Research Assistant

College of Science and Engineering

£25,504 - £29,541

A NERC funded research assistant position is available for up to 3 years in Dr Sarah Reece's lab for a highly organised and motivated graduate with a degree in biological sciences. You will assist on a variety of projects to investigate the evolution and ecology of malaria (Plasmodium) parasites.

The environments experienced by parasites inside hosts and vectors are highly changeable. For example, resources become scarce when hosts get sick, immune responses directed at parasites develop, and parasites often have to compete with other strains and species sharing their host. Understanding the strategies that parasites have evolved to cope with the challenging environments they face inside hosts and vectors is the aim of this project. Mounting evidence is revealing considerable plasticity in parasite traits that underpin parasites ability to survive during infections and to transmit to new hosts. Our recent research shows that parasites adjust their traits in response to the conditions they experience in the host. We will investigate why parasites do this. The project will determine how host and parasite factors contribute to plasticity in parasites’ reproductive effort, quantify the patterns generated across environmental gradients and parasite genetic backgrounds, test whether parasite strategies are adjusted in response to the environment in ways that benefit survival and transmission, and investigate whether plasticity is costly by testing if it is lost under selection in constant environmental conditions.

Fixed Term: up to 3 years

Salary Scale: £25,504 - £29,541 per annum

Ref: 012982

Closing Date: 14 May 2013 at 5pm GMT

For further particulars and to apply for this post please click on the 'Apply' button below.