Research Assistant (x2 posts)

Biosciences is one of the world’s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment.

The UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology was established in 1950, merged with UCL in 1997, and is a key component of the Faculty of Brain Sciences (FBS) at UCL. The Institute has eight academic research Departments, which encompass clinical and basic research within each theme. In parallel, there are currently six Divisions representing clinical professional affiliations. Our mission is to translate neuroscience discovery research into treatments for patients with neurological diseases.

The Beato and Brownstone labs are currently integrated and share resources and personnel. Our group investigates the physiology and pathology of the neuronal circuits controlling movement employing techniques ranging from anatomical circuit tracing, in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological recordings, multiphoton microscopy and behavioural analysis. Members of our group regularly publish in scientific journals and present their work at international conferences.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our labs for two Research Assistants. The positions are available from 1 June 2024 and are funded by the two Wellcome Trust awards for an initial period of 1 year (potentially extendable). The primary responsibility of the post holders will be to perform tissue sectioning, immunohistological analysis and confocal imaging of spinal cord and brain tissue extracted from mice carrying mutations that can induce a dystonic phenotype. We will focus on models of dystonia caused by a deletion of Tor1A, that is common in human patients. Dystonia is one of the most common movement disorders and we have recently shown that its signs can be reproduced by restricting the underlying mutation to the spinal cord, thus challenging the common view that dystonia is caused by dysfunction of the basal ganglia (Pocratsky et al, Science Translational Medicine, 2023). This finding has spearheaded a new line of research in the lab and within this project we aim at di ssecting the spinal circuits alterations that are responsible for the dystonic phenotype and using this knowledge to understand normal spinal circuit function.

The post is an open-ended contract with a funding end date of 30 May 2025 in the first instance (potentially extendable).

If you have any queries about the role, please see contact details on the UCL job advert page.

The postholders will have a BSc in a Biomedical subject (preferably Neuroscience- related), or equivalent qualification, or substantial previous experience with immunohistochemistry and laboratory experience in tissue sectioning, including use of cryostat and/or microtome. Excellent oral and written communication skills are essential as are good interpersonal skills with an ability to work cooperatively in a multidisciplinary setting.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits. 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.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

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