Postdoctoral Research Associate : London, United Kingdom

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Renal Sciences,DTIMB, Kings College London

Reference: THW/15/059639/036

Salary Details: £32,277 to £34,233 per annum

Allowances: Plus £2,323 London Allowance

Contract Type: Temporary/Fixed term

Contract Term: Full time

Funded by a Kidney Research UK grant entitled “MiR-acles in collecting ducts underlie albuminuria-induced renal fibrosis”, this position is for a postdoctoral researcher within the Department of Renal Sciences, Division of Transplantation Immunology & Mucosal Biology, on the Denmark Hill campus of King's College London. The post holder will be joining Dr Qihe Xu's group and will play a pivotal role in delivering the project and expanding the research portfolio of the department, which is particularly focused on understanding the mechanisms of kidney diseases and developing new medicines for patients with kidney disease. For this reason, the patients' needs are always at the centre of the work we undertake and we maintain close contacts with the nationally-renowned clinical Department of Renal Medicine within King's College Hospital and collaborate internationally with renal scientists and clinical nephrologists.

Albuminuria is a leading risk factor for progression of chronic kidney disease. The purpose of this role is to undertake research to test our hypothesis that urinary albumin sequesters retinoic acid (activated vitamin A) in collecting ducts, represses expression of retinoic acid-dependent anti-fibrotic microRNAs (miR) in collecting duct cells and thus causes renal fibrosis. Intervening the albumin-retinoic acid-miR axis in collecting duct cells will be explored as a novel strategy for preventing kidney disease progression and renal fibrosis.

Built on the PI's 20 years of expertise in nephrology, molecular cell biology and retinoic acid biology, this project will further benefit from a well-established collaborative network and some unpublished data in support of the hypothesis. The work of this post holder will be mainly conducted in cultured cellular models, while clinical and animal studies will be mainly conducted in co-investigators' laboratories in Cardiff University, UK, and the University of Florence, Italy. To meet research objectives and facilitate data integration, the collaborating teams will support each other, share research protocols and data, and the post holder may be required to work on some animal or clinical samples, should this become necessary.

The post holder is expected to plan and develop the project proactively, engage in collaborations and discussions, and carry out experiments independently. Experience in molecular cell biology and interest in kidney diseases are essential. Expertise in miR studies, knowledge and experience in renal sciences, fibrogenesis, retinoic acid biology and in-vitro transgene techniques are desirable. The work would ideally suit someone with previous research experience in renal molecular cell biology. The successful applicant will be encouraged to integrate existing unpublished data with new data of the research teams to publish in high-impact journals, and will be supported in using this novel line of research to underpin a future career in renal research. The selection process will include a short presentation of the candidate's previous research experience followed by an interview. Informal inquiries and visits are strongly encouraged and warmly welcome.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 25th October 2015.

Interviews will be held in November 2015.

To apply for this post, you will need to register with the Hirewire system first to download and submit the application form. Please note, should you wish to submit a CV or a short statement, you will need to copy & paste these documents after the application form as the system will only accept one document to be uploaded.

Equality of opportunity is College policy.

Closing date: 25 October 2015