Clinical Research Associate (Fellow) in Skin and/or Oral Disease

Salary: £41,634 to £64,288 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 05 January 2025

The Role 

We seek an enthusiastic and ambitious Clinical Research Associate in Skin and/or Oral Disease, in the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), based in the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

You will have the exciting opportunity to develop a translational project based around one of three themes: a) skin and oral disease and long-term morbidity, b) Human Cell Atlas to clinic: single cell multi-omics to map lifecourse or c) precision medicine and clinical translation. 

The project will include identifying one or more clinically and biologically relevant questions pertaining to a cohort of skin/oral disease patients from existing clinics or databases, developing a specific and tractable hypothesis that addresses the questions identified and determining the information required to test your hypothesis.  You will collect relevant clinical data and samples from the patient cohort and work with data analysts and laboratory staff to perform relevant analyses on the clinical samples.

You should have a Medical degree, GMC registration and license to practice in the UK and have completed core medical training. Knowledge of immune-mediated skin/oral diseases and core clinical skills, including phlebotomy, are essential and you will have experience of skin/oral biopsies and the collection of biological samples for research.  You will be able to demonstrate analytical and problem-solving capability and the ability to communicate complex information with clarity, both verbally and in writing. 

To apply for the position, we’ll need your CV and a cover letter outlining how you are suitable for the role using evidence to highlight how you meet the essential criteria in the knowledge, skills and experience as listed in the job description.

The post is for a fixed term of 12 months. 

Informal enquiries to Professor Nick Reynolds (nick.reynolds@ncl.ac.uk) or Professor Muzlifah Haniffa (m.a.haniffa@ncl.ac.uk).

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research staff, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Please note that if you are successful to this role, you will require a honorary contract and a medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities 

The specific responsibilities of the position will be formalised following discussions between the successful candidate and dermatology/oral medicine principal investigators (PIs/supervisors) within the BRC.  The candidate, with appropriate support, will develop a translational project based around one of three themes: a) skin and oral disease and long-term morbidity , b) human Cell Atlas to clinic: single cell multi-omics to map lifecourse or c) precision medicine and clinical translation.  This is likely to involve:

•    Developing and documenting a cohort of skin/oral disease patients from existing clinics or databases
•    Identify one or more clinically and biologically relevant questions pertaining to the cohort
•    Develop a specific and tractable hypothesis that addresses the questions identified. Determine the information required to test your hypothesis
•    Collect relevant clinical data and samples from the patient cohort. Training will be provided. In some cases, serial biopsies and biological samples will be collected at intervals
•    Interact with other members of the research team, in particular clinicians, research nurses, technicians, post-doctoral scientists and computational analysts. Ensure that, once collected, clinical samples are processed and analysed or stored appropriately, according to Standard Operating Procedures, to maximise the biological questions that can be addressed
•    Work with data analysts and laboratory staff to perform relevant analyses, such as molecular/cellular and single cell genomics techniques, on the clinical samples. 
•    Interact with your supervisors, biostatisticians, bioinformaticians or computational analysts to discuss the experimental data and clinical metadata to devise appropriate plans for analysis
•    With the support from the supervising research team, analyse your data and prepare them for publication in relevant, high impact factor journals
•    Provide guidance to other staff and students, potentially including supervision of undergraduate research project students
•    Interact with other relevant individuals. This may include interactions with members of the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in Ageing and Long-Term conditions, Population and Health Sciences, and members of national collaborative studies including, for example, the Human Cell Atlas initiative, BADBIR, PSORT, A-Star
•    Attend and present your work at laboratory team, BRC, and national/international meetings
•    Be prepared to contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    Knowledge of immune-mediated skin and oral diseases
•    Core clinical skills, including phlebotomy
•    Analytical and problem-solving capability
•    Ability to communicate complex information with clarity, both verbally and in writing
•    Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
•    Experience of skin biopsies and collection of biological samples for research
•    Oral presentations at internal and/or external medical or scientific meetings

Desirable
•    Experience of medical statistics or bioinformatics
•    Previous laboratory experience
•    Basic coding skills
•    A publication track record
•    Experience of communicating scientific concepts to the public

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Evidence of an interest in medical research
•    Commitment to a career in dermatology / oral medicine 
•    Capacity for original thought
•    Willingness to take on additional responsibilities, e.g. the day-to-day supervision of undergraduate project students
•    Ambitious with a demonstrable drive to succeed and to produce work of the highest quality

Desirable
•    The ability to contribute to broader organisational and management processes and to provide leadership, co-ordinating the work of other staff

Qualifications

•    Medical degree
•    GMC registration and license to practice in the UK
•    Core medical training

Desirable
•    National Training Number in Dermatology / dentistry 
•    Previous research degree (MRes, BSc etc) or involvement in research publications
 

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27829