The post will be based in the research group of Professor Michael Simpson a multidisciplinary team with expertise in genetics, genomics, immunology and dermatology. The group is co-located in the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics and the St John’s Institute of Dermatology at King’s College London at the Guy’s Campus in London Bridge.  

We are seeking a highly motivated Research Fellow with a strong background in statistical genetics in the context of skin disease to join our team.

 

The successful applicant will lead a cutting-edge research programme which aims to understand the genetic mechanisms of skin diseases as part of the Skin Genetics Consortium.  The applicant will be encouraged to identify and drive a theme within our programme, depending on their expertise, development needs, and interest.

 

An estimated 20–25% of the population is affected by inflammatory skin diseases, the most common of which include eczema, psoriasis and acne. Easing the burden of these diseases warrants attention owing to their high prevalence, visibility, psychosocial impact, need for long-term treatment and associated costs. Inter-individual variability in response and tolerability of existing treatments further adds to the already substantial impact on quality of life and underlines the need for improved knowledge on pathogenic mechanisms to inform novel drug targets for inflammatory skin diseases.

 

Over the last 10 years our team has led the identification of the genetic variation that contributes to susceptibility and severity of inflammatory skin diseases and the biological mechanisms through which they operate. We have established collaborations across the globe and built a research programme that leverages high throughput, high-resolution sequencing platforms and novel analytical methods.

 

This role represents a unique opportunity to generate biological insights from our large-scale research datasets to enable the identification of the causal mechanisms of disease, the cell-types in which they occur and the identification of therapeutic targets. There are also substantial opportunities to explore the impact of selection and use genetics as a tool to investigate the potential causal relationship between inflammatory skin disease and mental health traits.

 

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in computational or statistical genetics and genomics with direct experience in the context of skin disease the with a proven track record in the analysis of large biological datasets.

 

They are expected to be able to work effectively as part of a team but also to direct research independently as required. This post represents an exceptional opportunity for career development within a highly supportive environment for both early- and mid-career researchers.

 

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an fixed term contract till 30/09/2027.