Job vacancies at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
Join our friendly international community of over 150 staff here at Sainsbury Wellcome Centre where we support extraordinary people to tackle extraordinary problems.
Comprising of 12 research groups made up of Postdoctoral Researchers, PhD Students, Research Assistants and Master’s Students who all are working towards understanding how the brain drives behaviour. Alongside, are professional and scientific staff who provide indispensable expertise to support SWC’s mission.
Current vacancies
Find the latest vacancies below and apply online via the UCL jobs website. You can also follow us on Twitter @SWC_Neuro for the latest job opportunities or sign up for regular job alerts on the UCL application portal.
Research Assistant x3
- Reference: B02-09192
- Salary: £39,148-£41,833 p.a.
- Working Type: Full-time
- Closing date: 19 August 2025
About the role
Join the Stephenson-Jones Lab to explore how brain circuits transform information into purposeful action. We study decision-making and motivation by combining advanced behavioural tasks in rodents with cutting-edge techniques, such as optogenetics, in vivo electrophysiology, and imaging.
We're looking for a highly motivated Research Assistant to support ongoing experiments and potentially lead independent projects. You’ll train animals, run behavioural and neural recording experiments, and help manage lab operations. Ideal for individuals seeking hands-on experience before pursuing a PhD, this role suits candidates with strong organisational skills and a passion for neuroscience.
This position is funded for one year, in the first instance.
About you
You’ll have a degree in neuroscience, physics, or a related field, with hands-on experience in behavioural neuroscience or systems neuroscience research. Familiarity with rodent behavioural training and coding in Python or Bonsai is important, as is the ability to contribute to experimental design and data collection. We’re looking for someone who’s organised, proactive, and able to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
You should work well independently and as part of a team, with a strong sense of responsibility and integrity. Experience with hippocampal navigation research or having presented your own research (e.g. posters or talks) is a bonus.
What we offer
The SWC offers staff an award-winning work environment in the heart of Fitzrovia with an onsite brasserie, access to lockers and changing facilities, secure bicycle storage, and access to pleasant outdoor spaces. The Centre also offers the full range of UCL staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement, occupational pension schemes, excellent family-friendly policies such as occupational shared parental pay, a work-life balance policy, career break policy and a range of financial benefits such as a season ticket loan scheme and staff discounts. Further information can be found online
How to apply
To apply visit UCL’s vacancy listings and search for vacancy reference B02-09192. Click on “Apply Now” to enter the recruitment portal and start your application.
You will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application. Your supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. More information on this can be found on the candidate guidance.
Want to know more? Read our Why join SWC? page to learn about our values and commitments, state of the art Centre, staff benefits and awards.
Interested in joining us? Find out more about How to Apply.
For general enquiries please contact the SWC HR team swc.hr@ucl.ac.uk, +44 (0)20 3108 8011.
Our commitment to Equality Diversity and Inclusion
As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.
The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing women's careers in science, technology, engineering, maths, and medicine (STEMM) employment in academia. SWC is delighted to have received an Athena Swan Bronze Award in 2021. We stand by our commitment to positive action to improve equality and accessibility in the workplace. We will provide reasonable adjustments to enable people to work and flourish with us.
SWC is proud to uphold both UCL’s Dignity at Work and Work-Life Balance policies. As Centre we commit to fostering a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can thrive and actively support Wellbeing@UCL, UCL community, supported by our Wellbeing.