Research Fellow in Pharmacology

We are seeking a motivated Research Fellow to join a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)-funded project investigating the evolutionary origins and diversification of sensory receptor and ion channel systems.

The project brings together evolutionary biology, pharmacology and organismal biology to investigate how sensory systems evolved during the early evolution of animals. Particular emphasis will be placed on receptors known as Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels from non-bilaterian animals and choanoflagellates.

The postholder will play a role in the molecular and functional characterisation of candidate sensory receptors and channels. Working within the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, you will use molecular cloning, heterologous expression and pharmacological assays to investigate candidate TRP channels responding to chemical and physical stimuli.

You will generate and validate receptor and channel constructs, express candidate proteins in mammalian cells, develop and optimise functional assays, and perform medium- to high-throughput pharmacological screening. Positive candidates will be characterised using concentration–response experiments and quantitative analysis to determine their pharmacological and sensory properties.

A major strength of the project is its integration of molecular pharmacology with evolutionary and organismal biology. You will work closely with collaborators investigating sensory-driven behaviours and TRP channel function in experimentally tractable non-bilaterian organisms. The role will involve collaboration with the partner laboratory in Villefranche-sur-Mer, France, and may include travel for project meetings, sample collection and integration of pharmacological and behavioural components.

The position offers an opportunity to develop expertise at the interface of molecular pharmacology, evolutionary biology and sensory neuroscience, while contributing to questions about the evolutionary origins of animal sensation.

About you

You will have a PhD, or be close to completing one, in a relevant discipline such as pharmacology, molecular biology, neuroscience, biochemistry, physiology or evolutionary biology.

You will have experience in molecular biology, cloning and construct preparation, and experience using heterologous expression systems. Experience with mammalian cell culture and functional receptor or ion-channel assays using fluorescence- or luminescence-based readouts would be desired.

You should be confident analysing quantitative experimental data, including concentration–response experiments, EC50 determination and statistical analysis. Experience with ion channels, GPCRs or TRP channels, plate-reader-based assays, high-throughput screening, Xenopus oocyte expression or electrophysiology would be advantageous. Preferably using R or python.

An interest in evolutionary biology, comparative genomics or the biology of early-diverging animals would be beneficial, although applicants primarily trained in molecular pharmacology, cell biology or related disciplines are strongly encouraged to apply.

You will be expected to work independently while contributing to a collaborative and interdisciplinary research programme. Good organisation, careful experimental record keeping and a commitment to reproducible research are important. You should also be comfortable communicating your findings through publications, conference presentations and interactions with collaborators from different disciplines and institutions.

The University of Southampton offers a range of benefits, including a generous holiday allowance and additional University closure days. We support flexible working and a healthy work–life balance, alongside access to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), subsidised health and fitness facilities and a range of staff discounts.

This post is offered on a three-year fixed-term basis.

For additional information please contact Dr Luis Yanez-Guerra (l.a.yanez-guerra@soton.ac.uk), University of Southampton.

Further details:

• Job Description and Person Specification

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