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About us:
Dr Teodora Trendafilova is supported by a Wellcome Early Career Fellowship. Her research aims to improve our understanding of the neurobiology of arthritis pain, focusing on the dynamic changes that occur over the course of the disease. In particular, her work investigates how the spinal cord and its interactions with the dorsal root ganglia evolve during chronic inflammation and contribute to persistent pain. Teodora is sponsored by Dr Franziska Denk at the Wolfson Sensory, Pain and Regeneration Centre.
As a successful candidate you would receive day-to-day guidance from Teodora. You would also benefit from the expertise and collaborative environment of Dr Denk’s established research group, who study peripheral neuro-immune-stromal cell interactions in chronic pain conditions. Within our teams, you would therefore have the opportunity to learn more about a wide variety of techniques relevant to pain research, as well as become a member of the Wolfson SPaRC – a world-leading translational science centre focused on neurological and sensory disorders.
About the role:
We are looking for somebody who has experience with the techniques required for this post, including stereotaxic injections, chemogenetics, histology and molecular biology. Some surgical experience is essential.
Training will be provided in in vivo calcium imaging using our multiphoton imaging setup. The role also includes developing a novel approach for awake imaging, which may involve 8 weeks of training in the US.
If you fulfil our essential criteria and are a dedicated researcher with enthusiasm for high-quality science, teamwork, and effective organisational skills, you will be a great fit for this position.
Your funding will come from the Wellcome Trust and includes financial support for attending career development courses and an annual conference. A relocation allowance is also available for candidates moving from outside London.
This is a full-time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract for 3 years. Ideal start date is 1st September 2026.
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.
About you:
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria
PhD qualified in relevant subject area (Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Biomedical Sciences) or PhD near completion. Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. Should the successful candidate be awaiting the award of their PhD, the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spinal point 30 with the title of Research Assistant until confirmation of the award of the PhD has been received. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6, spine point 31.
Experience with rodent surgery, preferably including stereotaxic injections.
Proven ability to work as part of a team
Ability to work independently, effectively planning and organizing one’s own time and workload
Proven scientific writing and speaking skills
Evidence of good problem-solving skills
Desirable criteria
Experience with in vivo recordings in rodents and computational analysis in the context of Ca2+ imaging
Knowledge of the pain or arthritis fields
Experience with rodent behaviour experiments
Ability and willingness to travel for a collaborative visit of 8 weeks to the US
Home Office Personal License PIL A-C
Downloading a copy of our Job Description
Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.
* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.
Further Information
At King’s, we believe that the diversity of our community and a culture that is welcoming, open, inclusive and collaborative, are great strengths of the university.
The Equality Act of 2010 protects the rights of our students and staff and provides a framework to fulfil our duties to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and in addition, to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between those who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. At times, this will include balancing rights and beliefs that can feel in tension.
We are committed to free speech and to academic freedom, believing that our foundational purpose as a university, is to create spaces where a wide range of ideas, including ideas that are controversial, can be discussed and debated, and where members of our community can express lawful views without fear of intimidation, harassment or discrimination.
When engaging in the robust exchange of ideas, we ask that our community is mindful of our Dignity at King’s guidance.
We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the person specification section of the job description. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.
We reserve the right to close adverts early due to the volume of applications we receive. While the closing date may change, all adverts will close at 23:59 to allow sufficient time for applications to be submitted on that day. We encourage you to apply at the earliest opportunity to avoid disappointment as once we have closed a vacancy you will be unable to submit your application.
To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’ pages.
Interviews are due to be held in early June, 2026.
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