Research Assistant in Molecular Parasitology

at  Newcastle University

Salary:£32,546 - £33,482 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: 05 March 2025

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Contribution to the research programme of the School/Institute under the clear guidance of a member of an academic staff or Principal Investigator
• Use initiative and creativity to analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co-ordinate own work with that of others, deal with problems which may affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers,chapters, book)
• Work to deadlines and manage, with support, competing priorities
• Ensure that personal knowledge in relevant fields of study is kept up to date
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Maintain academic standards and freedom, and work in accordance with university policies (e.g. equal opportunities, health and safety policies)
• Possible supervision and demonstration duties within undergraduate laboratories and example classes or in teaching small seminar classes
• Undertake relevant training and development activities to develop capacity for taking on wider responsibilities
• Develop, with advice, an awareness of own professional development needs and a personal development strategy
• With the support of the PI, lead the development of a high-throughput fluorescent, genetic modification pipeline to analyse the trypanosome cell cycle and lead its implementation within the research team
• Perform microscopy and flow cytometry experiments with cultured trypanosome parasites.
• 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
• To present results at internal and external meetings and assist with writing publications
• Contribute to the shared administrative and lab management tasks related to the activities of the research group, such as making stocks and record keeping

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Some subject knowledge in the relevant area
• Good level of analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex information clearly, both orally and through the written word
• The ability to work collaboratively with colleagues
• The ability to use personal initiative and creativity to solve research problems
• Demonstratable experience of contemporary molecular research techniques and cell culture.
• Experience of microscopy
• Good IT and computing skills

We are recruiting a motivated and curiosity-driven Research Assistant to join an exciting new Medical Research Council funded project concerning Trypanosoma brucei parasites.
The project is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which trypanosome parasites proliferate and transmit between hosts using multidisciplinary approaches. Trypanosomes are the cause of three Neglected Tropical Diseases (Sleeping Sickness, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease) in humans and are spread by insect vectors. In the research group we culture African trypanosome parasites in vitro and use CRISPR/cas9 technology to genetically modify the parasites, rapidly generating mutants and fluorescent parasite lines for study. We use methods including proteomics, microscopy, flow cytometry and single cell transcriptomics.
You will have a key role in delivering a high-throughput genetic modification screen using parasite culture and genetic manipulation, robotics, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. To do this you will use the state-of the art Bioscreening, Bioimaging and Flow Cytometry units all housed within the institute. In addition to joining the multidisciplinary Biosciences Institute, you will also interact with the global community of parasitology researchers.
In this role you will learn modern molecular lab-based and bioinformatic techniques, gain experience of eukaryotic cell culture and genetic modification, and develop expertise in parasitology. Note there is also potential complete a PhD in conjunction with this post.
For more information see, www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/emmabriggs.html
This post is fixed term until 31 March 2028.
For informal enquiries contact: emma.briggs@newcastle.ac.uk
To apply for the position, we’ll need a copy of your CV which should outline how you are suitable for the role, with a particular focus on the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience as listed in the job description.
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.