View Vacancy MRC Postdoctoral Research Scientist LMS 2584 Open Date 18/03/2025, 10:00 Close Date 21/04/2025, 23:55 Research Institute MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences Research Institute / Unit Information The LMS is a world-class research laboratory where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. Funded by the MRC as part of UK Research and Innovation, the LMS has a collaborative working culture and new state-of-the-art building based in the heart of West London in the Hammersmith Hospital Campus (W12). The LMS aims to deliver transdisciplinary team science, in synergistic interaction with Imperial College and the wider national research environment. Part of achieving this, is to recruit new talent and support postdoctoral scientists to become world leaders in their area of science. UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org Band MRC - 4 Location London Salary £41,344 plus London allowances (£5,385) per annum Allowances Additional allowances comprise a £1,000 lump sum Settlement Allowance plus a yearly Training Allowance of £850 in the first year, paid in monthly instalments. The Training Allowance increases to £1,300 in year two, and £1,800 in the third year. Contract Type Fixed Term Job Type Science Full Time / Part Time Full Time Contract Length 3 years Job Description Overall purpose: The Functional Gene Control group led by Dr Mikhail Spivakov combines experimental and computational approaches to study how genomic and epigenetic information is integrated with extrinsic signals to promote concerted changes in phenotype such as cell differentiation and activation. The group's focus is on the function of distal DNA regulatory elements such as enhancers in these processes, and on human stem and innate immune cells as experimental systems. The post holder will study the interplay between physical enhancer-promoter connectivity and function using either (a) experimental approaches such as high-throughput chromosomal conformation, CRISPR interference/activation and chromatin assays and/or (b) advanced computational analyses including statistical learning and AI, and lead the development of new experimental and computational methodologies to address these questions. Job Summary The post holders will lead independent and original research within the group, deliver the scientific aims of the projects and take an active role in preparing the results for publications in refereed journals. They will also help supervise students and contribute to the smooth running of the research group. Main Responsibilities: Plan and carry out research in accordance with agreed project aims Take initiative in the planning of the research project Formulate and test hypothesis to progress the research project Implement state-of-the-art experimental and/or computational techniques for data generation, collection and analysis Conduct data analysis ensuring its validity and reliability of data at all times Maintain accurate and complete records of all findings Run analyses and tests using specified and agreed techniques and models Help with the smooth running, organization of the laboratory and ensuring that GLP and good data management are observed in all procedures directly related to the research project Prioritise tasks within agreed work schedules Apply for personal fellowships and/or contribute to writing bids for research grants Attend project and related research group meetings Actively interact and collaborate with researchers in related projects Write up and publish work arising from the projects in peer-reviewed journals Take an active part in the academic activities of the LMS Attend and contribute to journal clubs and seminar presentations Present data at national and international meetings (where and when appropriate) Form good working relationships with other group members, as well as internal and external collaborators Assist others and co-supervise students when required This is an MRC Postdoctoral Scientist position providing training and development supporting post-doctoral scientists in early or changed career paths helping establish them as successful research scientists in their chosen field. Applicants must have a PhD (or equivalent experience) in either a numeric discipline (such as mathematics, statistics, physics or computer science) or a biomedical discipline. Ideally, they should have experience in both wet-lab and computational genomics research, although exceptional 'wet-lab'- or computational-only candidates are also encouraged to apply. The candidates should be able to demonstrate their previous research output through publications, conference proceedings, preprints and/or open-source software. The successful candidate should also have the ability to develop and apply new concepts, have a creative approach to problem solving, and be able to write clearly and succinctly for publication. Person Specification Education / Qualifications / Training required (will be assessed from application form): Essential : PhD (or equivalent) in a biomedical or quantitative discipline Previous work experience required (will be assessed from application form and at interview): Essential: Extensive wet-lab experience in devising and troubleshooting high-throughput chromatin assays or CRISPRa/i screens, in application to pluripotent stem cells or immune cells and/or Advanced experience in AI and statistical learning in application to genomics Desirable: A dual experimental and computational research expertise Experience in 4C, SPRITE and/or HiChIP techniques and/or Experience in deep learning and graph neural networks Experience in developing genomics analysis methodologies and software Knowledge and experience (will be assessed from application form and at interview): Essential: A keen interest in gene regulation A proven research record evidenced through publications, conference proceedings, preprints and/or open-source software Excellent written communication skills, ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication For wet-lab candidates: Experience in mammalian cell culture Experience in standard molecular biology techniques Experience in epigenomics assays For computational candidates: Experience in genomics data analysis Experience in a scripting language such as R or Python, and understanding of existing tools available in these languages for genomics data analysis and visualisation Personal skills/behaviours/qualities (will be assessed at the interview): Essential: Willingness to apply for personal fellowships Ability to work independently and as part of a team (both locally and remotely with close international collaborators) Ability to work in partnership with, and seek advice from, external collaborators Evidence of ability to conduct research independently, from the planning stages to execution and write-up The desire to learn and acquire new skills and to pro-actively seek novel and creative solutions to scientific problems Willingness to share knowledge and skills with other members of the group on a daily basis Good verbal communication skills in English Ability to constructively criticize one's own and others results Further Information Applicants should submit CV with a brief cover letter describing their motivation for the post and how they fit the person specification, along with the names and contacts of two scientific references. Please do not send reference letters at this stage. Please quote reference number LMS 2584. This role qualifies for endorsement by UKRI for a UK Global Talent Visa, for which the successful applicant is likely to be eligible to apply. Immigration costs for applicant (100% visa and 100% Health Surcharge) and immediate dependents (100% visa and 50% health surcharge when applying with main applicant) can be reclaimed from LMS after taking up the post (terms and conditions apply). The MRC is a unique working environment where scientific researchers and professional support staff can actively partake in world class innovation and collaboration opportunities and their skills and knowledge through accessing a wide catalogue of training & development, including professional registration with the Science Council. In addition, MRC (part of UKRI) provides its community of employees access to a whole host of useful benefits, including a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement (30 days plus 2.5 privilege days & 8 bank holidays), family friendly policies (6 months full pay maternity & adoption leave), a range of shopping/travel discounts, access to our Employee Assistant Programme Scheme, Health and Wellbeing Support and a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. Please follow this link to find out more - Benefits Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We warmly invite people from diverse backgrounds and heritage, including people who identify as having a disability, to apply for a role that excites them. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants who have disclosed they have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs. We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.