Research Assistant in Perinatal Science

Job id: 086608. Salary: £37,332- £42,099 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance.

Posted: 20 March 2024. Closing date: 10 April 2024.

Business unit: Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine. Department: Department of Women & Children’s Health.

Contact details:Rachel Tribe. [email protected]

Location: St Thomas’ Campus. Category: Research.

Job description

We are seeking an enthusiastic and proactive Research Assistant with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences or equivalent to join the INSIGHT-2/PISA study team (funded by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and Borne Charity), led by Professors Tribe and Gibbons at King’s College London.  INSIGHT-2 is a pregnancy-child cohort exploring the mechanisms of pregnancy complications and the impact pregnancy exposures have on future child health. The PISA study is embedded within this cohort and seeks to understand how fetal exposures in pregnancy increase the risk of childhood type 1 diabetes. You will support clinic, laboratory and administration activities related to the study, including recruitment (St Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College Hospital); governance; sample collection and sample processing/storage/analysis (immunology and molecular biology based); and reporting progress at research meetings. You will join an established team of dedicated researchers all working on this project.

You will work within the wider Department of Women and Children’s Health in the School of Life Course and Population Health Sciences based at St Thomas’ Hospital Campus, providing an environment that is highly supportive of early career researchers. 

This post will be offered on an a fixed-term contract until 30th November 2025.

This is a full-time post.

Key responsibilities

• Support recruitment and tracking of participants to the research studies
• Undertake human sample processing, PMBC isolation from blood and analysis
• Order consumables required for research activities
• Maintain a clean laboratory and office environment; ensure organised storage of samples and maintain accurate freezer, fridge and laboratory storage records
• Communicate regularly with the study PIs and team (formal study and group research meetings, daily interactions)
• Anticipate and manage problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Participate in regular laboratory meetings, journal clubs, Departmental and School meetings etc
• Contribute to the academic life of the Department and School as required e.g. teaching and other duties as required

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

BSc in a relevant Biomedical Sciences subject (e.g. immunology, reproductive biology, cell biology)

Proven, relevant laboratory skills (human sample handling, serum/PMBC analysis)

Good analytical skills including use of graphical packages

Ability to deliver information effectively through presentations and written reports

Excellent organisational skills (lab/analysis/regulatory) to ensure a high quality of sample/data and experimental outputs

Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary team

Evidence of semi-independent working and initiative

Knowledge of GCP, HTA and GDPR

Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, and to actively addressing areas of potential bias

Desirable criteria

Relevant MSc/interest in pregnancy or reproductive biology

Knowledge of statistics and relevant statistical packages

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

The School of Life Course & Population Sciences is one of six Schools that make up the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. The School unites over 400 experts in women and children’s health, nutritional sciences, population health and the molecular genetics of human disease. Our research links the causes of common health problems to life’s landmark stages, treating life, disease and healthcare as a continuum. We are interdisciplinary by nature and this innovative approach works: 91 per cent of our research submitted to the Subjects Allied to Medicine (Pharmacy, Nutritional Sciences and Women’s Health cluster) for REF was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. We use this expertise to teach the next generation of health professionals and research scientists. Based across King’s Denmark Hill, Guy’s, St Thomas’ and Waterloo campuses, our academic programme of teaching, research and clinical practice is embedded across five Departments.

More information: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/slcps

This post is subject to Disclosure and Barring Service and Occupational Health clearance.