Senior Research Associate in Microbiology and Synthetic Biology

Starting salary from £36,333 per annum, dependent on skills and experience, with an annual increment up to £43,155 per annum 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Research Associate to join the School of Biological Sciences as part of the £12 million BBSRC funded Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre, which brings together scientists and engineers from 10 leading UK institutions, alongside industrial collaborators, in a mission to enhance and develop the natural abilities of micro-organisms to cleaning up our planet. You will have the opportunity to develop a skillset in the growing field on engineering biology.

As a Senior Research Associate you will develop synthetic biology tools and transformation techniques for a wide range of bacteria of environmental importance and engineer strains for compound production and bioremediation. You will also develop strains to probe the function of unknown genes and biochemical pathways of environmental importance and with engineers and industrial collaborators, test application of these strains in larger scale bioreactors and environmentally relevant locations. You will analyse and interpret data, write up results and present information on research progress and outcomes. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to grant applications and will be involved in the supervision of researchers and teaching of students within the School.

You will hold or expect to be awarded within 3 months of appointment, a PhD in a relevant research area. Specifically, we are looking for applicants with strong expertise in plasmid and bacterial mutant generation, although skills in enzyme characterisation and compound quantification using techniques such as GC-MS would be an advantage. You will also have experience of independent research, have publications in respected journals or equivalent within the field and be able to work in a proactive and results driven manner in a high paced environment. You will also have strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to analyse and interpret data and work effectively as part of a team. Advanced skills directly relating to this research area and experience teaching small classes and/or overseeing practices would be advantageous. 

This full-time post is available from 1 July 2024 on a fixed term basis for four years.

Further information on our great benefits package, including 44 days annual leave inclusive of Bank Holidays and additional University Customary days can be found on our benefits page.

Closing date: 5 May 2024

The University holds an Athena Swan Silver Institutional Award in recognition of our advancement towards gender equality.