Research Fellow Full-time

Research Fellow

The Liver Failure Group at UCL, led by Professor Rajiv Jalan, is internationally recognised for its work on acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), systemic inflammation, and mechanisms underlying multi-organ dysfunction. The group is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to investigate how cellular senescence contributes to immune dysregulation and organ failure, using advanced experimental models including in vivo systems, in vitro assays, and human clinical samples. This role combines cell and molecular biology with cutting-edge imaging, spatial profiling, and single-cell sequencing to uncover new mechanisms and therapeutic targets in liver failure. The position is funded initially for 12 months with potential renewal depending on continued support.

The main purpose of the role is to investigate the mechanisms and consequences of cellular senescence in ACLF using integrated in vivo, in vitro, and human translational approaches. The post-holder will apply advanced molecular, imaging, spatial biology, and single-cell technologies to understand how senescence pathways contribute to systemic inflammation and organ dysfunction. The researcher will collaborate closely with clinical and scientific partners to generate mechanistic insights, contributing to biomarker discovery and therapeutic development. They will be responsible for producing high-quality, reproducible research, publishing and presenting findings, and supporting broader scientific activities. The role is best suited for an analytical, communicative individual who can work effectively across academic and clinical environments.

The candidate's duties and responsibilities will focus on conducting experimental research across in vitro, in vivo, and human translational systems to study senescence in liver failure. This includes developing cellular senescence models, performing senescence-specific assays, analysing tissue-specific responses in experimental models, and working with patient-derived samples. The role requires strong expertise in cell and molecular biology techniques such as primary cell culture, qPCR, Western blotting, flow cytometry, and ELISA-based assays. A major component involves using advanced imaging technologies, multiplex immunofluorescence, spatial transcriptomics, and image-analysis software to map senescence-associated changes. The researcher will also prepare and analyse single-cell RNA-seq and multi-omic datasets and perform robust statistical and computational analyses using tools such as R and Python. Together, these duties support a comprehensive mechanistic understanding of senescence in liver failure.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team working across the Division of Medicine. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits

to find out more.

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people. Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.