The  Randall Centre for Cell & Molecular Biophysics is located in the heart of London and is part of King’s College London. It is part of the  School of Basic & Biomedical Sciences which sits within the  Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine which has a broad spectrum of research interests spanning fundamental biology, disease, and physiology.

 

We are based at the Guy’s Campus of King’s College London which is a founding member of the prestigious Russell Group of world-class, research-intensive universities.

 

Our research addresses fundamental biological questions at the interface between the physical and biomedical sciences.

 

We develop and apply state-of-the-art biophysical techniques to study molecular and cellular processes in biology and medicine. The Centre is internationally recognised, helping us to foster cross-organisational collaborations and attract the best emerging and established talent from across the globe.

This role is part of a BBSRC-funded project to investigate RNA structural ensembles in silico. You will work on studying RNA structural ensembles and develop new tools to sample these ensembles more efficiently. These will continue current research in the group that integrates ML into physics-based simulations and on a coarse-graining model developed in collaboration with external partners.

 

The aim of this project is to enable fast and accurate simulations of RNA structural ensembles, which in turn will be used to identify potential binding sites for small ligands. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with experiment (Prof. Conte’s lab at KCL) and with external collaborators at the University of Cambridge and Universite de Paris.

 

You will be able to develop skills in scientific programming, RNA structural biology, integrative modelling and ligand discovery. There will be opportunities to present the work at international conferences. You will be expected to present work internally, actively follow open science principles and produce software that is well documented. There may be opportunities to train Masters and PhD students in the research group.

 

This role requires a significant amount of experience in scientific computing and molecular simulations (see essential criteria). This role is therefore only suitable for candidates with such background. If you are not sure that you meet this criterion, please contact Dr. Roeder for more detail.

 

This is a full-time role, and you will be offered a fixed term contract for two years with a start date no sooner than 1st November 2025.  The role may be held in a hybrid fashion, with up to 3 days a week work from home.

 

Research staff at King’s are entitled to at least 10 days per year (pro-rata) for professional development. This entitlement, from the  Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, applies to Postdocs, Research Assistants, Research and Teaching Technicians, Teaching Fellows and AEP equivalent up to and including grade 7. Visit the  Centre for Research Staff Development for more information.