Research Assistant

**Job Purpose**

**Main Duties and Responsibilities**
Perform the following activities in conjunction with and under the guidance of the Principal Investigator (PI) Prof David Bhella.
1. Plan and conduct assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and the research strategy of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR).
2. Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.
3. Develop and enhance your research profile and reputation and that of CVR, including contributing to publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem.
4. Contribute to the presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.
5. Contribute to the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research.
6. Collaborate with colleagues and participate in team/ group/ meetings/ seminars/ workshops across the CVR and wider community.
7. Contribute to the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.
8. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including Budgets/Expenditure.
9. Carry out modest Teaching activities [e.g. demonstrating etc.] and associated administration as assigned by the CVR Director and in consultation with the Principal Investigator.
10. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.
11. Engage in continuing professional development activities as appropriate.
12. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Director of the CVR and/or Principal Investigator.
13. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, World Changers Together.

**For Appointment at Grade 7**
14. Perform the above duties with a higher degree of independence, leadership, and responsibility, particularly in relation to planning, funding, collaborating and publishing research, and mentoring colleagues.
These key tasks are not intended to be exhaustive but simply highlight a number of major tasks which the staff member may reasonably be expected to perform.

**Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Experience**

**Qualifications**

**Essential**-Or
Equivalent professional qualifications in a relevant academic/research discipline, and experience of personal development in a similar role.

**For Appointment at Grade 7**
A2 Normally Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (PhD) in cell biology, structural biology or related field, such as X-ray crystallography or alternatively possess the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience, with experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).

**Desirable**
B1 Working towards or completed a PhD in structural biology by cryo-EM or related field, such as X-ray crystallography.

**Knowledge and Skills**

**Essential**
C1 A strong background in structural biology data collection and image processing.
C2 Research creativity and cross-discipline collaborative ability as appropriate.
C3 Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach.
C4 Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentation and the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and concisely.
C5 A high degree of competence in English scientific writing and speaking.
C6 Appropriate workload/time/project/budget/people management skills.
C7 IT and data analysis/interpretation skills as appropriate.
C8 Highly motivated, able to use initiative and quick to learn new techniques.
C9 Creative, flexible and pragmatic approach to solving research problems.

**For Appointment at Grade 7**
C10 Good team leadership skills including demonstrable supervisory skills.

**Desirable at Grade 6/7**
D1 Knowledge of protein purification.
D2 Knowledge of image processing for single particle reconstruction.
D3 Laboratory data handling and management skills; for example, statistical analysis (Excel, R, Prism etc).

**Experience**

**Essential**-E2 Experience with preparation of high-quality protein preparations for cryo-EM.
E3 Experience with preparing samples for high-resolution cryo-EM data collection.
E4 Experience with single particle image processing and model building from cryo-EM data.
E5 Proven ability to deliver quality outputs (such as publications) in a timely and efficient manner.
E6 Experience preparing data for publication and