We are seeking an ambitious and highly motivated Postdoctoral Research Associate to join Professor Karen Piper Hanley’s team to investigate how mechanical and microenvironmental changes reshape liver cell behaviour during chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression.
This project will combine advanced liver organoid systems, mouse models, and translational human liver disease cohorts to uncover how extracellular matrix remodelling, tissue stiffness, and inflammatory microenvironments drive cellular plasticity and malignant transformation. A major focus will be understanding how mechanical stress alters nuclear membrane responses, transcriptional regulation, and intercellular communication during disease progression.
The successful candidate will develop and apply mechanistic wet-lab approaches alongside cutting‑edge single‑cell and spatial technologies, including spatial transcriptomics and emerging cell–cell interaction methodologies. The project offers opportunities to integrate advanced imaging, functional genomics, organoid biology, and translational tissue analysis within a highly interdisciplinary research environment.
The laboratory is embedded within the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester and has strong links with the Manchester Cell‑Matrix Centre, an internationally recognised centre focused on mechanobiology, extracellular matrix biology, fibrosis, and tissue remodelling. The postholder will benefit from access to outstanding genomics, imaging, spatial transcriptomics, and computational infrastructure, as well as close interactions with researchers across hepatology, developmental biology, cancer and matrix biology.
The successful candidate will take a leading role in driving this research programme, including planning and performing experiments, developing new experimental systems, integrating multi‑modal datasets, and producing high‑quality work for publication. The postholder will also contribute actively to collaborative projects, supervision of junior researchers, and the development of future research directions and grant applications within the laboratory.
Applicants should hold (or be close to completing) a PhD in an area of molecular & cell biology, or a related discipline. The ability to demonstrate excellent communication skills, a collaborative mindset, and enthusiasm for contributing to a vibrant research environment are essential.
What you will get in return:
- Fantastic market leading Pension scheme
- Excellent employee health and wellbeing services including an Employee Assistance Programme
- Exceptional starting annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
- Additional paid closure over the Christmas period
- Local and national discounts at a range of major retailers
As an equal opportunities employer we welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of age, sex, gender (or gender identity), ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and transgender status. All appointments are made on merit.
Hybrid working arrangements may be considered.
Contact: Professor Karen Piper Hanley – karen.piperhanley@manchester.ac.uk
General enquiries – recruitmentservices.people@manchester.ac.uk
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