Research Associate in Structural Biology

Imperial College London - Department of Life Sciences

Location: London

Salary: £48,056 to £56,345 per annum

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 3rd September 2025

Closes: 16th September 2025

Job Ref: NAT01982

Location: South Kensington Campus

About the role:

The Beeby laboratory (https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/m.beeby) in the Department of Life Sciences (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/life-sciences) would like to recruit a Research Associate with expertise in cryo-electron microscopy. This post, funded by the Medical Research Council, aims to understand the mechanisms underlying how bacterial flagella rotate. The objectives are to determine both in situ and ex situ structures of flagellar motors trapped in clockwise and counterclockwise rotational directions. You will join an exciting interdisciplinary team of structural biologists and microbiologists to tackle this important fundamental question. The project focuses on cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies and computational image processing, and will also involve support of other lab members in cryo-EM and image processing.

We are excellently equipped for structural EM work. Cryo-EM facilities host Glacios 200kV XFEG cryo-EM with Falcon 4 and Selectris energy filter, Vitrobot Mk. IV, GPU- and data storage-cluster and ready access to Titan Krioses at the Francis Crick Institute, LonCEN consortium, and the UK national cryoEM facility at eBIC.

What you would be doing:

Duties include:

• Manage the running of the project
• To take initiative in planning and executing of research, and develop collaborations
• Design and execute appropriate experiments
• Acquire electron cryo-microscopy data toward understanding bacterial flagellar rotation
• Process and analyse acquired data
• Work with lab members to design appropriate mutant bacterial strains to test hypotheses
• Manage and mentor small teams of more junior colleagues and support learning
• Be proficient in new approaches and techniques, and integrate these approaches into your research projects.

What we are looking for:

You will have a PhD (or equivalent) in structural biology, ideally with experience in cryo-electron microscopy. You must have a strong research track record in studying protein complexes demonstrated by publications in international journals. Experience in the design and execution of workflow for structure determination of proteins or cellular systems from sample preparation to acquisition and analysis of structural biology data.

You must have excellent communication skills, and be able to write clearly and succinctly for publication. You must also be able to relate well with others, form positive relationships with a wide range of people and to work as part of a team, as well as independently. The ability to develop and apply new concepts and have a creative approach to problem-solving, to set and attain research objectives in a multidisciplinary team are also essential.

What we can offer you:

The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity. Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression. Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment available for up to 36 months. Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as Research Assistant. If you require any further details on the role please contact: Dr Morgan Beeby m.beeby@imperial.ac.uk