Research Assistant

The Microbial Biochemistry and Pathogenesis group of Professor Valvano, in the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, is looking for an ambitious, highly productive individual with an interest and demonstrated research skills on microbial and cellular biochemistry and cellular models of bacterial infection in macrophages. The candidate will be involved in ongoing and planned research aiming to elucidate a novel secretion system for protein export into bacterial membrane vesicles. The post holder will apply specialized microbial biochemistry techniques for bacterial cell fractionation, purification of protein complexes, analysis of protein-protein interactions including electron microscopy, and cellular biology techniques to examine the effects of bacterial membrane vesicles in primary immune and non-immune (e.g., macrophages and epithelial ) cells. Applications are invited from individuals with combined expertise in microbiology and microbial genetics, molecular biology, microbial biochemistry, and cell biology, and strongly demonstrated commitment to research. Examples include relevant research experience in microbial culture, electron microscopy, protein cross-linking, isolation and purification of protein complexes, split nano-Luc and fluorescent protein tagging, etc.

About the person:

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Degree level qualification or equivalent in a relevant subject.
• Relevant research experience in state-of-the-art molecular (e.g. cloning suing Gibson ligation) and cellular (bacterial infections ineukaryotic cells) microbiology
• Relevant research experience in purification on membrane protein complexes
• Relevant experience in culturing human macrophages and epithelial cells
• Relevant experience in infection quantification in cells.
• Relevant experience with subcellular fractionations of bacterial components
• Relevant experience in confocal and electron microscopy
• Relevant experience on detailed documentation of experimental procedures, data, and results.

To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information.

This post is available for 6 months. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

What we offer:

Beyond a competitive salary, the University offers an attractive benefits package including a holiday entitlement of up to 8.4 weeks a year, pension schemes and development opportunities. We support staff wellbeing with flexible working options, work-life balance initiatives and support for physical and mental health. You can find more detail on all of this and more at https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/pay-reward-and-benefits/

Queen's University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena Swan and have established staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality.

For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit www.qub.ac.uk/diversity.

If you are an international applicant and don't already hold a visa that permits you to take up the role you are applying for, please use the information provided on our website to self-assess whether the University is likely to be able to support a visa application - http://go.qub.ac.uk/internationalstaffsupport

Candidate Information

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