Job Description

Ref Number

B02-09563

Professional Expertise

Research and Research Support

Department

School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

43,981-52,586

Contract Type

Fixed-term

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

02-Nov-2025

About us

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The Division of Biosciences at UCL is one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences. We have an outstanding international reputation and a community of over 500 staff and more than 300 PhD students engaged in cutting edge research and collaboration.



You will join a high-impact initiative to develop mechanistic, predictive frameworks for interpreting spatial omics data led by the Secrier and Murrell labs at UCL, in collaboration with the Olhede lab at EPFL. You will be embedded in an intellectually vibrant, interdisciplinary environment at UCL, working with:


Dr. Maria Secrier, Associate Professor in Computational Biology, with expertise in spatial omics, AI, and somatic evolution (https://secrierlab.github.io/).

Prof. David Murrell, a leader in ecological modelling and spatial statistical approaches for understanding biodiversity and community dynamics (https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/604-david-murrell).

Prof. Sofia Olhede, Chair of Data Science at EPFL, expert in statistical network theory and spatial point processes (https://www.epfl.ch/labs/sds/).


The labs are internationally recognised and have a strong track record of postdoc mentoring and career development, with all former researchers progressing to successful academic or industry positions.

About the role

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We are seeking a talented and ambitious Research Fellow to join a groundbreaking interdisciplinary project at the intersection of computational biology, ecology, statistical modelling and data analysis, where knowledge of at least one of these disciplines is required. This is a unique opportunity to pioneer the next generation of spatial transcriptomics analytics and develop predictive models of tissue architecture and cell community dynamics using tools inspired by ecology and geospatial science.



Spatial omics technologies are revolutionising our ability to study gene and protein activity within tissues at high resolution, but current analysis approaches remain largely descriptive. This interdisciplinary project aims to develop computational methods that uncover spatial organisation and predict dynamic behaviours in complex tissue systems. Drawing on ideas from ecology and network theory, you will build new tools to model spatial biological processes. This will include:


Developing spatial community detection tools to identify functional hubs and cellular ecosystems in tissue.

Implementing dynamic modelling frameworks, combining agent-based models and graph neural networks to simulate tissue responses to perturbations.

Prototyping and validating an open-source software toolkit for multi-tissue spatial data analysis, applicable across systems including development, inflammation, regeneration, and cancer.


The work will contribute open-source resources with broad applications across developmental biology, disease, and regeneration.



Interviews will take place in November.



The funding for this post is available until 31st December 2026 in first instance, with possibility of extension beyond this period. Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.



This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 60% on site and the appointment is subject to UCL Conditions of Service for Research, Teaching and Professional Services. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2024/dec/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.



A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.



If you have any queries about the role, please contact m.secrier@ucl.ac.uk. If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact the HR Administrator (fls.hr@ucl.ac.uk) stating the advert reference number in the subject line.

About you

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You must have:

A PhD (awarded or near completion) in computational biology, bioinformatics, ecology, statistics, applied mathematics, physics or a related field. Strong programming skills in Python, R, C/C++ or similar, with experience handling high-dimensional or spatial data. Interest in interdisciplinary work combining biology, ecology, statistical modelling and data analysis. Knowledge in at least one, but not all, of these disciplines is required. Proven track record of scientific publication. Demonstrated experience in developing/adapting computational models or algorithms to analyse biological or ecology data, and experience with single cell or spatial omics datasets would be an advantage.

What we offer

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The UCL Ways of Working supports colleagues to be successful and happy at UCL through sharing expectations around how we work - please see https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies-advice/ways-working to find out more.



As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:


41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)

Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme

Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)

Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan

Immigration loan

Relocation scheme for certain posts

On-Site nursery

On-site gym

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service

Discounted medical insurance


Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.



We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.



Our division holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.



You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/