Postdoctoral Research Assistant/Associate

The University of Cambridge is one of the world's leading academic centres. It comprises 150 faculties and departments, together with a central administration and other institutions. Our institutions, museums and collections are a world-class resource for researchers, students and members of the public representing one of the country’s highest concentrations of internationally important collections. There is much more information about the University at http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/works/index.html which we hope you will find helpful. The Department of Physiology Development and Neuroscience has an outstanding record of achievement in both Research and Teaching. In the 2014 Research Assessment Exercise the Department was submitted with Biochemistry, Genetics, the Gurdon Institute, Pharmacology, Plant Sciences, the Sainsbury Laboratory, the Stem Cell Institute and Zoology with over 97% of eligible staff included. Of the work submitted across the nine departments and institutes 87% was judged to be world-leading or internationally excellent. In the latest formal review, our teaching was highly commended for its quality and range. The joint Heads of Department are Professors Sarah Bray and Bill Colledge. The Department includes: 46 academic officers, 10 independent researchers, 70 post-doctoral researchers, 77 support staff and 6 academic-related staff. We provide teaching for 600 medical students, 150 veterinary students, 320 science students, 125 third-year students and 100 graduate students. Research in the department is focused on four main themes; Cellular and Systems Physiology, Development and Reproductive Biology, Neuroscience and Form and Function. The research interests of individual academic staff often span more than one theme. There are strong collaborative links with the Clinical School, the Veterinary School, the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair and MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. The main research interests of the members of the Department are set out on our web site http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/research/index.shtml. The Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience is a friendly and welcoming Department with an active post-doc community. The contract research community are represented by Postdoctoral Representatives and a Postdoctoral Liaison Officer from the Academic Staff. The Postdoctoral Liaison Officer and the Postdoctoral Representatives are energetic and effective in supporting and developing a sense of community amongst the postdoctoral staff. A Post-doc Committee was formed in April 2014 to further strengthen the representation of Post-docs within the Department. There are opportunities for contract research staff to be trained in and deliver all forms of teaching, not only supervising and demonstrating but sometimes lecturing. This training has been further enhanced recently by a series of Masterclasses and Techniques Colloquia which were organised by PDN post-docs. There is also an annual Post-doc symposium.