMPACT consortium, 24M-individuals in OpenSAFELY-TPP, 2.5M-participant Emerging-Risk-Factors-Collaboration and 500K-participant UK Biobank.

The University of Cambridge wishes to appoint a talented postdoctoral research associate to join the research groups of Prof Patrick Chinnery, Prof Rita Horvath and Dr Jelle van den Ameele at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit.

The position is part of a collaborative Wellcome Discovery Award, in partnership with the MRC National Mouse Genetics Network, to characterise novel mouse models of mitochondrial disease, and use single-cell forward genetic screening approaches to characterise novel nuclear modifiers of disease progression. The focus of your work will be on studying how heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations change over time in somatic tissues, during development and aging.

We are looking for an experienced post-doctoral scientist to join our team, to study the physiological basis of cognitive change in Alzheimer’s disease. This new MRC funded post here at the world-renowned MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (University of Cambridge) has been created to identify individual differences in neurophysiology (MEG/EEG) in people with or at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Experience in formal models of brain and behavior (eg. DCM) is essential. Our friendly team is highly interdisciplinary and international, with excellent support in computing and technical facilities. For informal inquires, contact [email protected].

We invite applications for a Postdoctoral Research Associate position in the Materials Theory Group at the University of Cambridge. We are looking for a motivated, independent, and talented scientist to join our group.

The group is led by Prof. Chris Pickard and Prof. Bartomeu Monserrat, and the successful candidate is expected to develop their own research programme within the group. Areas of current interest include high pressure physics, superconductivity, structure prediction, and phonons and their interactions. Further details about our areas of interest can be found in our group website.

Applicants must have (or be about to receive) a PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related subject. The ideal candidate will have experience in code development and/or use of first principles methods (e.g. DFT, GW, DMFT) and/or machine learning methods. Applicants must also have a strong track record of publications in computational materials science, excellent communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively in a team of scientists with different backgrounds, and a willingness to take a leading role in the supervision of junior group members.

The successful candidate is expected to develop their own research programme within the group. Areas of current interest include amorphous hybrid materials and hybrid glasses. Further details about our areas of interest can be found in our group website: https://tdbennettgroup.com/.

Applicants must have (or be about to receive) a PhD in Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related subject. The ideal candidate will have experience in some of the following: Pair distribution function analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, gas adsorption. Applicants must also excellent communication skills, the ability to work collaboratively in a team of scientists with different backgrounds, and a willingness to take a leading role in the supervision of junior group members. Excellent organisational skills in communication with equipment manufacturers and external colleagues are essential.

The successful applicant will join a friendly and collaborative team of researchers with access to cutting-edge facilities and resources within the centre of Cambridge on the historic Tennis Court Road site. The applicant will gain exposure to experimental approaches in cellular and molecular immunology including conditional mouse genetics, in vivo genetic cell fate-tracking, molecular biology and high throughput RNA- and DNA-sequencing. The applicant will also have the opportunity to develop CRISPR/Cas9-based mutagenesis screens to discover novel mechanisms of immune suppression in the metastatic tumour microenvironment. The programme of work is based on a collaboration with the Roychoudhuri Group whose lab is next to the Okkenhaug lab, as well as with futher collaborations with the Thaventhiran group (MRC tox) and Halim group (CRUK CI).

Applications are invited for an enthusiastic, committed and experienced post-doctoral cell biologist to join a collaborative team led by David Gershlick and David Owen, investigating functional and structural aspects of vesicle trafficking between the Golgi and the endosome.

The postholder will work within a programme focussed on Mitochondrial Transport Processes. Mitochondrial transport proteins are crucial for the function of the mitochondrion and cause of a wide range of metabolic, developmental and neuromuscular mitochondrial diseases. Basic molecular knowledge about the structure and mechanism of transport proteins is required to provide a foundation for biomedical function-dysfunction studies in mitochondrial and cellular systems of greater complexity to understand their role in health and disease.

The goal of the project is to understand the molecular mechanism of mitochondrial transport protein by using electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM). The post-holder will participate in every stage of the process, from isolation of mitochondria, expression and purification of transport proteins, cryoEM grid preparation, data acquisition and processing and structure model building and interpretation. Candidates will have (or about to be awarded) a PhD in Biological or Physical Natural Sciences, and a track record of related research achievements in the area of Structural Biology and/or Biophysics.