Research Assistant/ Associate - Immunology

Salary:

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £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: 28 October 2024

The Role

Your role will be a postdoctoral researcher within the Amarnath Laboratory and to develop an area in immune regulation understanding the function of T regulatory cells in osteoclast development.

The project will specifically address the role of T regulatory cells in controlling tissue repair and regeneration in healthy immune system, autoimmunity and cancer.

This post is fixed term for a period of two years ending on the 31/12/2026.

For informal enquiries contact: shoba.amarnath@newcastle.ac.uk

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

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.

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require medical clearance before you can commence in the role.

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
• Interact with other relevant individuals. This will include interactions with members of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in skin and oral disease, national and international collaborative studies

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in the area of human Treg cell immunology
• 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 
• At least one first author publication in immunology
• Experience in 18 colour flow cytometry experiments and analysis
• Experience in single cell and spatial transcriptomics experiments and analysis
• Experience in bioinformatics packages (R studio) relevant to the research within the themes
• Knowledge of immune-mediated and skin diseases including skin cancers

Desirable

• Experience of communicating scientific concepts to the public
• Involvement/success in obtaining training grants, PhD Studentships or fellowships

Attributes and Behaviour

• Evidence of an interest in fundamental research 
• Commitment to a career in fundamental immunology
• Working as part of a team and enabling the success of the team
• Applicants should be ambitious and strive for excellence, with a demonstrable drive to succeed and to produce work of the highest quality

Desirable

• The ability to contribute to broader organisational and management processes and to provide leadership, co-ordinating the work of other staff

Qualifications

• Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in the relevant area (Research Assistant)
• A PhD in the research area required (Research Associate)

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: 27709