Research Assistant/Associate in Molecular Parasitology

Company description:

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Job description:

Salary:

Research Assistant: £33,002 to £34,610 per annum

Research Associate: £35,608 to £46,049 per annum

The Role

We are recruiting a motivated and curiosity-driven Research Assistant/Associate to join an exciting new Medical Research Council-funded project concerning Trypanosoma brucei parasites.

The project is focused on uncovering the environmental triggers and molecular signalling mechanisms by which trypanosome parasites proliferate and pause proliferation, using multidisciplinary approaches. Trypanosomes are the cause of three Neglected Tropical Diseases (Sleeping Sickness, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease) in humans and are spread by insect vectors. In the research group, we culture African trypanosome parasites in vitro and use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to genetically modify the parasites, rapidly generating mutants and fluorescent parasite lines for study. We use methods including proteomics, microscopy, flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptomics.

Your project will be focused on assessing environmental and/or internal cellular signals that drive cell cycle start using Trypanosoma brucei culture and genetic manipulation, live fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. T. brucei is unusual in that it lacks many canonical mitogen receptors that, in other species, regulate cell cycle start.

To do this, you will use the state-of-the-art Bioimaging and Flow Cytometry units all housed within the institute. In addition to joining the multidisciplinary Biosciences Institute, you will also interact with the global community of parasitology researchers. This will include collaborations with researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the Institut Pasteur to perform in vivo studies aimed at identifying the host tissue environments where T. brucei actively proliferates and arrests in both murine models and tsetse flies.

In this role, you will learn modern molecular lab-based and bioinformatic techniques, gain experience of eukaryotic cell culture and genetic modification, as well as in vivo studies, and develop expertise in parasitology. In particular, you will develop live imaging methods to perform high-content fluorescent imaging of live parasites as they navigate the cell cycle, and the associated bioinformatic analysis pipelines.

For more information see, www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/emmabriggs.html

This post is fixed term for a period of 3 years.

For informal enquiries contact: emma.briggs@newcastle.ac.uk

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As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

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