Job Description

Ref Number

B02-09153

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

28-Aug-2025

About us

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The Ribosome Laboratory, headed by Dr. Lisa Cabrita and Prof. John Christodoulou is a highly dynamic research environment that integrates molecular and cell biology with structural and computational biology to address key questions in how proteins first begin to form their structures on ribosomes, and how this process can go wrong and lead to disease.



The laboratory is part of the Biosciences Division, a centre of research excellence and one of the largest Divisions within UCL. Research activities in the Division and the linked Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology are underpinned by state-of the-art research facilities hosting and developing methodologies, including cryo-electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, single molecules methods, ion mobility mass spectrometry laboratories, cell biology, optical microscopy and bioinformatics.



The Biosciences Division coordinates a range of undergraduate and master's programmes and hosts a large number of postgraduate research students funded by MRC, BBSRC, EPSRC and many others. Symposia, retreats and seminar series are an important part of the experience of our community.



The Cabrita lab promotes independent and creative thinking, and projects often span research disciplines, with a strong interest in defining mechanism and structure in high definition. This project is an exciting opportunity to explore a new area of co-translational protein mis-assembly in conformational diseases

About the role

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This is a multi-disciplinary role investigates a molecular basis of co-translational misfolding and mis-assembly, with questions ranging from the role of the ribosome in early protein misfolding events, the cell's response, through to understanding how aberrant structures are formed in cells.



The project will involve studying protein translation and ribosomal complexes using molecular cell biology and biophysical approaches (in vitro and cell-based), with a view to expanding to cryoEM to study ribosomal complexes at high-resolution, in collaboration with the Christodoulou group. The post hold will be an active member of the Cabrita/Christodoulou laboratories and interface with collaborators.


This is a fixed-term role for 24 months from the time of appointment, in the first instance.

Research Fellows -

'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 (salary 38,607- 41,255 per annum) per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.' This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information. This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Academic Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/policies/2021/jun/conditions-service-academic-stafffor 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 Lisa Cabrita at l.cabrita@ucl.ac.uk

About you

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The position will suit a highly motivated postdoctoral scientist who is interested in protein translation, co-translational folding, and/or protein structure-function relationships.



The successful applicant should have (or about to be awarded) a PhD in Biochemistry, Chemistry or a relevant subject, with expertise in recombinant protein expression, purification and characterisation studies including biochemistry (e.g. radio/fluorescence labelling, modification approaches, PAGE), biophysics (optical techniques). and/or structural biology (CryoEM/NMR). Experience in mammalian cell biology or live-cell fluorescence imaging would be a significant advantage. Basic coding skills and/or a knowledge of statistical software packages (e.g. Matlab, GraphPad etc) is essential.



You will be expected to work as part of an integrated team to produce original contributions towards understanding co-translational protein misfolding on ribosomes using a wide range of techniques. Your studies will focus on a model conformational disease, alpha-1-antitrypsin (alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency), and exploring others including alpha-synuclein (Parkinson's disease), and huntingtin (Huntington's disease).



In addition to developing and conducting the research, you will contribute expertise to the overall research effort in the Cabrita and Christodoulou groups. You will also communicate results through scientific publications in leading journals, and as scientific presentations at national and international conferences. Good oral and written communication skills are essential, and you must be able to show a commitment to effective multi-disciplinary team work.

What we offer

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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 and expenses 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 department 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/