Research Assistant

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued.

The Humane Biomedical Research Lab seeks to recruit a Research Assistant to join Dr Dania Movia’s team on her SFI-IRC Pathway Programme project “Extracellular vesicles in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer - Finding allies among the enemies” from June 2024.

The award provides a unique opportunity to engage in frontier research on how to tackle the current issue of acquired resistance that inevitably develops after a first response in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer and a deadly disease. Despite new and more effective drugs have been approved in the last years for the treatment of this disease, almost all patients inevitably develop drug resistance after a first response. However, when resistance is identified early, patients’ prognosis significantly improves. Evidence shows that extracellular vesicles, tiny particles that are naturally released from cancer cells, might be used as a non-invasive tool to monitor drug resistance acquisition in real-time. “How” is still an open question. This project addresses precisely this, using an innovative animal-free research methodology.

The Research Assistant will gain unique research experience in conducting biomedical research without the use of animal experiments. This position will involve the design of novel experiments, analysis, scientific writing, and dissemination (publications, talks and posters). The Research Assistant will join an enthusiastic team of PhD students and researchers, will attend regular lab meetings and major international conferences in the field.

Salary

Research Assistant (2023):    €30,025– €32,105 p.a. (4 points - with increment)

Appointments will be made in accordance with public sector pay provisions.