Job Description
Job Title: Research Assistant (Molecular Biology and Microbiology)
Posting Start Date: 23/07/2025
Job Id: 1340
School/Department: Biosciences
Work Arrangement: Full Time (On site)
Contract Type: Fixed-term
Salary per annum (£): £31,637.00 - £36,130.00
Closing Date: 20/08/2025
The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.
We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

• 1) Design constructs to generate a range of genetically engineered strains of phototrophic microorganisms to produce non-native combinations of pigment-proteins and pigments; (2) characterise the pigment content of engineered strains and biochemically isolate and characterise native and engineered pigment-protein complexes; (3) use classical microbiology approaches to characterise fitness of engineered strains under different growth regimes and use ALE (Adaptive Laboratory Evolution) to select for better performing strains and identify and characterise mutations in adapted lines.
• Work with protein design experts to design, produce and text combinations of designer pigment-binding proteins in strains with various pigment compositions.
• Biochemical characterisation of designed complexes using gel electrophoresis, western blots, sucrose ultracentrifugation and gel filtration.
• Characterise samples functionally using fluorescence, fluorescence lifetime imaging and absorption spectroscopy.
• Collaborate with senior colleagues to prepare papers for journals and presentations for national and international conferences to disseminate research findings.
• Interact with and supervise PhD and undergraduate students within the research group.
• Support the management of collaborations within the Synergy team at Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich and Centre Algatech, Trebon, Czech Republic, through regular online meetings and by visiting these laboratories when appropriate.
• Plan experimental tasks
• Keep appropriate records of all work carried out including detailed plasmid and strain libraries.
• Develop new collaborations both within the University of Sheffield and with external groups.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post