About us

The post will be based at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London in the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences at King’s College London:  https://www.kcl.ac.uk/bmeis. There is an unmatched infrastructure within the School to support cutting-edge translational research, including one of the UK’s only 7 Tesla MRI systems located inside a hospital environment, state-of-the-art engineering and physics laboratories, high-performance computing, and industry collaboration through the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering.

About the role

We are looking for a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher to join Dr Ines Violante’s Research Group at the School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King’s College London. You will join a dynamic multi-disciplinary team with access to cutting-edge imaging facilities, sleep labs and world-renowned expertise. You will work on a BBSRC funded project to deliver novel approaches to modulate sleep dynamics and shape memory consolidation.

The overarching aim of this project is to propel us into a new frontier, in which we will deploy causal, non-invasive approaches to modulate hippocampal activity to probe the interplay between spatial and temporal dynamics of the cortical-hippocampal dialogue during sleep in humans.

In this position, you will work with electroencephalography (EEG), brain stimulation (including temporal interference TI stimulation) and magnetic resonance imaging. You will be responsible for data analysis and leading data collection, which includes sleep data.

The work will be based at St Thomas’ Hospital with data collection also happening at the Surrey Sleep Research Centre. As part of the project, the post holder will be expected to travel to other study sites to perform study related investigations, including overnight recordings.

The applicant should have (or be in the final stages of completing) a PhD in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or a related area. They should have good analytical and programming skills and experience of machine learning and image or signal processing methods. Experience of methods used for network-level brain functional characterisation and brain stimulation are a plus. Ideally, applicants will have a proven research track record through peer review publications and conference presentations. They will also have excellent communication, organisational and time management skills and a creative approach to problem solving, together with the ability to work constructively and effectively within the team.

This is a full-time post (35 Hours per week), and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 31.10.29.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria 

1. Hold a PhD (or near completion) in Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, or related discipline* 

2. Good working knowledge of EEG data analysis, imaging or signal processing methods 

3. Good working knowledge of machine learning methods 

4. Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals 

5. Proficiency in Python, R, MATLAB, Julia, or another relevant language

6. Self-motivated, ability to work independently  

7. Ability to communicate well, critically assess research findings, to present at conferences and represent the team in meetings 

8. Willing and able to work in a team and conduct overnight recordings

* 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.

Desirable criteria

1. Relevant practical experience, ideally with in human electrophysiology, imaging and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques 

2. Knowledge of human research ethical principles and methods 

3. Knowledge of sleep physiology

4. Knowledge of principles of research studies design and statistics  

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 next page after you click “Apply Now”. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further information

This post is subject to Occupational Health clearances.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. 

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. 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 advert. 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.

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 October.

We are able to offer sponsorship for candidates who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.