Research Fellow in Brain Vascular Biology and Brain Cancer Biology

About us

The UCL Cancer Institute is a £40 million investment in central London based at University College London (UCL), one of the world's top universities and a founding member of the Francis Crick Institute. The Institute draws together over 400 scientists working together to develop world-class basic and translational cancer research

Information about the UCL Cancer Institute can be found on our website

The Group of CNS Angiogenesis and Neurovascular Link / Brain Vasculature and Perivascular Niche headed by neurosurgeon-neuroscientist Associate Professor Dr Thomas Wälchli is one of the laboratories of the University College London (UCL) Cancer Institute in the Department of Oncology of the University College London (UCL).

The overarching vision of the research of Associate Professor Dr Thomas Wälchli, MD-PhD, FMH neurosurgery is to understand how the brain vasculature is regulated during brain development, in the adult healthy brain, and in various vascular-dependent brain diseases such as brain tumours and brain vascular malformations. The UCL Cancer Institute is a £40 million investment in central London based at University College London (UCL), one of the world's top universities and a founding member of the Francis Crick Institute. The Institute draws together over 400 scientists working together to develop world-class basic and translational cancer research.

About the role

The Group of Brain Vasculature and Perivascular Niche focuses on vascular growth and the development of blood vessels ( angiogenesis ) in the brain , including endothelial cells and perivascular cells of the neurovascular unit/perivascular niche, and on brain vascular heterogeneity in development, health and disease: The main aims are: i) to understand the cellular and molecular underpinnings that govern the growth of the developing, adult, and diseased human brain vasculature at single-cell resolution, ii) to uncover the single-cell transcriptomic, genomic and epigenomic landscapes and spatial biology of the developing, adult and diseased human brain vasculature, iii) to elucidate how developmental programs regulate vascular growth/angiogenesis in the human brain tumour vasculature (patho-fetal axis / onco-fetal axis), iv) to unravel the onco-fetal programs of vascular growth/angiogenesis and immunosuppression/immunomodulation, and v) to translate these fundamental insights about the onco-fetal axis in the human brain (tumour) vasculature into clinical settings with the ultimate goal to identify novel therapeutic strategies for human brain tumours (and for other vascular-dependent diseases such as human brain vascular malformations).

Applications should include a CV and a Cover Letter: In the Cover Letter please evidence the essential and desirable criteria in the Person Specification part of the Job Description. (By including a Cover Letter, you"can leave blank the 'Why you have applied for this role' field in the application form, which is limited in the number of characters it will allow.)

The post is funded for 8 months in the first instance, with the possibility of extension .

Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD ; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B, with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

About you

The successful candidates :

• Have a PhD in bioinformatics/single-cell genomics/computer science (AI), neuroscience, vascular biology, developmental biology, cancer biology, immunology, biology/biomedicine, pharmacy, biomedical engineering, or related fields with ample research experience
• Have strong skills in working in the fields of bioinformatics/single-cell genomics and/or spatial multi-omics, neuroscience, vascular biology, developmental biology, cancer biology and immunology and/or experience in biotech, intellectual protection, etc. are an extra-added value
• Have a proven publication record with at least one first author publication in peer-reviewed international journals.
• Have experience in: (i) integrating single-cell and spatial multi-omics; (ii) computational programming in R, Python (and other common computer languages); (iii) competence/interest in analysing and integrating complex single-cell and spatial multi-omics- and clinical datasets are essential .
• will be an ambitious researcher, motivated to apply his/her skills to diverse (medical) research projects and enjoy working in a collaborative, dynamic, vibrant and fast-paced team environment.
• Have excellent organizational and supervisory skills, you can work in a team as well as independently.
• Have a strong ability to multi-task, to meet timelines, to work accurately; you are stress-resistant.
• Have outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Are able to identify priorities, and to find solutions for complex or difficult tasks.
• Have excellent organizational and record-keeping skills
• Have experience in presenting complex scientific concepts and content both in writing and verbally
• Have a strong commitment to enhance our fundamental understanding of human brain vascular biology and to improving outcomes for brain tumor patients
• Demonstrate excellent collaborative interpersonal skills with an ability to work co-operatively in a highly inter- and multidisciplinary setting.
• Have the ability to assist other members of the team, supervise MSc and PhD students and collaborate with other research groups.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below

• • 41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
  • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
  • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
  • On-Site nursery
  • On-site gym Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
  • Employee assistance programme
  • Staff Support Service Discounted medical insurance

For rewards and benefits at UCL please visit:

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: