"Postdoctoral Research Associate (Fixed Term)"

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join the Social Fluids Laboratory led by Dr Adria LeBoeuf in the Department of Zoology.

This position is part of a BBSRC-funded project on metabolic cooperation between bodies, investigating autophagy-mediated resource transfer in social insects. The project focuses on how organisms mobilise and package their own resources for transfer to others. Ants are a wonderful model clade with deeply intertwined social relationships between colony members underpinned by variable amounts of physical transfer of endogenously produced resources across species, making a clear parallel between the tissues or cells of a multicellular organism.

The successful candidate will combine molecular biology with functional validation in naturally evolved systems. You will develop and optimise CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing techniques, perform RNAi experiments, analyse multi-omic datasets (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics), and conduct behavioural and physiological experiments.

We seek a new team member who identifies as a molecular biologist/insect physiologist who is excited by weird biology and not afraid to get their hands dirty, both in the field, collecting ants in Madagascar, and at the bench, troubleshooting protocols in non-model organisms. Experience with CRISPR and RNAi in insects is essential. While primarily a wet-lab position, you should be comfortable with some bioinformatics analyses and data science of omics data.

This is a highly interdisciplinary role with significant opportunities to develop skills across fieldwork, molecular biology, physiology, behaviour, and bioinformatics. The Social Fluids Lab values creativity, interdisciplinarity, curiosity, collaboration, open science, and inclusiveness. We offer a supportive, team-oriented research environment with opportunities for international fieldwork, cutting-edge molecular techniques, and addressing fundamental questions about evolution and resource allocation.

Start date is flexible, ideally April 2026, with a latest start date of 1 June 2026.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 48 months in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

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

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to: Dr Adria LeBoeuf acl79@cam.ac.uk

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact Paulina Lasocka hr@zoo.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PF48443 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Apply online

Key information

Department/location
Department of Zoology

Salary
£37,694-£46,049

Reference
PF48443

Category
Research

Date published
6 January 2026

Closing date
9 February 2026