Research Associate in Immunopsychiatry Research

Cardiff University - The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Location:	Cardiff
Salary:	£41,064 to £46,049 per annum (Grade 6)
Hours:	Full Time
Contract Type:	Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 8th April 2026
Closes: 24th April 2026
Job Ref: 21496BR

We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and experienced scientist at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences to undertake research work for validation of an immune-complement protein as a novel therapeutic target to modulate synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia.

The successful candidate will join a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary research team that is developing novel small-molecule drug candidates to test their inhibitory potential of a complement protein/protein interaction. The post holder will be utilizing molecular biology techniques, including SDS-PAGE, Western Blotting and enzymatic cleavage assays, as well as cell-based complement activity assays. Other methods utilized in this study will include ELISA, protein-protein interaction and affinity analysis (Biacore) and characterisation of iPSC-derived neuronal cells and microglia.

The research aims to validate a blood protein of the complement system as a potential therapeutic target relevant to schizophrenia.

For informal inquiries, please contact Dr Meike Heurich (heurichm@cardiff.ac.uk) or Dr Marcella Bassetto (bassettom1@cardiff.ac.uk).

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and is fixed-term from 1st May 2026 until 30 April 2028.

This post is based at Redwood Building, Cathays Campus.

Salary: £41,064 - £46,049 per annum (Grade 6). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale, however, for this position, the starting salary is capped at £41,064 (point 32) due to limited funding.

Secondment opportunity welcome - please note for Cardiff University members of staff interested in this post on a secondment basis, permission will need to be sought from your current Line Manager before applying.

Closing date: Friday, 24 April 2026