Research Assistant

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Department of Infection Biology
Salary:  £38,282 to £43,947 per annum, inclusive.
Closing Date:  Sunday 31 March 2024
Reference:  ITD-DIB-2024-07

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is one of the world’s leading public health universities. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

We are seeking to appoint a Research Assistant to support in the execution of a program of research to dissect the transport pathway of vitamin B12 and generate new insights into the biology of the tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Mtb has remarkable refractoriness to antibiotics treatment and presents a serious threat to global public health and economy. 

The post holder will work in biosafety level 2 and containment level 3 environments and will implement routine genetic tools including, but not limited to, CRISPRi-based knockdown, genetic knockouts, target overexpression, proteomics, and transcriptomics. The post holder will also use existing or develop basic bacteriology and microbiology techniques towards identifying, functionally characterising, and determining the cellular organization of proteins that are involved in the mycobacterial B12 transport pathway, and investigating the regulatory mechanisms that control their expression. 

The post holder will work closely with the PI in designing and implementing scientific strategies relating to the research and will interface with other researchers at the School and the Department in an academic research environment that provides an excellent career opportunity for any enthusiastic and motivated discovery research scientist.

The successful applicant will have BSc and/or MSc degree in the field of molecular biology or microbiology, or in a related study discipline, and/or at least two years’ experience in biochemistry, life sciences, or equivalent training, experience and of molecular biology techniques such as molecular cloning, nucleic acid (RNA/DNA) isolation and analysis, and DNA library preparation, relevant analytical skills in genetic manipulation techniques for bacteria such as CRISPR-based knockdown, gene deletions, and protein overexpression. Further particulars are included in the job description.

The post is full-time and funded by the Wellcome Trust until 30 September 2026. The salary will be on the Academic scale, Grade 5 scale in the range £38,282 - £43,947 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting). The post will be subject to the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year, pro rata for part time staff. In addition to this there are discretionary “Wellbeing Days”. Membership of the Pension Scheme is available. The post is based in London. 

Applications should be made on-line via our jobs website . Online applications will be accepted by the automated system until 10pm of the closing date. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to [email protected] . Please quote reference ITD-DIB-2024-07 

The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria.  Please provide one or more paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as “Please see attached CV” will not be considered acceptable.

Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date it may not be possible to offer you an alternative date.  

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We believe that when people feel respected and included, they can be more creative, successful, and happier at work. While we have more work to do, we are committed to building an inclusive workplace, a community that everyone feels a part of, which is safe, respectful, supportive and enables all to reach their full potential.