Research Associate in Immunology

Salary: £33,966 to £44,263 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 18 June 2024

The Role

You will join the research group of Professor Muzlifah Haniffa and work on research funded by Wellcome on projects contributing to the Human Cell Atlas initiative. Specifically, defining the developmental trajectory of CD1a/c-restricted T cells in the human prenatal thymus.

You will hold a PhD in Biological Sciences. Your skills will include expertise in tissue processing, including embryonic and foetal material, as well as proficiency in single cell and spatial transcriptomic technologies. It is also essential you have experience in histological processing of tissues, including cryo-sectioning.

The post is located in state-of-art laboratories housed within Newcastle University's Biosciences Institute with access to excellent dedicated core research facilities.

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

For informal enquiries contact: Dr Emily Stephenson )

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here:

Find out more about our Research Institutes here:

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.

Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value'
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute.
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
• To be responsible for day-to-day management of experimental work involving spatial and single cell genomics, including single cell RNA sequencing and in vitro studies
• To be responsible for data collection, processing, analysis, presentation and publications process and maintain accurate, daily records of experiments
• To operate as a team member within the research group
• To facilitate general management and running of the laboratory including routine laboratory cleaning, maintenance, equipment upkeep and ordering of laboratory materials
• To facilitate other aspects of the Haniffa group in other aspects of its operation, including assisting with student supervision, contribution to laboratory meetings, contribution to web-based activities and contribution to its public engagement activities

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in performing a wide range of molecular biology techniques including protein/DNA/RNA analysis, DNA/RNA isolation, qRT-PCR, ELISA
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications
• Experience with single cell multiomic assays such as 10x Genomics platforms (CITE-seq, ATAC-seq, Multiome) is required
• Hands-on experience in spatial and single cell/nuclei transcriptomic technologies from both fresh, frozen and fixed samples
• Expertise in handling and processing variety of human tissues, including embryonic and foetal material
• Experience in histological processing of human tissues, including sectioning/ cryosectioning and staining techniques (H & E, IHC, Live/dead)
• Experience with working with mammalian cell lines and conducting various cell culture techniques including proliferation and differentiation assays
• Maintain and operate workstation robots to increase experimental throughput
• Proficiency with MS Office, and with standard programs for statistical analysis (e.g., GraphPad Prism)

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience of single cell multiomics data analysis methods and computational packages
• Proficient at standardising protocols and working procedures, including data collection, and setting up and maintaining databases
• Experience in training others in molecular biology laboratory techniques

Attributes and Behaviour

• Highly motivated and driven individual interested in developing a career in academic research
• Able to work independently but motivated to contribute to the overall research team and develop collaborative interactions with colleagues in the lab
• Expectation and willingness to work outside normal office hours including weekends and to work away from main laboratory site including national and international collaborative visits

Qualifications

• A PhD in in Biological Sciences

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 27234