UE07 (£39,347 - £46,974)
College of Science and Engineering
School of Biological Sciences
Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Full time contract (35 hours per week), (28 hours per week is also an option)
Fixed Term (proposed start date: 1 July 24, end date no later than 31 August 26)
We are looking for a postdoctoral research associate to join our team to work in the exciting field of ecoimmunology. This post forms part of a BBSRC-funded project titled “Disease susceptibility and gut health in the wild: Determining interactions between diet, gut microbiome, and immunity”. Whilst the project spans immunology, ecology, microbiology and parasitology, we are particularly interested in applicants bringing experience and background in microbiome analysis to join our multi-disciplinary team. This project experimentally tests whether diet supplementation directly, or indirectly, impacts helminth infection through changes in the immune response and/or in the gut microbiota. The team combines interventional experiments in wild mouse populations alongside controlled laboratory mouse studies, to determine what drives diet-mediated improvements in helminth resistance and reductions in host harm. The scope of the post is to conduct laboratory research, contributing to the development of new ideas, approaches, concepts or techniques. The post holder will also contribute to data analysis, publications and other types of research dissemination such as conference talks.
The Opportunity:
The successful candidate will work as part of a large, interdisciplinary research team, specifically focused on using field interventions in a wild house mouse system – the same species as laboratory mice - to better understand how diet, the microbiome and the immune system interact to shape susceptibility do parasitic disease. The post holder will be leading the microbiome analysis, parasitological analysis, gut pathology analysis and several faecal biomarker analyses, as well as organising, coordinating and conducting fieldwork as part of a team and managing the day-to-day lab tasks. The post holder will receive relevant training and guidance by the PI/Co-I and wider team members to develop their technical and broader scientific skills as well as support with career development.
This post will be undertaken in the lab of Amy Pedersen (https://pedersen.bio.ed.ac.uk) in conjunction with Iris Mair (https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/dr-iris-mair) in the Institute of Evolution and Ecology at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh. The post holder will be based at the Kings Buildings, University of Edinburgh, but the wider project is interdisciplinary, being also supported by Prof. Kathryn Else (University of Manchester).
This post is advertised as full-time, but we are open to candidates with other preferences. The start date is advertised as 1st July 2024, but can be flexible. Please get in touch if you are interested and would require a later start date.
Your skills and attributes for success:
- PhD (or to be completed within 3 months) in Microbiology, Immunology, Infectious Disease, Parasitology, or Ecology & Evolution
- Experience in obtaining and analysing gut microbiome samples and data
- Animal handling experience
- Willingness to perform 2x 6-week long remote fieldwork each year involving small rodent live trapping, animal handling, and terminal dissection
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of an active research team
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As a valued member of our team you can expect:
- A competitive salary of UE07 (£39,347 - £46,974)
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, a defined benefits pension scheme, staff discounts, family-friendly initiatives, and flexible work options. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab)
The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 21 May 2024.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
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