Research Assistant in Nutritional Sciences

at  Kings College London

Job id: 104965. Salary: £38,232 - £39,866 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.
Posted: 21 January 2025. Closing date: 19 February 2025.
Business unit: Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. Department: Department of Nutritional Sciences.
Contact details: Neil Rayment. neil.rayment@kcl.ac.uk
Location: Waterloo Campus. Category: Research.
About Us
The School of Life Course & Population Sciences is one of six Schools that make up the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. The School unites over 400 experts in women and children’s health, nutritional sciences, population health and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages, treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum. We are interdisciplinary by nature and this innovative approach works: 91 per cent of our research submitted to the Subjects Allied to Medicine (Pharmacy, Nutritional Sciences and Women’s Health cluster) for REF was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We use this expertise to teach the next generation of health professionals and research scientists. Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments.
About the role
We are looking to recruit a Research Assistant to help in a project studying the role of specific elements of the human intestinal microbiota, including Mycobacterial species, and their interaction with the local immune system in patients with Crohn’s disease. The successful applicant will form part of an established team including gastroenterologists based at Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and microbiologists at Lancaster University, researching the potential involvement of bacteria in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease.

The project includes:

• Histological examination of gut tissue samples
• Specialised bacterial culture work
• In vitro studies of immunocytes and bacteria

This post offers an exciting opportunity for individuals who want to develop their research skills working within a laboratory environment with opportunities to collaborate with clinical researchers. The successful applicant will have some previous research experience, excellent organisational skills and understanding of intestinal microbiota.
This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31/01/2026.
About You
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• BSc in a biological subject
• Experience working in a laboratory setting
• Excellent knowledge of human cell biology and microbiology to engage in high quality research
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise different tasks with conflicting deadlines
• Good record keeping and attention to detail
• Demonstrable experience of maintaining bacterial cultures

Desirable criteria

• Understanding of human microbiota research
• Experience of data handling
• Experience of writing reports

Downloading a copy of our Job Description
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 ‘How we Recruit’ pages.
We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK. Please note this is dependent on the salary offered which is based on your experience and will be discussed at the offer stage.
This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances

Please refer the Job description for details