Job Description
UE07 £41,064 - £48,822
College of Science and Engineering / School of Biological Sciences / Institute of Quantitative Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Full-Time 35hrs per week
Fixed Term: 24 months
We are looking to employ a postdoctoral researcher on a 24 month contract to join the research group of Professor Susan Rosser, chair of synthetic biology at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Engineering Biology to work on developing gene switches for use in cardio vascular gene therapy.
The Opportunity
The selected researcher will join an internationally recognised, friendly, diverse, inclusive and enthusiastic team. It is in collaboration with Prof. Brian Bigger, chair of advanced therapeutic and is an excellent opportunity to work at the crossroads of Engineering Biology (Rosser lab) and translational gene therapy (Bigger lab), and generating pioneering research with expected tangible impact for patients suffering from cardiac diseases.
You will become part of the REACT consortium whose mission is to
regenerate injured hearts and reverse established damage with genetic medicines. It is a 14-year funded £50M MRC/BHF centre of research of excellence led by King’s College London and co-directed by the University of Edinburgh and Oxford.
As part of this role, you will use an engineering biology-based approach to develop, test and optimise drug-induced controllable genetic switches for use in clinical AAV vectors. We aim to create a control system that is specific, tuneable and with minimal side effects. This will let us iteratively refine these switches to reliably turn therapeutic genes on and off for cardiovascular treatment
Your work will also closely align to the Engineering Biology for Advanced Therapeutics Hub. The hub, Directed by Prof Rosser, is a £14M 5-year UKRI sponsored research program across 4 institutions (Edinburgh, Oxford, Imperial, CRUK SI) pioneering engineering biology for advanced therapeutics. It is developing novel genetic tools to render gene therapies safe and effective, with initial focus on oncology, cardiovascular diseases and rare diseases.
The post holder will have many opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborative working with academic colleagues from the different institutional partners and industry partners. This includes training and professional development opportunities arising from being embedded and working with communities of translational scientists.
This post offers an excellent opportunity for academic career advancement in a worlds renowned centre of excellence for synthetic/engineering biology. The University of Edinburgh hosts a large diverse, dynamic and multidisciplinary engineering biology community of more than 50 research groups. The University of Edinburgh’s synthetic biology facilities are second-to-none, and include a the Edinburgh Genome Foundry ( https://biology.ed.ac.uk/research/facilities/edinburgh-genome-foundry ) and Edinomics ( https://biology.ed.ac.uk/research/facilities/edinomics ).
Applicants must have a PhD in synthetic/engineering biology, molecular biology, RNA biology for appointment at Research Associate level. Applicants close to completion of their PhDs will also be considered where experience is directly relevant. Please see the job description and person specification document associated with this advert for the full list of criteria.
This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week), however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.
Your Skills And Attributes For Success
- PhD (or completion within 3 months) in engineering biology or related subject with synthetic/engineering biology experience
- Experience in engineering biology, RNA biology and molecular biology.
- Experience of mammalian Cell Engineering
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to build rapport with colleagues and collaborators.
Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab)
Application Information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
Enquiries: Susan.Rosser@ed.ac.uk
As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our
right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is
19 December 2025
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About The Team
As the modern inheritors of our 400-year-old reputation for excellence, our staff and students contribute to a vibrant academic community whose visions are shaping tomorrow’s world. The School of Biological Sciences is at the leading edge in teaching, research and innovation. Independent rankings such as the Times Higher Education consistently place us amongst the top 25 universities in the world for biological sciences. We aim to ensure that our culture and systems support flexible and family-friendly working and to recognise and value diversity across all our staff and students. The School has an active programme offering support and professional development opportunities for all staff. We place a particular focus on development for early-career researchers (postgraduate and postdoctoral research staff and personal fellowship holders), offering mentoring and an active ‘BioDocSoc’ organisation that brings together researchers for networking, events and training opportunities.
The School of Biological Sciences holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance the representation of women in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.
Our website contains more information about the School.
