"Drug Discovery Neurobiologist (Research Associate)"

Drug Discovery Neurobiologist (Research Associate)

The ALBORADA Drug Discovery Institute (ADDI), part of the University of Cambridge Department of Clinical Neuroscience (cambridge-ddi.alzheimersresearchuk.org), is seeking a postdoctoral Research Associate with a strong background in mechanistic biology to join its established team. The ADDI is part of a network of world-class Drug Discovery Institutes, funded by Alzheimer's Research UK, forming the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance. The successful candidate will have demonstrable experience in the mechanistic validation and analysis of biological targets and pathways. Working with putative therapeutic targets in the central nervous system, you will be responsible for designing, conducting, and interpreting validation experiments in cell-based models using a range of molecular biology techniques. You will be expected to optimise and troubleshoot new cellular and biochemical assays for testing developed bioactive compounds and take an active role in running in vivo drug studies and processing tissues for qRT-PCR, Western blot and histology experiments.

This is a highly collaborative role; whilst reporting to the Cell and Molecular Biology team leader, you will also work alongside colleagues in the Screening and In Vivo teams and with medicinal and computational chemists to progress projects from target identification to in vivo proof of concept. The successful candidate will have an enthusiastic and proactive mindset, taking a lead role in applying rigorous science and creative, cutting-edge approaches to problem-solving and project advancement. In addition to potentially supervising and supporting junior staff, you will be intellectually involved in the research programme, keeping updated on state-of-the-art techniques and developing external contacts to form relationships for future collaboration.

Applicants must hold a Biological Sciences PhD with laboratory-based experience. You will be expected to be organised, self-motivated, and eager to identify and implement improvements to protocols and study designs. Excellent time-management and record-keeping skills are essential, as you will be responsible for writing up results for presentation, patenting, and publication. Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a standard health assessment. This is an exciting opportunity to join a cutting-edge drug discovery team focusing on the diseases that cause dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions.

For questions relating to the post, please contact Dr Jonathan Clarke at jhc30@cam.ac.uk.

Temporary cover: This post is fixed-term until 30 January 2027 or the return of the post holder, whichever is the earlier.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Applicants must have (or be close to obtaining) a PhD.

Appointment at Research Associate level is dependent on having a PhD. Those who have submitted but not yet received their PhD will initially be appointed as a Research Assistant (Grade 5, Point 38 £34,610) moving to Research Associate (Grade 7) upon confirmation of your PhD award.

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

Please quote reference RR49113 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

Key information

• Department/location: Department of Clinical Neurosciences
• Salary: £37,694-£46,049
• Reference: RR49113
• Category: Research
• Date published: 13 March 2026
• Closing date: 31 March 2026