We are seeking to recruit a Research Associate to study human Natural Killer cell and T cell biology using microscopy, funded by Cancer Research UK together with the EPSRC.
The project will be based in Prof. Dan Davis’s lab in South Kensington Campus to study fundamental aspects of molecular recognition by human Natural Killer cells and T cells, using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy as well as molecular and cell biology techniques. This project aims to then apply the basic knowledge for generating new nanoscale reagents to enhance the action of immune cells against cancer.
This research will be run in close collaboration with Dr. Iain Dunlop’s lab in the Engineering Faculty that develops biomaterial technologies to investigate fundamental questions in immunology, cancer and disease. In parallel, we are advertising for a second Research Associate to work in Dunlop’s lab to develop the appropriate nanomaterials and technology. Davis lab’s recent papers include: Immunity, 53, 1215 (2020), Biophysical Journal 119, 2404 (2020), PNAS, 117, 23717 (2020), Blood Advances 4, 1388 (2020), Science Signaling, eaaw9252, (2019); J. Cell Biol, 17, 3267-3283, (2018). See our lab web-page for more details: https://www.davislab.manchester.ac.uk/
This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-equipped multidisciplinary team studying immune cell biology in health and disease.
Duties and responsibilities
You will be required to help produce independent and original research as part of a team of postdocs, students and technicians. The project will involve using microscopy to image signal transduction and integration from activating and inhibitory receptors on human immune cells. This will be compared when cells are stimulated by individual protein ligand or nanoclusters of ligands. Our aim is to generate targeted nanomaterials, based on a graphene oxide technology platform, that enhance the action of immune cells against cancer. The post involves a high degree of teamwork and interdisciplinary research as well as daily interactions with other members of the lab and other allied scientists within the College and elsewhere as appropriate.
Essential requirements
You must have a PhD (or equivalent) in biology, cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, biophysics, or a related field. Experience with human immune cell biology or high-level microscopy is strongly desired. You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as basic knowledge of immunology, cell biology or microscopy. You must also be able to develop and apply new concepts, work with minimal supervision and have a creative approach to problem-solving. The ideal candidate will have the passion and drive to tackle and overcome scientific problems.
Further information
This is a full-time, fixed term position until 31 January 2025. You will be expected to start on 1 July 2022 or soon thereafter and will be based at South Kensington Campus.
Please note that any candidate who has not yet been officially awarded their PhD, will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £36,694 – £39,888 per annum.
For informal enquiries please contact Professor Daniel Davis (via [email protected])
The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/
The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/
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