Postdoctoral Research Associate

University of Exeter - Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

Placed On: 19th December 2025

Closes: 26th January 2026

Job Ref: Q12598

We wish to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Associate to join Dr Chloe Rackham’s research team, to focus on understanding the pancreas niche and therapeutic potential of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) prevention and treatment. This position is funded through a Medical Research Council collaborative research project (Dr Chloe Rackham (principal investigator), co-investigators: Prof Sarah Richardson and Dr Martin Eichmann) and is available from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2029.

Ideally, you will have experience in primary MSC/PSC and/or islet culture and downstream assays, molecular biology and flow cytometry. The studies conducted for this project will use primary isolated human islets and human pancreatic MSCs and PSCs. Experience in RNA-seq analysis, bioinformatics and imaging is also advantageous. You will be one of two post-doctoral researchers working on this MRC-Funded Project. One researcher is already working in the research team of Dr Chloe Rackham and together within the wider Islet Biology at Exeter (IBEx) team, you will be advancing this research field to help inform human pancreatic stromal cell-based strategies to support the survival and long-term function of endogenous pancreatic islets and transplanted islet cells.

You will join the expanding Diabetes discipline within the Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Exeter. The position is based at the recently purpose-built laboratories within the RILD building, University of Exeter (EX2 5DW), a £27 million joint venture between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon University Hospital, specifically designed to accelerate translation of scientific discoveries to improve human health.

This position suits someone who is highly collaborative and possesses excellent communication and time-management skills.

The selection process will include competency-based questions, a presentation of your recent research and motivations for applying, and a panel interview.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies.

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD (or nearing completion) or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study and be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Applicants will be able to undertake research focused on primary MSC/PSC and human islet co-culture assays. Experience in type 1 diabetes research and/or MSC or PSC research will therefore be of benefit. Experience in some of the following techniques: RNA isolation, RT-qPCR, flow cytometry, RNA-seq analysis, bioinformatics and imaging is also essential.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024). We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

Further information

For further information please contact Dr Chloe Rackham, e-mail: c.rackham@exeter.ac.uk.