Research Assistant/Associate (molecular and structural biology)

Salary:

Research Assistant: £32,546 to £34,132 per annum

Research Associate: £35,116 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: 12 March 2025

The Role

Your role will be to study molecular mechanisms of transcription and its interactions with other cellular machineries using biochemical and structural techniques.

The project will answer fundamental questions about the functions of RNA polymerases and their interactions with other essential cellular processes. The successful applicants will have expertise in cryoEM pipeline, from sample preparation to the data collection and processing, and to molecular modelling. 

This full time post is fixed term until 31/08/2026.

For informal enquiries contact: Prof Nikolay Zenkin n.zenkin@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 colleagues, 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 medical clearance before you can commence in the role

Key Accountabilities

• Provide guidance, where necessary, to other staff and students, including possible supervision of PhD, Master and undergraduate project students as agreed with supervisor
• Contribute to running of the laboratory as agreed with supervisor
• Write up research findings for publication and dissemination
• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value' 
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements 
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding 
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants 
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
   

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience in protein purification and structural analysis using CryoEM (grids preparation, data collection and analysis, molecular modelling)
• Detailed subject knowledge in molecular and structural biology 
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects 
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability 
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others 
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment 
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications 
• Publications in high quality refereed Journals (and/or evidence of manuscripts in preparation or under review)
• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
   

Attributes and Behaviour

• Has good time management skills to enable timely completion of tasks
• Has a positive attitude and strives to improve ways of working
• Works collaboratively with other team and Institute members, respecting the expertise and knowledge of others
   

Qualifications

• A PhD (or close to finishing a PhD) ideally in structural biology.  Those nearing completion of a PhD will be offered the role as Research Assistant and those with a PhD will be offered the role as Research Associate

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: 27936