Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences - Centre for Medical Mycology

This new full time post is available from 1 May 2024 on a 36 month fixed term basis.

The Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) is a world-leading research centre helping to tackle the major global threats to human health caused by fungal diseases. The MRC CMM integrates researchers from multiple fields of expertise and a major activity is to increase capacity in fundamental and clinical research in medical mycology through research and training programmes for medical and biosciences students and early career researchers. The Centre has established strategic interactions with other national and international groups to promote public engagement and understanding of our science.

Summary of the role

The MRC CMM wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to participate in a research programme focussed on maternal immune transfer, under the supervision of Prof William Horsnell. This post is available from 1 May 2024 for 36 months. The successful applicant will contribute to understanding The successful applicant will contribute to understanding how mothers transfer immunity to their offspring and how the different transferred mechanisms contribute to offspring control of infection. To maximise productivity, the incumbent will lead their own specific project whilst collaborating with other members of the team to help them complete their stories.

About you

The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, projects and proposals; identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing funds; make presentations at conferences and other events; and work collaboratively, supervising the work of others and acting as team leader as required. Applicants will possess a PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study.

The ideal candidate will have:

Sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes. Evidence of research activity and published research. Experience in flow cytometry. Hold a personal licence for animal research. Experience in studying mucosal biological responses to infection. Mammalian cell culture. Experience in use of mouse infection models.

Proficiency in use of Graphpad and Excel and other Microsoft Office programmes, basic R skills, statistical analysis, use of image analysis softwares and FACsDiva/Flojo (or equivalent) softwares. The successful applicant will possess sufficient specialist knowledge in the discipline to develop research programmes and methodologies.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

Please contact Professor William Horsnell [email protected] .