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Betina Ip’s Group, part of the Oxford University Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, seeks a Research Assistant to support high-resolution neuroimaging studies to investigate systemic effects of visual and circadian influences on the human brain. The position is funded by a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship to Dr Betina Ip.

The RA will work closely with the other members of the research team on all aspects of this study. The RA will help in project development, write and administer all ethical approvals for ongoing studies in the group, ensuring that information is communicated, logged and up-to-date. The post-holder will be responsible for recruitment and will be actively involved in all aspects of data collection, including scheduling and running MRI scan sessions and behavioural testing sessions, as well as data analysis.

Since the project is themed around circadian rhythms, the actual data collection sessions…

Investigating the role of hormonal and circadian mechanisms in pain

Pain is an essential protective signal that alerts us to actual or potential tissue damage. When pain persists or becomes dysregulated, it can drive chronic pain disorders with major personal and societal burden. Many pain conditions also fluctuate across the day and differ by sex, suggesting that timing and biological state are integral to the mechanisms that generate pain.

 This studentship will combine multidisciplinary approaches to understand the role of biological rhythms in pain using advanced in vitro human pain models. Your work will be aligned to the new MRC complex in vitro models initiative.  You will be based at the world leading Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery and part of the Sir Jules Thorne Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi). 

This work will allow identification of new cellular targets for the development of future treatment strategies in pain which take into…

Deadline: 26/01/2026 Project title: Chrono-nutrition: turning physiology, behaviour, and psychology into real world interventions Research aims: The overall aims of this project are: 1) better understand how chrono-nutrition (including meal timing, fasting duration and energy restriction) regulate human physiology; and 2) explore how basic laboratory findings can be exploited to improve health through changing eating behaviour in the real world. What you will do: Objective 1. Analyse data sets from ongoing chrono-nutrition research to understand physiological mechanisms. Temporal data sets (blood biomarkers, metabolomics, wearable device data, questionnaire scores) will be analysed to increase understanding of physiological mechanisms that cause health benefits. Objective 2. Design and conduct a novel study of meal timing in a free-living population. Physiological data and behaviour change methods will be used to support real-world changes in eating behaviour. Health outcome measures will be collected along with computerised cognitive tests and self-report measures of sleep, appetite, mental wellbeing. Objective…

Deadline: 18/02/2026 Project title: Mathematical modelling of the cross-talk interactions between the HPA axis and the renin-angiotensin system Hormonal concentrations are regulated by endocrine axes and are the perfect example of complex regulatory systems involving multiple levels of organisation. Endocrine regulation is highly dynamic, with hormone levels exhibiting complex periodic behaviour over short and long timescales (e.g., hourly, daily and monthly rhythms). These systems also exhibit nonlinear responses to perturbations, typically mediated by feedback loops involving multiple components and crosstalk interactions with other endocrine systems. At the same time, endocrine systems exhibit trade-offs between sensitivity and robustness, which allows adaptability to physiological challenges. Importantly, dysregulation of these dynamic processes can lead to disease.

The PhD candidate will leverage multimodal datasets from dynamic hormone profiling (e.g., U-RHYTHM) (3) and biosensors for ambulatory assessment to develop mathematical models of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis and its cross-talk interactions with the renin-angiotensin system. The project aims are…

Deadline: 14/01/2026

You will be a part of the "Foundations of Circadian Medicine" joint research consortium which aims to identify the overarching principles that link the circadian clock and pathology in different organs and disease systems, and from this to develop and test evidence-based circadian medicine strategies for clinical application.

This interdisciplinary project (B03) is based at the Institute of Neurobiology in Lübeck (https://www.neurobio.uni-luebeck.de/neurobio) and investigates the mechanistic link between chronotype shifts and metabolic function during adolescence. It tests the hypothesis that circadian rhythm disruption during adolescence alters metabolic setpoints and affects puberty development. The study combines (conditional) transgenic mouse models and physiologic and transcriptomic circadian profiling to assess the effects of rhythm disruption on metabolic homeostasis and puberty development and its long term outcomes. An intervention study aiming at strengthening the circadian system during this critical developmental period will quantify effects on rhythms, metabolism and endocrine functions.

Your tasks:

• Study the…

Deadline: 12/01/2026 We are seeking a highly motivated and talented post-doctoral scientist to join our team for 12 months working full-time on a research project funded by the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research investigating anti-inflammatory responses in Tregs.

The overarching aim of the project is to address the role of the circadian clock protein REV-ERBa in the function of Tregs. REV-ERBa expression will be manipulated using novel tools and the impact on functional activity of Tregs assessed.

More information and application available here.

The Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford is now inviting expressions of interest in a two-day online masterclass focusing on circadian rhythm disorders for 2026.

This intensive, two-day, expert-led programme provides advanced training in the theory and methodology that underpin circadian rhythm research. It is designed for researchers, clinicians and other professionals working in the field.

Please check the link below for more details or to fill in the expression of interest form: https://www.scni.ox.ac.uk/study-with-us/circadian_rhythm_disorders_masterclass

Deadline: 10th December 2025 Dr Miguel Montez leads a five-year Wellcome Trust-funded project to establish his research group and pioneer studies on how the local 3D chromatin structure determines gene regulation and environmental responses. His project is hosted within the well-established and vibrant research environment of Prof Antony Dodd’s group (Head of Department) at the John Innes Centre.

Dr Montez brings deep expertise in studying molecular mechanisms that enable plants to fine-tune gene expression to sense and adapt to the environment. By joining his project, you will become part of an emerging, interdisciplinary, and highly collaborative team that values innovation and curiosity in uncovering new fundamental principles in biology. The Montez group is committed to supporting your scientific development, helping you develop high-impact research and achieve your career goals within a supportive and inspiring environment. The Postdoctoral Researcher will investigate chromatin organisation at a fine scale, with a particular focus on the…

Deadline: 21st November 2025 We are seeking a highly motivated and talented scientist to join our MRC-funded research programme investigating how disruption of the circadian clock impacts energy metabolism and contributes to metabolic disease. You will play a key role in defining how circadian processes in the liver and other tissues regulate lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function, under both normal and perturbed conditions (e.g. dietary or environmental challenges). This exciting project builds on our recent findings (e.g. Downton et al., PNAS; Hayter et al., Nature Communications; West et al., Nature Communications), which demonstrate that circadian disruption—caused by simulated shift work, diet-induced obesity, or chronic inflammation—leads to aberrant liver function and accumulation of harmful lipid species such as ceramides. Working within a vibrant circadian research community in Manchester, you will employ cutting-edge in vivo and in vitro models, advanced physiological phenotyping, and multi-omic and flux metabolomic approaches. You will also collaborate with…