Job description

Job summary

The Department of Life Sciences was the top ranked university department in the UK for research intensity in Biological Sciences in REF2014 (Times Higher Education), scoring 100% on our environment.

We are looking to appoint a Research Assistant to join the Dionne laboratory within the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London’s South Kensington Campus. The Dionne laboratory works on the innate immune response to bacterial infection, with a particular focus on mechanisms of interaction between immune signals and the physiology of the host and on understanding how infection-induced physiological change contributes to pathology and immune function. We focus on Drosophila melanogaster as a model host, allowing us to use the unparalleled genetic and genomic tools available in the fruit fly to unravel the complex interaction between host and microbe in an unbiased fashion. This project is a continuation of work we have recently done exploring the genetic basis of mycobacterial pathogenesis.

Duties and responsibilities

• Acquire, analyse, and interpret research data and results


• To help train students and others associated with the lab in general scientific approaches and specific experimental techniques


• Contribute to the development of experimental techniques, models, and methods


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


• To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings


• To prepare material for presentation in oral and poster formats


• To present findings to colleagues internally and at conferences


• To assist in the drafting of publications for submission to refereed journals

Essential requirements

You will have a strong interest in the innate antibacterial immune response and its interaction with host and microbial physiology.

You must hold a Masters degree (or equivalent) in biological sciences or related disciplines.

You must have experience in the following areas:

• Mycobacterial genetics
• Drosophila genetics
• Drosophila infection/immunity
• Bacterial genomics
• Host and pathogen physiological analysis
• and/or advanced molecular biology

It is essential that you have:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication
• The ability to develop and apply new concepts
• A creative approach to problem-solving
• The ability to prioritise and organise your own work with minimal supervision in response to deadlines.

Further information

This is a full time, fixed term position for 6 months. The post will be based at the South Kensington Campus.

Informal enquiries can be made directly to Professor Marc Dionne, Professor of Innate Immunity in the Department of Life Sciences at m.dionne@imperial.ac.uk.

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 which are ultimately aimed towards finding new treatments and making scientific and medical advances, and where there are no satisfactory or reasonably practical alternatives to their use. 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. Find out more about animal research at Imperial.

Documents

• Job Description Research Assistant.pdf