Research Fellow - School of Chemistry - 99594

Position Details

School of Chemistry, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £31,406 to £40,927. With potential progression once in post to £43,434 a year.  As this vacancy has limited funding the maximum salary that can be offered is £37,467.

Grade 7

Full Time / Fixed Term contract up to 30 September 2022

Closing date: 19 May 2022

Background

The post is for a postdoctoral fellow, working with Prof Jim Tucker (School of Chemistry) and collaborators in the School of Bioscience and the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, developing a new nucleic acid-based assay for targets of importance to healthcare.

Role Summary

The fellow will work in the laboratory of Prof Jim Tucker (School of Chemistry) and collaborators in the School of Bioscience (Prof Tim Dafforn) and the Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences (Prof Andrew Beggs). The task will be to develop protocols concerning a new RNA assay called RTF-EXPAR (Reverse Transcription-Free Exponential Amplification Reaction). The work stems from work published in 2021 in PNAS on the detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, see: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2100347118

The fellow will:
•    Devise and optimise protocols for RTF-EXPAR as part of collaborative team
•    Analyse and interpret research findings and results 
•    Prepare reports for the organisation funding the research program
•    Contribute to generating research that can facilitate access to further funding opportunities 
•    Contribute to generating research that can facilitate further IP and commercial deals

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.
•    Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
•    Contribute to writing bids for research funding
•    Analyse and interpret data
•    Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
•    Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
•    Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
•    Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods 
•    Undertake management/administration arising from research
•    Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
•    Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
•    Write reports for submission to the research funder
•    Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews *
•    Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
•    Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
•    Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
•    Promote equality and diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.

Person Specification

•    A PhD (either awarded or thesis recently submitted) in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related biological or medical discipline
•    Experience of working in the field of nucleic acids and/or in amplification techniques (e.g. PCR) 
•    Excellent communication and data handling skills and the ability to organise and manage workloads
•    The ability to work autonomously but function as part of a collaborative team. 
•    High level analytical capability
•    Ability to communicate complex information clearly
•    Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
•    Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively 
•    Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
•    Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
•    Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
•    Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquires to Professor James Tucker, email: [email protected]

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment

We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working.