Research Associate at the University of Edinburgh | Scotland

The University of Edinburgh has advertised a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at its Western General site in Edinburgh. The post sits in the Institute of Genetics and Cancer and focuses on how epigenetic control shapes growth and ageing. It is an on-campus research appointment for a cell biologist who can contribute to an established programme investigating cellular mechanisms relevant to ageing, tissue regeneration and mammalian size.

The research programme is supported by an ERC Advanced Grant and combines several complementary experimental systems. The advert identifies one position and describes a fixed-term appointment with a full-time working pattern, while also indicating that part-time or flexible arrangements may be considered. The official application route begins with an email address on the University’s careers form.

Opportunity Details

Overview of the Vacancy

Location, Sector, and Role Context

This post is based at Edinburgh - Western General, within the University’s School of Genetics and Cancer. The team is examining fundamental mechanisms that influence tissue cellularity, epigenetic ageing and size in mammals. The work follows the group’s discovery of an accelerated ageing syndrome that connects a cell-intrinsic clock with ageing and human size.

The advertised research will use complementary cell and model-system approaches to investigate how DNA methylation at lineage-determining genes may be linked with changes in stem-cell output and tissue regeneration. In practical terms, the project combines stem-cell culture systems, targeted epigenomic engineering, CRISPR barcoding and mouse models. Its longer-term scientific purpose is to identify cellular pathways that could be relevant to future therapies and to improve understanding of how a DNA-methylation clock may relate to size and longevity across mammalian evolution.

The post-holder will work in the laboratory of Professor Andrew Jackson within a multidisciplinary group that addresses fundamental cellular processes alongside disease mechanisms. The vacancy describes the setting as cross-disciplinary and places the work in the Institute of Genetics and Cancer. Rather than presenting a generic laboratory role, the advert makes clear that the appointment is tied to this defined research question and to the experimental approaches used by the project team.

About the Employer: The University of Edinburgh

Organization and Relevant Services

Verified Employer Overview

The University of Edinburgh is a Scottish higher-education institution with degree-awarding powers. Its research and innovation activity includes work on health and care, data, digital and artificial-intelligence applications, and climate and environmental challenges. The University’s research pages also identify support for researchers, innovators, PhD students and technical staff, providing an institutional context for an academic research appointment such as this one.

Research practice at the University is described through standards of ethics and integrity, including honesty, rigour, transparency and open communication. This matters for a project that combines cellular systems, epigenomic methods and animal models. The University also presents international collaboration as part of its research activity and provides resources intended to help members of its research and innovation community develop their work and careers.

Professional Setting and Role Context

Work Environment, Operations, and Facilities

The Institute of Genetics and Cancer forms part of the School of Genetics and Cancer at the University. Its stated mission is to improve the lives of people living with genetic disease and cancer through research. The Institute’s work spans genetic, genomic, cellular and clinical science, with an emphasis on both basic discovery science and translation. For this vacancy, that setting connects the project’s cellular and epigenetic work with a broader environment focused on disease biology and human health.

The Institute is located at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, matching the site named on the vacancy. It brings together research expertise, technology and support services across human molecular genetics and biology, and its official pages describe facilities in areas including advanced imaging, animal models, bioinformatics, DNA sequencing, flow cytometry, histology and genome engineering. Those resources provide relevant institutional context, although the vacancy itself does not specify which shared facilities the post-holder will use.

The School of Genetics and Cancer is part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The University describes the School and Institute as contributing genetic, genomic, cellular and clinical science that supports understanding of human development, physiology and disease. It also identifies discovery and translational programmes across the College’s schools. The role therefore sits within a university research setting that combines focused laboratory investigation with a wider academic and biomedical community.

Employment information published for the role also points to professional development, opportunities to build subject-matter expertise and options to broaden experience. The University’s staff-benefits information describes annual leave, pension schemes, staff discounts and other leave and absence options. These institutional arrangements should be read alongside the vacancy’s own terms, because eligibility and precise arrangements can vary with the appointment.

Open Positions

Application Guidance

Prepare a Focused Application

CV, Evidence, Documents, and Interview Preparation

The official vacancy specifically requests a CV and a cover letter. As general preparation, applicants can use those documents to connect their research record with the experimental methods named for the project. A focused cover letter can explain relevant contributions without treating unlisted selection criteria as formal requirements.

Applicants may also describe how their experience relates to research on cellular processes, ageing, DNA methylation, stem-cell output or tissue regeneration where this is accurate. The advert places the work in a multidisciplinary laboratory, so examples of productive collaboration, careful experimental practice and clear communication of research findings may help give context to a CV. This is general application guidance, not an additional requirement published by the employer.

• Check that the CV clearly identifies relevant cell-biology research, experimental systems and methods used.
• Use the cover letter to explain the factual fit between prior work and the advertised epigenetics and stem-cell project.
• Distinguish completed research experience from methods that are only planned or still being learned.
• Prepare concise examples of collaboration across disciplines, especially where laboratory work connected different technical approaches.
• Have right-to-work evidence ready for the employment stage, because the advert says it is required before employment begins.

How to Apply

Submit Your Application Through the Verified Route

Apply Through the Official University of Edinburgh Vacancy Page

Open the official vacancy page below and select the Apply Now control. The verified route opens a role-specific University of Edinburgh Careers application form for Postdoctoral Research Associate. The form starts by asking for an email address and states that an account is not required; continue through the form and submit the requested CV and cover letter as directed.