Research Associate in Molecular Virology

Location:

South Kensington Campus - Hybrid

About the role:

The Sheppard Lab, within the Department of Infectious Disease, is excited to invite a highly motivated and technically skilled postdoctoral researcher to join our team. In this role, you will be at the cutting edge of host-pathogen interaction research, investigating how host proteins influence influenza virus infection.

This MRC-funded position offers the opportunity to dive deep into the structure-function characterisation of critical host-virus interactions that regulate the influenza RNA polymerase, shaping the intricate processes of viral transcription and genome replication. You will contribute to a transformative project aiming to uncover key proviral and restriction factors, decipher their molecular mechanisms and ultimately harness this knowledge to inform the design of next-generation antiviral strategies.

What you would be doing:

In this dynamic project, you will employ a pioneering proximity proteomics approach to map the full repertoire of host proteins interacting with the influenza RNA polymerase. This innovative work will be carried out in close collaboration with our partners at King’s College London, bringing together complementary strengths in virology and proteomics within a forward-thinking framework.

You will lead the development and optimisation of a systematic workflow to identify, validate, and conduct a bioinformatic analyses of host factors that regulate polymerase function across diverse influenza subtypes. The ultimate goal is to dissect the molecular mechanisms by which key host proteins modulate viral transcription and genome replication. To achieve this, you will employ a powerful multidisciplinary toolkit - including gene editing, functional and binding reporter assays, viral growth kinetics and cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS).

Your detailed structure-function characterisation of the most influential virulence factors will feed directly into translational efforts within the lab and in collaboration with the Barclay lab, aimed at exploiting our deep mechanistic understanding of host-virus interactions for the rational development of novel antiviral therapeutics.

What we are looking for:

• Highly skilled researcher with a PhD and strong background in molecular virology and/or host-pathogen interactions.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £43,003 - £46,297 per annum

• Practical experience in a broad range of techniques such as cell culture, molecular cloning, viral rescue/growth, gene-silencing, PPIs and mass-spectrometry.
• Able to independently design and execute experiments, interpret data and identify follow-up strategies.
• Proactive, detail-oriented scientist with a collaborative mindset and open approach to problem solving.
• Proven track record of scientific achievement, including scientific publication and/or presentations at conferences.

What we can offer you:

• A collaborative, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating lab environment that values both scientific rigour and team cohesion.
• Access to cutting-edge facilities, including CL2/CL3 tissue culture suites, advanced proteomics platforms and flow cytometry (FACS) systems.
• Opportunities for interdisciplinary research through close working relationships across virology, immunology and systems biology with leading groups including the Barclay, Martin-Sancho, Thorne, Maertens, and White labs.
• Opportunities to attend national and international conferences to showcase your work and enhance your academic network.

Further Information

This is a full time and a fixed-term (3 years) based at the South Kensington Campus

If you require any further details about the role, please contact:

Dr Carol Sheppard, carol.sheppard08@imperial.ac.uk.

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