About us
The MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) is a biomedical research institute where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. LMS is one of three directly funded MRC research institutes and enjoys close links with our partners at Imperial College London and at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
About the role
Every cell in a tissue carries a record of its history. As cells develop and age, they accumulate somatic mutations and changes to DNA methylation states, leaving an endogenous barcode in each genome. Single-cell DNA and DNA methylation sequencing approaches permit the decoding of this history, allowing reconstruction of cellular phylogenies and the marks left by environmental exposures. However, crucial spatial information is lost during tissue dissociation, and without it we cannot interpret each cell in context to understand how tissues are built, maintained, and repaired, or how homeostatic mechanisms are breached during disease progression.
The Tissue Biology Group is a newly established lab at the MRC LMS working at the interface of single-cell genomics, technology development, and computational biology. Understanding how chemicals in our environment cause disease has been constrained by a fundamental lack of tools. We are building spatial single-cell genomics technologies and high-throughput screening platforms to reveal, cell by cell, how exposures remodel tissues and drive disease.
We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist to lead our work on resolving cell lineage in situ. Depending on your background and interests, this could involve developing and applying DNA methylation barcodes to reconstruct lineage relationships in intact tissue while retaining spatial coordinates; adapting semi-permeable capsule (SPC) chemistry for high-throughput single-cell multiomic DNA and RNA sequencing, and extending it to spatially indexed samples; and benchmarking these approaches against existing single-cell and spatial platforms to make them robust enough for others to use.
This is a method-development post with deliberately broad reach. Once these measurements are established, they can be applied to address questions in development, ageing, cancer, and environmental exposure, and there will be scope to pursue those applications through collaboration. You will generate your own data, analyse it, and drive the project towards publication, supported by the group and by the LMS core facilities in genomics, flow cytometry, light microscopy, and scientific computing.
As a newly established group, we can offer real scope to shape the direction of the project, alongside structured mentoring. We care about the kind of lab we are, not just the science we do. We look for curiosity and creativity, we work collaboratively and with mutual respect, and we want everyone in the group to grow as scientists and as people, with mentorship at every level and active support for training. Members of the group will work with an extensive network of collaborators, be encouraged to present their work at international meetings, and to publish work that others can build on, with methods documented and shared.
About You
You will need a PhD (or equivalent experience) in genomics, molecular biology, computational biology, bioengineering, or a related field, and you will be a highly motivated scientist who wants to build methods as well as use them. The first datasets will be the ones you generate, so you should be ready to work at the bench from day one and to analyse your own sequencing data. You should be strong in either experimental genomics or computational analysis of sequencing data, with clear evidence of aptitude and appetite for the other, and be able to work in R and/or Python or to demonstrate a commitment to developing capability quickly. You are expected to have one first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal or a preprint, or a manuscript in preparation for imminent submission.
Experience in single-cell or spatial genomics library preparation, DNA methylation sequencing, microfluidics or capsule-based assay development, tissue handling and cryosectioning, or FACS is desirable, as is a track record of developing or implementing a new technique in the laboratory. We do not expect anyone to arrive expert in all of these. If you are a molecular biologist who wants to learn to analyse your own data, or a computational biologist ready to start generating it, we would like to hear from you. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be directed to .
What we offer
As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement (30 days plus 2.5 privilege days & 8 bank holidays), family friendly policies (6 months full pay maternity & adoption leave), a range of shopping/travel discounts, access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Health and Wellbeing Support, and a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. Please follow this link to find out more – Benefits
How to apply
For full details of this post and to complete an online application, visit UKRI Careers and upload your CV, names and contacts of two scientific references, along with a cover letter stating why you are applying for this role (providing evidence against the requirements of the job as per the job description and person specification). Applications without a cover letter will not be accepted. Please quote reference number LMS2953.
*Additional allowances comprise a £1,000 lump sum Settlement Allowance plus a yearly Training Allowance of £850 in the first year, paid in monthly instalments. The Training Allowance increases to £1,300 in year two, and £1,800 in the third year.
Please note that applications may be reviewed by both LMS and Imperial staff.
Athena SWAN
In 2017, the Institute received an Athena SWAN Silver Award to recognize its commitment to advancing women’s careers in science and research.
At the LMS there are three working groups which deliver on the action plan developed for the silver application.
Equality, diversity and wellbeing
The MRC LMS is committed to creating equality of opportunity to all members of the organisation, regardless of their background, and promoting diversity and inclusivity. We observe the Medical Research Council’s Equality and Diversity Vision, which sets out the MRC’s commitment to fulfill its obligations as a public body under the Equality Act 2010.
Technician’s Commitment
The LMS is a signatory to the Technician Commitment, a sector-wide initiative led by the Science Council and the Gatsby Foundation which aims to address the particular career challenges faced by technical and scientific support staff.
We provide opportunities to work alongside some of the top medical researchers on the planet, from our state-of-the-art research facilities.