Find More Than 10K+
United Kingdom Jobs

Job description

Salary: £33,348 to £43,155 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 30 July 2023

The Role

A research associate post is available to study antifungal effectors elicited by the bacterial Type VI secretion system. Bacteria and fungi are ubiquitous in nature and co-colonise numerous environmental niches. Focussing on the human host, such cross-kingdom interactions are prevalent within the human microbiota, and are also found within biofilms and medically relevant infections. The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is widely used by bacteria to fire diverse effector proteins directly into neighbouring bacterial cells. This project is based on the recent discovery that this 'anti-bacterial' T6SS is also a potent anti-fungal weapon, eliciting anti-fungal effectors that are able to kill pathogenic fungal species. As bacterial and fungal species co-exist in the human microbiome and disease­causing infections, we predict that anti-fungal T6SSs will shape many diverse microbial communities relevant to human health.

You will take molecular, cellular and biochemical approaches to identify novel antifungal effectors and determine the molecular basis of their anti-fungal action. This position is funded by the Wellcome Trust, and you will join a large collaborative team spread across five institutions, with the common goal to drive forward our knowledge of the medical importance and molecular basis of T6SS mediated anti-fungal activity.

About Us
The Quinn lab studies fungal responses to host and bacterial imposed stresses https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/janetquinn.html and is a member of the Microbes in Health and Disease Theme https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/research-themes/microbes-in-health-and-disease/

This post is full time, fixed term until 31st October 2025

For informal enquires contact: Prof Janet Quinn ( [email protected] )

Key Accountabilities
Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, they should contribute with new ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial ‘added value’
Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements
Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• A strong background and proven expertise in bacterial or fungal cellular and molecular biology
• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in the area of research
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
• Presentations at conferences and high-quality publications
• Research experience in studying bacterial protein secretion systems and/or inter-kingdom interactions (Desirable)
• Research experience in the genetic manipulation of Gram negative bacterial species (Desirable)
• Research experience in fungal stress responses (Desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work well on own initiative and as part of a team.
• Ability to prioritise key tasks
• Is ambitious but works in partnership with others and has exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Excellent organisational and communication skills (Desirable)
• Promotes a culture of mutual respect (Desirable)
• Empathetic to the needs of colleagues and a diverse student body (Desirable)

Qualifications

• A PhD relevant to the research area required

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 25740