Postdoctoral Fellow – Moris Lab

Working pattern:

Full-time, four-year position on Crick terms and conditions of employment.

From £45,500 with benefits, subject to skills and experience.

25th of February

The Francis Crick Institute is Europe’s largest biomedical research institute under one roof. Our world‑class scientists and staff collaborate on vital research to help prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative conditions.

The Crick is a place for collaboration, innovation and exploration across many disciplines. A space where the brightest minds can pursue big and bold ideas and discover answers to crucial scientific questions. We support them in a dynamic environment which fosters excellence with state‑of‑the‑art infrastructure, cutting‑edge facilities, and a creative and curious culture. We’ve removed traditional boundaries of departments, divisions and disciplines and instead have an open approach that supports every researcher.

This gives us the freedom to take risks and carry out high‑quality, pioneering research. Creating a space for discovery without boundaries helps us to turn our science into benefits for human health and the economy.

Much remains to be discovered about the molecular basis of human embryonic development, especially regarding the emergence of the body plan. Research in the Developmental Models laboratory aims to uncover the principles of human development using cutting‑edge in vitro model systems, including stem cell‑based embryo models (SCBEMs). Our findings aim to unravel principles of embryogenesis, including the co‑development of tissues and organ primordia.

The postholder will use the recently described human Trunk‑like Structures (hTLS; Makwana et al., 2025 Nature Cell Biology) to explore the biology of myogenesis in vitro, including how interactions between neighbouring cell types (such as neurons and endothelium) contribute to its maturation. Bioengineering approaches will be used to explore prolonging culture, and benchmarking between in vitro models and in vivo mouse embryos will allow us to uncover shared regulatory principles for deeper insight into emergence of the body plan.

Applicants should have a strong background in developmental biology, stem cell biology, muscle biology or related fields. Training will be provided in all aspects of the work, and the candidate will be supported in their professional development goals (eg fellowship applications, conference presenting etc).

• Developing project ideas and proposing hypotheses and further research directions
• Designing and leading a high‑quality experimental programme of work
• Carrying out a range of experimental protocols, including tissue culture of human pluripotent stem cells, embryo model generation, imaging, molecular characterisation etc.
• Fully analysing data
• Assisting with laboratory duties, including supporting other early career researchers
• Keeping accurate and reproducible records of experiments
• Presenting at laboratory meetings and/or interest groups
• Reporting findings through local and international presentations and manuscript preparation

• PhD in biology, or similar*
• Good background in developmental biology and understanding of the field
• Experience in leading your own research project
• Experience of human pluripotent stem cell culture (hPSCs)*
• Track record of writing papers as evidenced by publications or manuscripts in peer‑reviewed journals*
• Ability to work both independently and within a group
• Mouse embryo work, bioinformatic analysis and imaging of 3D embryos/organoids (Desirable)

Everyone who works at the Crick has a valuable role to play in advancing the Crick’s mission and shaping our culture.

• We are bold
  . We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches. We’re not afraid to do things differently.
• We are open
  . We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world.
• We are collegial
  . We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and…