Research Associate - antifungal drug discovery

Salary: £34,866 to £45,163 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: 11 November 2024

The Role

An exciting research associate post is available in antifungal drug discovery. Although often in the shadow of bacterial and viral pathogens, pathogenic fungi cause a wide range of diseases from the superficial to the lethal with recent estimates indicating that invasive fungal infections cause 2.5 million deaths per year. This threat to human health is compounded by the limited classes of drugs licenced to treat fungal infections and the increasing emergence of Antimicrobial Resistant (AMR) isolates/species. The prohibitive costs in discovering and developing new antifungals, demand new ways of approaching this problem and finding rapidly implementable solutions to combat AMR, especially in resource limited settings. Miltefosine is a WHO essential medicine that has been used in the treatment of systemic visceral leishmaniasis (an insect borne protozoal infection) for over 20 years. There is now compelling evidence that miltefosine is also a potent antifungal, with the FDA recently approving orphan drug designation for treating invasive candidiasis.  However, a lack of knowledge as to the mode-of-action and spectrum of activity in monotherapy and combination therapy of this WHO Essential Medicine hinders understanding and development.

In this project you will employ multidisciplinary approaches to define miltefosine mode-of-action, exploiting the genetic tractability of select model and pathogenic fungi. This position is funded by the FAILSAFE project https://cmm-failsafe.com/ funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). You will join a vibrant collaborative team spread across five institutions, with the common goal to drive forward knowledge of the utility and mechanism of miltefosine against a range of pathogenic fungi.  

About Us: The Quinn lab studies fungal pathogenesis and is committed to tackling the threat of AMR in treating fungal disease. https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical sciences/people/profile/janetquinn.html

We are located within the Newcastle University Biosciences Institute https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/biosciences/ and are members of the Microbes in Health and Disease Theme https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/research-themes/microbes-in-health-and-disease/. This vibrant research theme tackles real-world problems in infectious diseases, gut health and antimicrobial resistance. We provide a dynamic and supportive environment for all our members across all career stages. We are committed to Equality Diversity and Inclusion and promote EDI practices in all that we do. This includes family-friendly flexible working arrangements and family-friendly meeting times.

This post is fixed term for a period of 24 Months (Project end date 30.11.26).

For informal enquiries contact: Professor Janet Quinn - janet.quinn@ncl.ac.uk

In your application, please provide evidence of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria required for the role outlined in ‘The Person’ by uploading a letter of application along with your Curriculum Vitae (CV).

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.

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

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in fungal pathogenesis, antifungal drugs and AMR 
• 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 
• A strong background and proven expertise in fungal cellular and molecular biology

Desirable

• Research experience in studying antifungal agents and/or fungal stress responses
• Research experience in the genetic manipulation of fungal species
• Research experience in fluorescent microscopy
• Research experience in bioinformatics

Attributes and Behaviour

• Ability to work well on own initiative and as part of a team
• Ability to prioritise key tasks
• Is ambitious but works in partnership with others and has exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills

Desirable

• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Promotes a culture of mutual respect
• Empathetic to the needs of colleagues and a diverse student body

Qualifications

• 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: 27725