Research Associate in Biochemistry/Microbiology
Job number: NAT02323
Faculties: Faculty of Natural Sciences
Departments: Department of Life Sciences
Salary or Salary range: £50,733 - £52,675 per annum
Location/campus: South Kensington Campus - On site only
Contract type work pattern: Full time - Fixed term
Posting End Date: 7 Dec 2026
About the role
The Moore group at Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London is looking for a Postdoctoral Research Associate to help develop new-to-nature antifungal natural products using Streptomyces bacteria. You will design and build engineered biosynthetic pathways, edit Streptomyces genomes, and scale production from shake flask to bioreactor, working alongside a collaborative team spanning microbial engineering, fermentation and analytical chemistry.
Fungal and oomycete pathogens cause major crop losses and threaten UK and global food security, and growers have few chemical options because many are being withdrawn due to toxicity, and developmental fungicides typically degrade quickly in sunlight or soil. This project uses biosynthesis to access new-to-nature natural products with specific activity against crop pathogens and improved stability. The project will also involve co-supervision with Prof Tolga Bozkurt, an expert in plant-microbial interactions within the Department of Life Sciences, as well as Dr Marko Storch at the London Biofoundry.
You will join a diverse, collaborative group working on both basic and applied natural product biosynthesis, alongside postdoctoral colleagues on a parallel international project researching marine natural products, while the group also has regular visiting researchers from Brazil, South Korea and Europe. We encourage applicants with a strong background in some, though not necessarily all, of DNA and strain engineering, bioreactor cultivation and protein biochemistry to apply, as training will be provided. The group is also supportive of your own career development, whether towards an academic fellowship or an industry-facing route.
What you would be doing
Your day-to-day work will centre on three areas. First, DNA and strain engineering: designing and cloning plasmid libraries, introducing them into Streptomyces by conjugation, and editing the genome with CRISPR-Cas9 or directed evolution approaches to build production strains. Second, bioreactor cultivation: scaling production from shake flask to high-cell-density bioreactor conditions and developing fed-batch protocols, with access to mass spectrometry and proteomics facilities at the London Biofoundry for compound and protein analysis. Third, biochemistry: expressing and purifying biosynthetic enzymes and designing assays to characterise their activity, alongside purification and analysis of the resulting natural products by HPLC, LC-MS and NMR. You will also contribute to lab meetings, publications and grant writing, and will have opportunities to help supervise undergraduate and master's students.
What we are looking for
Essential
- A PhD in biochemistry, chemical biology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience.
- A strong research track record, preferably with first-author publications in international journals.
- Experience in molecular biology and bacterial genetic engineering, including DNA assembly, cloning and strain construction.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to organise your own work and prioritise with minimal supervision.
Desirable
- Experience in the genetic engineering of Streptomyces or other actinobacteria, including CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and the heterologous expression of biosynthetic gene clusters.
- Experience in microbial fermentation or bioprocess development, including bioreactor cultivation.
- Experience in recombinant protein expression, purification and enzyme assay design.
- Experience mentoring junior researchers, or working with industry partners or on patent applications. We encourage applicants with a strong background in some, though not all, of these areas to apply, as training in the remaining techniques will be provided.
- Experience in analytical techniques such as HPLC or LC-MS for the analysis of small molecules.
What we can offer you
- The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to use science for humanity.
- Benefit from a sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 43 days’ annual leave and generous pension schemes).
- Access to a range of workplace benefits including a flexible working policy from day one, generous family leave packages, on-site leisure facilities and cycle-to-work scheme.
- Interest-free season ticket loan schemes for travel.
- Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.
Further information
This is a full-time fixed term position available for 36 months with a negotiable start date (Jan-Mar 2027). Appointments will usually be made at the start of the salary scale dependent on experience.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr Simon Moore (simon.moore@imperial.ac.uk).
Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.
We reserve the right to close the advert before the stated closing date, should we receive a high volume of applications. Please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.
If you have any general queries about this vacancy, please contact the hiring manager listed in the ‘Further Information’ section. Alternatively, you can contact the Recruitment Hub at recruitmenthub@imperial.ac.uk, and we will be happy to assist you.
If you experience any technical issues that prevent you from submitting an application, please contact our Technical Support team at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk, who will be able to help resolve the issue.
About Imperial
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Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world’s toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.
As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you’ll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.
This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you’ll join us at Imperial College London.
Our Culture
We work towards equality of opportunity, eliminating discrimination, and creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our web pages.
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