Research Assistant in Evolutionary Microbiology

Location: Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, OX1 3PS and current departmental sites in and around the Science Area and Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford

We are seeking a Research Assistant for a project testing the ability of phage to target bacteria carrying plasmids associated with antibiotic resistance genes. 

Many of the most important antibiotic resistance genes are carried by conjugative plasmids that transfer resistance across strain and species boundaries. Pilus-dependent bacteriophage (PDBs) are viruses that infect bacterial cells via the conjugative pilus, making them a potentially powerful tool to combat antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities.

The postholder will work on experiments to (1) asses the ability of PDBs to infect a lab strain of E.coli carrying a panel of reference plasmids, (2) testing the ability of PDBs to infect isolates of E.coli collected from infections and environmental sources. The postholder will work on these experiments in conjunction with a post-doc, and will be fully embedded into the lab group.

This position is suitable for researchers with previous experience working with phage infectivity and resistance assays. The scale of these assays will be large, and this post will require excellent organization and planning skills. Previous experience with qPCR , flow cytometry and experimental evolution would also be desirable. The position is available for 1 year at full-time, but we it may be possible to work on this position part-time.

Applications should include a CV and a cover letter detailing how the applicant fits the selection criteria.

Please send enquiries with CV to craig.maclean@biology.ox.ac.uk.

Where Covid-19 has resulted in substantial disruption to your work or research outputs, please explain this by providing an additional paragraph in your supporting statement.

The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.

This post is full time and available from 1 September 2025 onwards with a start date no later than 1 February 2026.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on June 2, 2025, interviews are likely to be scheduled for mid-June. Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system, and you will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application.

Advert information