Research Assistant/Associate (Cardiovascular)

Salary:

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

Research Associate: £33,966 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: 13 May 2024

The Role

Our lab is interested in understanding the role of vitamin transport in the heart and its association with heart disease. You will focus on understanding what happens when vitamin transport is disrupted using in vivo and in vitro approaches. Our goal is to investigate vitamin supplementation as a therapeutic intervention for heart disease and for improving mitochondrial function.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a common form of cardiomyopathy. Although many gene mutations have been implicated in DCM the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease are not well understood. We have identified a vitamin transporter that is disrupted in patients with DCM, which we hypothesize impacts energy metabolism. In this BHF funded project we will use transgenic mice and human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to understand how metabolic dysfunction can be the underlying disease mechanism in the development of DCM. Pilot studies suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction is a key factor, and vitamin supplementation of mutant mice improves cardiac function. Overall, increasing our understanding of DCM could provide new insights into the development of better treatments that could potentially save lives.

This post is fixed term for a period of 3 years. 

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

For informal enquiries contact: [email protected]

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 knowledge of cardiovascular research, especially cardiomyopathies, mitochondrial function within the heart and use of mouse models to model heart disease. 
• 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 
• Extensive experience in the management, maintenance and breeding of transgenic mouse lines and hold a PIL
• Have prior experience of using cardiac-specific transgenic mice targeting vitamin transporters
• Have expertise in mitochondrial assays, proteomics, qPCR, TEM, 3V-SBF (3D modelling) and standard histopathology and molecular biology techniques
• Experience in monitoring cardiac function via ECG
• Experience in the dissection and the analysis of hearts from embryos and adult mice, using a number of techniques

Desirable

• Willingness to lead and manage the project 
• Have flexible working hours to allow the collection of tissues

Attributes and Behaviour

• Excellent organisational skills and experimental planning
• Excellent presentation skills and willingness to engage in networking events
• Willingness to teach and help students in the Research group

Qualifications

• Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in the area of cardiovascular research (Research Assistant)
• A PhD in cardiovascular research, focusing on the role of vitamin transport in disease is 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 aDisability 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: 27046