Advanced Therapeutics Postdoctoral Research Associate (CAR-T)

Grade UE07: £41,064 - £48,822 per annum pro-rata if part-time

College of Science and Engineering / School of Biological Sciences

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: for 36 months  

The Opportunity:  

We are looking to employ a postdoctoral researcher on a 36-month contract to join the research group of Professor Susan Rosser, chair of synthetic biology at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Engineering Biology to work on development of gene switches for use in gene therapy. The selected researcher will join an internationally recognised, friendly, diverse, inclusive and enthusiastic team.  You will become part of the Engineered Genetic Control Systems for Advanced Therapeutics Hub. The hub, Directed by Prof Rosser, is a £14M 5-year UKRI sponsored research program across 4 institutions (Edinburgh, Oxford, Imperial, CRUK SI) pioneering engineering biology for advanced therapeutics. It is developing novel genetic tools to render gene therapies safe and effective, with initial focus on oncology, cardiovascular diseases and rare diseases.    

This specific role focuses on engineering CAR-T cells and developing programmable gene control systems to improve safety and therapeutic efficacy. The successful candidate will design, build, and experimentally evaluate synthetic genetic circuits in human T cells, integrate them into CAR-T cell therapies, and quantitatively characterise cellular behaviour in relevant experimental models. The postholder will help shape experimental strategy, interpret complex datasets, and contribute to collaborative projects and publications. This role combines molecular biology, mammalian cell engineering, and synthetic immunology to advance programmable gene regulation technologies in engineered immune cells.  

The post holder will have many opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborative working with academic colleagues from the different institutional partners and industry.  This includes training and professional development opportunities arising from being embedded and working with communities of translational scientists.  

This post offers an excellent opportunity for academic career advancement in a worlds renowned centre of excellence for synthetic/engineering biology. The University of Edinburgh hosts a large diverse, dynamic and multidisciplinary engineering biology community of more than 50 research groups. The University of Edinburgh’s synthetic biology facilities are second-to-none, and include the Edinburgh Genome Foundry and Edinomics. Applicants must have a PhD in synthetic/engineering biology, molecular biology, RNA biology for appointment at Research Associate level. Applicants close to completion of their PhDs will also be considered where experience is directly relevant. Please see the job description and person specification document associated with this advert for the full list of criteria. 

This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week), however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.    

Your skills and attributes for success:  

• PhD (or completion within 3 months) in mammalian engineering biology, immunology, or a related discipline. 
• Experience in CAR-T engineering or cellular immunotherapy experience.  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to build rapport with colleagues and collaborators.    

Enquiries: Susan.Rosser@ed.ac.uk  

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply' button above.

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