Research Associate Hammersmith, England
Job description
We are looking for a highly motivated and creative postdoctoral researcher to join the research group of Dr Beata Wojciak-Stothard at the National Heart and Lung Institute, to work on an organ-on-a-chip model of human pulmonary artery. In collaboration with Chemistry and Bioengineering Departments at Imperial College, the project will involve the use of cutting-edge technologies in chip fabrication and cell imaging.
Organs-on-chips have emerged in the last decade as a technology with potential to revolutionise in vitro disease modelling, reduce animal experimentation, increase the accuracy and throughput of pharmacological and toxicological screening, and personalise medicine through the use of human stem cell derived cells.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension and many other lung diseases still remain without a cure, despite extensive animal experimentation involving numerous species and models. There is a need to establish new pre-clinical model systems, better reflecting the physiology of human organs and tissues. We have created a microfluidic model of pulmonary artery utilising layered primary endothelial and smooth muscle cells from human pulmonary arteries (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-04169-z). The current model, consisting of only two cell types, needs to be further developed to better replicate the structure and physiology of human pulmonary artery.
The aim of this project is to introduce multiple vascular cell types into the device and model their responses to changes in flow, oxygenation as well as pro-angiogenic, pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic stimuli. This study, supported by partners from pharmacological industry, will lay a foundation for future applications of this pre-clinical platform in personalised medicine and drug screening.
Duties and responsibilities
Research Duties:
- To take initiatives in the planning of research
- To direct the work of small research teams
- To identify and develop suitable techniques, and apparatus, for the collection and analysis of data
- To conduct data analysis
- To ensure the validity and reliability of data at all times
- To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
Administrative Duties:
- Attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary
- Assist with general laboratory activities
- Develop contacts within the College and the wider community
- Promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College
- Undertake any necessary training and/or development
- Undertake appropriate administration tasks
- Any other duties as required by the Line Manager/Head of Department that are commensurate with the grade of the post
Other Duties
- To help maintain a highly efficient working laboratory
- To undertake any necessary training an required
- Any other duties commensurate with the grade of this post as directed by the line manager / supervisor
Essential requirements
- Research Associate: Hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Biomedical Sciences/Biology/Molecular Biology/Bioengineering or a closely related discipline
- Research Assistant: Near completion of a PhD (or equivalent) in Biomedical Sciences/Biology/Molecular Biology/Bioengineering or a closely related discipline
- Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals
- Practical experience in the in vitro modelling of cell responses
- Practical experience in basic cell and molecular biology techniques (in particular cell culture, qPCR, immunostaining and confocal imaging)
Further information
This is a Full Time and Fixed Term role for 17 months based at the Hammersmith Campus.
Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.
Should you require any further details on the role please contact: Dr Beata Wojciak Stothard at [email protected]
The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/
The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level.http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/
Documents
- Job Description.pdf
