Job description

Job summary

This is an excellent opportunity for seven highly-motivated Research Assistants to contribute to ground-breaking research with the potential to transform malaria control strategies and improve the health of communities in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. Transmission Zero (https://www.transmissionzero.org/) is an international research programme with the mission to pioneer innovative genetic vector control tools for combatting malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa.

We are seeking seven skilled individuals to join our team as Research Assistants. Successful candidates will play a crucial role in the discovery, development, and validation of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene drive systems aimed at modifying vector populations. These modifications are strategically designed to introduce transgenes that inhibit malaria transmission in wild Anopheles mosquito populations across Africa, aligning with global efforts to eliminate malaria.

Transmission Zero involves international partners and during its seven years of operation, the programme has already achieved several important milestones, including the creation of Africa's first genetically modified mosquito for vector population modification using gene drives. Over the next three years, our primary objectives include expanding our portfolio of gene drives and antimalarial effectors, refining existing tools, and progressing toward gene drive field trials.

The available posts encompass a range of exciting research objectives, which can be pursued individually or in combination. Please see Job Description to view the full range of objectives and the desirable expertise and experience we are looking for in candidates.

Duties and responsibilities

You will be responsible for designing and performing experiments to generate high-quality, publication-worthy data, contributing to the advancement of the scientific programme and timely achievement of its various milestones and deliverables.

You will actively participate in and organise various research support activities, including laboratory-related responsibilities and schedules.

You will attend relevant workshops and conferences to stay updated on advancements in the field, and create materials for oral and poster presentations, effectively communicating research outcomes.

Essential requirements

You should hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in biological sciences or related disciplines and have experience with statistical procedures. You should be able to develop and apply new concepts, techniques and methods, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills and write clearly and succinctly for publication.

Further information

The post is available full-time until 31st December 2026. The successful applicant will be based at the South Kensington campus of Imperial College London.

Should you require any further details on the role please contact: Dr Nikolai Windbichler, n.windbichler@imperial.ac.uk or Professor George Christophides, g.christophides@imperial.ac.uk Dr Dina Vlachou, d.vlachou@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 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/

Documents

• Job Description - NAT01575.pdf