Research Associate

**Job Purpose**
This programme, funded by the UKRI-Medical Research Council for 3 years, is to investigate roles of the long chain fatty acid receptors FFAR1 and FFAR4, in the regulation of lung function. Working in collaboration with leading respiratory clinicians and closely with the biotechnology company KelticPharmaTherapeutics Ltd this project is aimed at validating FFAR1 and/or FFAR4 as a novel drug target in the treatment of severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The project builds from our discovery, published in Science Translational Medicine (12, aaw9009 (2020)) that activation of FFAR4 can relieve the symptoms and induce inflammation in pre-clinical mouse models of inflammatory lung disease. Moreover, by studying normal human lung samples and patient-derived lung tissue we have translated the mouse work to human studies that have provided the basis for our hypothesis that activation of FFAR4 can both relieve the symptoms and reduce inflammation in asthma and COPD..
-_ex vivo_ and -

**Main Duties and Responsibilities**
1. Take a leading role in the planning and conducting assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and project/group/School/College research strategy.
2. Conduct
_ex vivo_ and
_in vivo_ mouse lung/respiratory measurements.
3. Conduct biochemical and pharmacological experiments to establish optimum pharmacological properties of effective FFAR1/FFAR4-targeting drugs and determine mechanisms of action.
4. Collaborate with clinical and industry colleagues to translate fundamental research into human studies and drug discovery.
5. Document research outputs including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.
6. Establish and maintain your research profile and reputation and that of University of Glasgow/ School/ Research Group, including establishing and sustaining a track record of independent and joint 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.
8. Presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.
9. Take a leading role in 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.
10. Take a leading role in developing and maintaining collaborations with colleagues across the research group/School/College/University and wider community (e.g. academic and industrial Partners).
11. Take a leading role in team/group meetings/seminars/workshops and School research group activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs and culture of the School/College.
12. Take the lead in 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.
13. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including Budgets/Expenditure.
14. Make a leading contribution to Teaching activities (e.g. demonstrating etc) and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with the Principal Investigators.
15. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.
16. Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.
17. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of School/ Principal Investigators.
18. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, Inspiring People Changing The World.

**Qualifications**

**Essential**:

A1. Normally Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry/Cell Biology or related discipline, or alternatively possess the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience, with experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s)
A2. BSc in Biochemistry/Cell Biology or a related discipline

**Skills**

**Essential**:

C1. Experience of
_ex vivo_ and
_in vivo_ mouse lung physiology measurements
C2. Strong interpersonal skills, confidence and experience in presenting data internally and externally
C3. Good computing skills in MS Office suite software
C4. Experience in using data analysis software packages, databases
C5. Diligent in documenting work and adherence to data integrity requirements

**Experience**

**Essential**:

E1. Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner
E2. A track record of presentation and publication of research results in quality journals/conferences
E3. Exp