Electron Tomography Research Placements

The scheme

We are offering established researchers (post PhD, with at least 3 years of guaranteed salary funding beyond the sabbatical) the opportunity to spend a sabbatical at the Rosalind Franklin Institute. The goal of the scheme is to disseminate expertise in the imaging of cells and tissues through the workflow of pFIB and cryoET.

We are pleased to offer these sabbaticals thanks to funding from Wellcome through the Electrifying Life Sciences grant. Researchers are expected to base themselves fully at the Franklin for a period of 6-12 months.

While at the Franklin, the researcher will continue to work on research programmes from their home institute, applying electron tomography techniques and contributing to the development of the toolkit here at the Franklin. The scheme will be most suitable for those with current lab expertise in structural biology and who wish to spend the time in the lab (senior PDRA’s, staff scientists, early career researchers).

What we offer

• Fully funded bench space and access to the workflow.
• Funding for consumables (up £16 K pa), funded local accommodation and funded travel between Franklin and home institute (one round trip per sabbatical).
• Full access to Franklin staff, seminars, community meetings and expertise from across our technologies
• Successful researchers are encouraged host visitors from their home institute but any expense incurred must be met by the home institute.

What we require

• These research sabbaticals must ensure expertise of these emerging techniques in cryo-electron tomography are shared and embedded across the UK.
• The sabbaticals are full time and physically based at the Franklin.
• The researcher will become an alumni of the Franklin and we hope will continue to collaborate with us beyond the period of the sabbatical.
• Outputs from the project are expected to take the form of reports to the project funder, conference and published research outputs, or licenced and commercialised outputs in some cases.

How to submit interest in a research sabbatical

• Research organisations must agree in the letter of support release researchers from all teaching and administrative commitments, with the exception of PhD student supervision, for the period of the sabbatical
• Interested researchers are welcome to contact  to arrange a meeting with the Jim Naismith (Institute Director).
• Researchers should then submit a ‘resume for researchers’ format CV and short research proposal to the director, along with confirmation from their organisation that the terms of the scheme are understood and accepted (a simple letter of support). Shortlisted researchers will be asked to visit the Franklin to present to the research team here.

Timelines:

• Sabbaticals will commence in January 2023
• Contracts must be in place by October 2022 to ensure smooth transition and adequate time to make living arrangements etc.