Research Fellow

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Santini Lab to develop enzyme-based metal biosensors as part of a broader UKRI-funded Engineering Biology Mission Hub grant “Environmental Processing and Recovery of Metals; from Contaminated Land to Industrial Biotechnology in a Circular Economy”.

The project will build on previous work done in the Santini lab on the development of enzyme-based arsenic sensors.

The main but not sole purpose of this post is to lead the experimental aspects of the project involved in developing new enzyme-based metal biosensors. This involves both wet lab experiments such as protein chemistry, protein expression/purification/characterisation and computational chemistry and structural biology predictions to engineer new enzymes for improved catalysis.

The day-to-day activities also involve assisting with teaching/supervising duties, facilitating discussions between members of the lab, setting up and maintaining collaborations and contributing to the written documentation of the work.

Appointment at Grade 7 is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Grade 6B Research Assistant (salary £37,332 - £39,980 per annum inclusive of London Allowance) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD Thesis.

We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible.

The role is for 2 years in the first instance with the possibility of a further 2-year extension.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

If you have any queries about the role or you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please see contact details on the UCL job advert.

Interviews will be held in week of 17th June

You are a highly skilled protein chemist with experience in expressing, purifying and characterising enzymes. You will also have additional experience working with redox enzymes and protein electrochemistry and ideally experience in computational chemistry and/or structural modelling.

You must have been awarded a PhD in Protein Chemistry (or equivalent) or be close to submission.

Experience in the following techniques are essential: 1) a proven track record of protein expression and purification, 2) extensive experience in protein characterisation using different techniques (e.g., kinetics assays, X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, EXAFS, EPR etc) 3) basic molecular biology skills such as cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, design of new genes for their synthesis. Expertise in computational chemistry and structural modelling are desirable.

You will be expected to produce independent and original contributions to the development of new enzyme/redox-based metal biosensors.

In addition to developing and conducting the research, you will engage with the wider Hub members, communicate results as scientific papers and in scientific presentations at Hub meetings and conferences (local, national, and international).

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits. Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

As London’s Global University, we are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/