Research Assistant

You will join the Inflammasome Biology research team led by Dr Rebecca Coll at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) as maternity leave cover. The position will support ongoing research projects in collaboration with Prof Ben Collins (SMDBS) that use cutting edge proteomics techniques to characterise protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications in human inflammasome signalling pathways.

Essential education and experience criteria are:

• Degree in immunology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, or a relevant biomedical science.
• Significant hands-on experience in the following:
  • Culture of human myeloid cell lines and iPSC-derived macrophages and primary human macrophages.
  • Use of siRNA in human myeloid cells.
  • Assays for measuring innate immune signalling pathways including Western blotting, ELISAs, cell death assays, and ASC speck formation assays.
  • Mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics methods.
  • Processing, recording and handling mass spectrometry data sets, and performing statistical analysis.

Please refer to the Candidate Information document for the full list of essential and desirable criteria for the post.

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 on our website.

This post is available to 19 October 2026. 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.

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