Postdoctoral Research Associate in Nanoneedle Biointerfaces and Translational Nanomedicine King's College London in United Kingdom

King's College London is recruiting a Postdoctoral Research Associate in nanoneedle biointerfaces and translational nanomedicine within the Chiappini Lab at the Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology.

The project sits at the intersection of biomedical engineering, materials science, cell biology, molecular biology, and ophthalmology. The lab is known for porous-silicon nanoneedles, intracellular delivery, gene editing, and non-destructive molecular profiling of living tissues. The successful candidate will work across nanofabrication and device engineering at the London Centre for Nanotechnology and quantitative cell/tissue biology at King's Guy's Campus.

The role focuses on developing a new nanoneedle device for repeated intracellular access, enabling longitudinal sampling or delivery with minimal perturbation to cell viability, phenotype, barrier function, and tissue architecture. You will define performance requirements, design and iterate nanoneedle architectures, establish fabrication and quality-control workflows, and characterise geometry, porosity, surface chemistry, mechanical/interfacial behaviour, loading/release, and device variability.

You will then test repeated sampling and delivery in mammalian cells and corneal endothelial models, with progression to ex vivo tissue where appropriate. The work requires rigorous experimental design, controls, statistical analysis, traceable data, and predefined acceptance criteria. The post offers substantial intellectual ownership and the chance to build a distinctive research profile in longitudinal cell interrogation and translational nanomedicine.

Eligibility highlights: a PhD awarded or submitted and awaiting award in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, nanotechnology, materials science, molecular/cell biology, or a closely related field; strong publication record; hands-on experience in mammalian cell culture, molecular biology, quantitative assays, biomaterials or micro/nanofabrication, and ideally cleanroom silicon/porous-silicon processing. Desirable experience includes corneal endothelial cells, tissue culture, intracellular sampling, gene editing, translational device development, and Python/R/MATLAB analysis.

Funding and contract: full-time, fixed-term for one year until 31 December 2027. The advert notes sustained competitive funding from ERC, Royal Society, UKRI, charities, and industry, but does not provide a salary figure in the text shown.

Application window: deadline 30 September 2026. Submit a CV and supporting statement via the King’s College London jobs portal. The advert notes that applications may close early if a strong field is received.