Research Associate in Automation of droplet networks

Job number

MED05492

Faculties

Faculty of Medicine

Departments

Department of Infectious Disease

Salary or Salary range

£49,017 - £57,472 per annum

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - On site only

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Fixed term

Posting End Date

11 Nov 2025

About the role

We are looking for a highly motivated Research Associate with practical experience in building 3D droplet networks in an automated manner with practical experience in droplet interface bilayer's, open-source device and software building, and machine learning.

What you would be doing

We're looking for a hands-on, creative researcher to join an exciting open-science project focused on designing and building a new motorised platform for assembling droplet networks at the pico- to nanolitre scale.

What you'll be doing:

• Design and build a custom motorised system using rapid prototyping tools and microcontrollers.
• Work with open-source hardware (e.g. commercial liquid handling robots) and millifluidic devices to automate 2D and 3D droplet network assembly.
• Develop and use Python code to control devices and analyse experimental data.
• Apply machine learning algorithms to improve the reproducibility and efficiency of droplet network production.

Key aspects:

• This is anopen science project — instead of publishing papers, you'll focus on creating well-documented, open-source tools and methods that others can use and reproduce.
• You'll work at the intersection of engineering, biology, and data science in a highly interdisciplinary environment

What we are looking for

You should :

• Have practical experience, droplet interface bilayer's, open-source device and software building, and machine learning, optical imaging.
• Be able to work as part of a collaborative team and help ither colleagues when necessary.
• Be willing to learn new techniques and apply them in an interdisciplinary research environment, and be willing to play a key role in assuming group responsibilities.
• Hold a PhD in Synthetic Biology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £43,863 - £47,223 per annum

What we can offer you

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.

• Grow your career: gain access to Imperial's sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression.

• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 41 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

• Be part of a diverse, inclusive and collaborative work culture with various staff networks and resources to support your personal and professional wellbeing.

Further information

This is a full-time post, fixed term for 12 months based at the South Kesington Campus.

If you require any further details about the role, please contact: Ravinash Krishna Kumar –

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at We're here to help.

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Join us and be part of something bigger. From global health to climate change, AI to business leadership, here at Imperial we navigate some of the world's toughest challenges. Whatever your role, your contribution will have a lasting impact.

As a member of our vibrant community of 22,000 students and 8,000 staff, you'll collaborate with passionate minds across nine London campuses and a global network.

This is your chance to help shape the future. We hope you'll join us at Imperial College London.

Our Culture

We work towards equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination, and to creating an inclusive working environment for all. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries, and are committed to employing a team that has diverse skills, experiences and abilities. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.

Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate respect, collaboration, excellence, integrity, and innovation.

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