Research Assistant studying Innate Immune Defence against DNA Viruses.

Location: Section of Virology, Imperial College London, South Kensington campus, London, UK.

About the role:

We are looking for a Research Assistant for 18 months, following up our recent paper to study how members of the Sp100 nuclear protein family suppress infection by DNA viruses, and how herpesviruses counteract their functions. You will use a combination of classical and cutting edge techniques in protein biochemistry, cell biology, classical virology, microscopy and genomics, in the context of infection by Epstein-Barr virus, Herpes Simplex virus and herpesvirus saimiri in B cells and fibroblasts.

What you would be doing:

You will:

• work as part of a small team (in collaboration with Duke University) studying how the SAND domain of speckled proteins (the Sp100 family) binds DNA, to test whether this allows cells to sense and suppress viral DNA in the nucleus, and how herpesviruses counteract its functions.
• assist with the day to-day planning, development, running and analysis of experiments, that could include protein biochemistry (protein purification, DNA-binding assays, and antibody validation), infection assays (plaque assay, luciferase assays), and cell-based assays for interaction studies (e.g. FRET and fluorescence microscopy) and genomics assays (transcriptomics, ATAC-seq and ChIP), according to your skills and aptitudes.
• Present your findings to colleagues and contribute to the writing of reports
• Assist in the training, development and supervision of other staff and students in the research group.
• Contribute to the smooth running of the lab.

What we are looking for:

• Have a strong academic record at undergraduate and/or Master’s level in a relevant subject.
• Have a demonstrable passion for virology and/or immunology.
• Be a quick learner who can readily adapt to new techniques.
• Be a precise and careful lab worker.
• Have a high degree of biological understanding and creativity, and/or research experience, that allow effective troubleshooting.
• Be committed to this research project.
• Be able to support the research of junior (student) lab members.
• Have some research experience in molecular biology, cell biology or computational biology that is relevant to the project.

What we can offer you:

• An opportunity to develop a wide variety of research skills transferrable to diverse virology, immunology, biochemistry and cell biology lab contexts.
• Agency within the team in helping to choose and drive the direction of the research.
• A collaborative departmental research environment, allowing day-to-day contact with various world-leading virology research teams, on a science-intensive research-focussed campus with opportunities to diversify your scientific knowledge.
• Opportunity to present your research at a national or international conference.
• Paper authorship commensurate with your contribution to the research.
• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression
• Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further Information

The position is funded until September 2027 as a full-time-equivalent post expected to start by March 2026.

If you require any further details on the role please contact: Dr Rob White (robert.e.white@imperial.ac.uk)

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