Postdoctoral Research Associate

About the Role

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate, funded through a major international research programme dedicated to accelerating Parkinson's disease research. The postholder will spearhead a high-impact project to establish expression and instability of short tandem repeats (STRs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) brain, using already-generated, high-depth, large-scale RNA-sequencing datasets from across a large, international collaborative research network. The role involves establishing a robust pipeline to generate a transcriptome-wide map of STR expression in PD brain tissue.

The reusable tools generated by the postholder will be of direct value to the wider neurodegeneration research community.

You will hold, or be close to completing, a PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, or a related quantitative field. You will have strong programming skills (Python, R, Linux) and experience analysing large-scale sequencing datasets, ideally RNA-sequencing data. You will be self-motivated, able to work independently within a fast-moving collaborative environment, manage competing priorities and communicate findings clearly to academic, clinical and non-specialist audiences.

The Centre for Preventive Neurology (CPN) is part of the Wolfson Institute for Population Health. The institute has a focus on academic discipline, research, the translation of research into health strategies and their practical implementation – all dedicated to the reduction of disease and disability. The CPN focuses on these principles across neurological diseases. The CPN is recognised as an outstanding environment for early career researchers.

We offer a programme of regular seminars, journal clubs, presentation opportunities, methods clinics and opportunities to collaborate both internally and externally. The postholder will collaborate closely across teams.

At Queen Mary University of London, we believe that a diversity of ideas helps us achieve the previously unthinkable. Throughout our history, we’ve fostered social justice and improved lives through academic excellence. And we continue to live and breathe this spirit today, not because it’s simply ‘the right thing to do’ but for what it helps us achieve and the intellectual brilliance it delivers.

We continue to embrace diversity of thought and opinion in everything we do, in the belief that when views collide, disciplines interact, and perspectives intersect, truly original thought takes form.

We offer competitive salaries, access to a generous pension scheme, 30 days’ leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time/fixed-term), a season ticket loan scheme and access to a comprehensive range of personal and professional development opportunities. In addition, we offer a range of work life balance and family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, and campus facilities. Queen Mary's commitment to our diverse and inclusive community is embedded in our appointments processes.

Reasonable adjustments will be made at each stage of the recruitment process for any candidate with a disability. We are open to considering applications from candidates wishing to work flexibly.

£38,419 to £46,618 per annum