Job Description

Ref Number

B02-09087

Professional Expertise

Research and Research Support

Department

School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

43,374 51,860

Contract Type

Fixed-term

Working Type

On site

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

30-Jul-2025

About us

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UCL School of Pharmacy is one of the world's leading centres of excellence for pharmaceutical science, education and professional engagement. The Division has a well established track record in high quality research across a broad range of drug discovery, pharmacy and patient safety related areas as well as in the development of spinout companies bringing new therapeutic strategies to the patient.



Further information can be found on our website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/pharmacy/



This is an exciting opportunity to join Professor Ahad Rahim's Laboratory at the UCL School of Pharmacy.



Working in close collaboration with Drs Giulia Massaro, Audrey Mercer, Andrew Constanti (UCL School of Pharmacy) and Professors Sonia Gandhi and Thomas Foltynie (UCL Queens Square Institute of Neurology), this is an exciting opportunity to develop a novel and innovative gene therapy approach for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease.

About the role

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The main purpose of this position is to work as part of an interdisciplinary and collaborative team and develop a novel adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy for Parkinson' Disease. You will design and produce viral vectors and then assess their therapeutic efficacy in mouse and iPSC-derived neural cells. The project is highly interdisciplinary and a wide range of techniques will be used across both institution at UCL. This is an 18 month position, in the first instance.



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 Professor Ahad Rahim at a.rahim@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.

About you

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This Parkinson's Disease gene therapy project requires a researcher with a PhD in a biological science or gene therapy related subject.



The successful candidate will be working with mouse and iPSC-derived cell models of Parkinson's Disease.



Previous experience in the gene therapy field and demonstrable technical skills of working with adeno-associated viral vectors is important.



Clear communication and excellent presentation skills are necessary, and good organisation is required to perform the various aspects of this project.

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 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 Bronze 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/