Research Associate - Vaccinology Research

Updated: about 2 years ago
Location: Down St Mary, ENGLAND
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 25 Jan 2022

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to work on understanding the effect of antigenic imprinting (also called “original antigenic sin”) on immune responses to influenza infections and how this affects vaccine efficacy. This project is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is a collaboration between the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London and the Infectious Disease & Vaccines team at Kymab (a Sanofi company), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of fully human monoclonal antibody therapeutics using its IntelliSelect® Transgenic platform. The successful applicant will explore the role of antigenic imprinting on influenza infections in the IntelliSelect® Transgenic platform through in vivo immunisation and virus challenge studies, with subsequent downstream analysis of the immune responses. The successful applicant will be based at the Department of Infectious Disease at St Mary’s campus as part of Dr Tregoning’s research team and will use a variety of immunological and virological techniques, with a focus on in vivo studies. Under the overall direction and supervision of Dr Tregoning, you will apply and extend your knowledge of relevant laboratory techniques. As a postdoctoral RA for vaccinology research, you will be responsible for the program of work and will be given scope to work both independently and as part of a team of vaccine researchers. The candidate will get to contribute to other studies at various stages of development with a view to publications.


Duties and responsibilities

  • To take initiatives in the planning of research

  • To identify and develop suitable techniques, and apparatus, for the collection and analysis of data

  • To conduct data analysis

  • To ensure the validity and reliability of data at all times

  • To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings

  • To write reports for submission to research sponsors

  • To present findings to colleagues and at conferences

  • To submit publications to refereed journals

  • To provide guidance to staff and students

  • To attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary

  • To promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College

  • To provide guidance to PhD Students

  • Contribute to bids for research grants

  • To conduct and plan own scientific work with appropriate supervision.

  • To maintain highly organised and accurate record of experimental work

  • To actively participate in the research programme of the Group

  • To participate in Group research meetings and internal seminars

  • To collaborate with other allied scientists within Imperial College and elsewhere in London and abroad, as appropriate


Essential requirements

  • Research Associate: Hold a PhD in Immunology or a closely related discipline, or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience

  • Research Assistant: Near completion of a PhD (or equivalent) in Immunology or medical statistics or a closely related discipline

  • Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals

  • Practical experience in a broad range of techniques including immunology (flow cytometry, ELISA)

  • Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant and refereed journals


Further information

This is a Full Time and Fixed Term post for 9 months based at the St. Mary’s Campus.

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £36,694 - £39,888 per annum.

Please contact Dr John Tregoning at [email protected] for more information.

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA),which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research



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