Research Fellow

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,348 to £42,155. As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is £36,040.

Full Time, Fixed Term Contract up to December 2025

Role Summary

A post-doctoral research position is available in the laboratory of Professor David Withers. We are looking for an enthused, committed, and driven researcher with experience of studying mucosal immune responses in vivo. This is a 3-year research project supported by an MRC Project Grant entitled: ‘Investigating the memory CD4 T cell compartments that emerge from intestinal infection: do location and plasticity determine immune protection?’ The successful candidate will drive forward the research programme and perform and analyse the experiments proposed in the Project.

The proposed research builds upon our recent investigations manipulating key transcription factors in type 3 immunity as well as our studies of intestinal T cell responses. The fundamental aim of this study is to pinpoint what memory populations emerge during intestinal Th17 responses and how this is controlled.

This is an exciting opportunity to investigate the regulation of adaptive immune responses in vivo and exploit an array of novel cutting-edge models. These models are fully set up and have been used extensively in initial experiments to validate the systems to be used. The successful applicant will join a dynamic and supportive lab with extensive expertise in studying immune responses in vivo and appropriate technical support. The lab is located within the Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, where a highly collaborative and friendly environment exists, rich in immunologists with a range of complimentary research interests and skills.

Person Specification

Candidates will have a first degree in Biological Sciences and, a PhD in mucosal immunology/adaptive immune responses (or be near to completion). PhD students with appropriate skills and currently writing up are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have experience of in vivo work and mucosal immunology. Some bioinformatics experience is highly desirable as we aim to exploit NGS approaches (scRNA-seq) to assess cells of interest. Other key approaches used in the project will be multi-colour flow cytometry and immunofluorescence. Experience of tracking antigen-specific responses would be highly relevant. Key attributes are really an enthusiasm and commitment to understanding why immune cells do what they do.

Selected publications from Withers Lab:

• Reciprocal transcription factor networks govern tissue-resident ILC3 subset function and identity. Fiancette et al., Nat Immunol. 2021 Oct; 22(10):1245-1255. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-01024-x
• T-bet and RORα control lymph node formation by regulating embryonic innate lymphoid cell differentiation. Stehle et al. Nat Immunol. 2021 Oct; 22(10):1231-1244. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-01029-6.
• Th1 responses in vivo require cell-specific provision of OX40L dictated by environmental cues. Gajdasik et al. Nat Commun. 2020 Jul 9; 11(1):3421. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-17293-3. 

For informal enquiries please contact d.withers@bham.ac.uk. Happy to discuss the project, lab and research at the University of Birmingham further.

We aim to hold interviews for the post in mid-late March and aim to start the project by July 2023.

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the Apply Online button below or visit our careers website;

https://edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_6001/job/748/?utm_medium=jobshare

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We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.

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