"Postdoctoral Research Associate in Immunology"

About Us

We seek to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Immunology to join the lab of Professor Patricia Barral.

The post will be based at the Centre for Inflammation Biology and Cancer Immunology (CIBCI), School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, on the King’s College London Guy’s Campus.

The Barral lab has strong expertise in Immunology and aims to understand how immune cells adapt to their environment and how in turn their influence health and disease. The successful candidate will combine preclinical models and patient-derived samples to explore the metabolic regulation of macrophages in the context of breast cancer. We foster an inclusive and interdisciplinary culture, providing access to state-of-the-art facilities, training opportunities, and a great network of collaborators. We are committed to support career development and encourage innovative thinking to tackle major challenges in Immunology.

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate in Immunology to join our research team. The successful candidate will work on an exciting project exploring how lipid metabolism shapes immune cell identity and function. This role offers the opportunity to apply cutting-edge techniques, to address fundamental questions in immunology. You will design and conduct experiments, analyse complex datasets, and contribute to high-impact publications in a collaborative and supportive environment.

This project aims to combine preclinical models and patient-derived samples to explore the metabolic regulation of macrophages in the context of breast cancer. As part of the project, you will develop sophisticated ex vivo and in vivo approaches to identify lipid metabolic pathways controlling macrophage functions and how these in turn regulate breast cancer progression and response to treatment.

This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31st March 2029.

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. PhD in Biological/Biomedical sciences *
2. Evidence of excellent research productivity - primary author in scientific publications and conference presentations
3. Laboratory-based experience in cellular and molecular Immunology techniques including cell culture, purification of primary cells, flow-cytometry, qPCR, ELISA, etc
4. Experience in in-vivo animal models of disease and/or transgenic/KO related work
5. Excellent communication and organizational skills- ability to communicate complex scientific concepts
6. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
7. Experience with data analysis and interpretation
8. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot technical challenges

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience working with human/patient-derived tissues
2. Knowledge of bioinformatics or computational analysis
3. Evidence of successful collaboration in multidisciplinary projects

Further Information

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 person specification section of the job description. 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.

Grade and Salary: £45,031 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Job ID:135405
Close Date:02-Feb-2026
Contact Person:Patricia Barral Catoira
Contact Details:Patricia.barral@kcl.ac.uk