Research Assistant/Associate in Molecular Parasitology

Salary:

Research Assistant: £33,002 to £34,610 per annum

Research Associate: £35,608 to £46,049 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: 13 November 2025

The Role

We are recruiting a motivated and curiosity-driven Research Assistant/Associate to join an exciting new Medical Research Council-funded project concerning Trypanosoma brucei parasites.

The project is focused on uncovering the environmental triggers and molecular signalling mechanisms by which trypanosome parasites proliferate and pause proliferation, using multidisciplinary approaches. Trypanosomes are the cause of three Neglected Tropical Diseases (Sleeping Sickness, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease) in humans and are spread by insect vectors. In the research group, we culture African trypanosome parasites in vitro and use CRISPR/Cas9 technology to genetically modify the parasites, rapidly generating mutants and fluorescent parasite lines for study. We use methods including proteomics, microscopy, flow cytometry and single-cell transcriptomics.

Your project will be focused on assessing environmental and/or internal cellular signals that drive cell cycle start using Trypanosoma brucei culture and genetic manipulation, live fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. T. brucei is unusual in that it lacks many canonical mitogen receptors that, in other species, regulate cell cycle start.

To do this, you will use the state-of-the-art Bioimaging and Flow Cytometry units all housed within the institute. In addition to joining the multidisciplinary Biosciences Institute, you will also interact with the global community of parasitology researchers. This will include collaborations with researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the Institut Pasteur to perform in vivo studies aimed at identifying the host tissue environments where T. brucei actively proliferates and arrests in both murine models and tsetse flies.

In this role, you will learn modern molecular lab-based and bioinformatic techniques, gain experience of eukaryotic cell culture and genetic modification, as well as in vivo studies, and develop expertise in parasitology. In particular, you will develop live imaging methods to perform high-content fluorescent imaging of live parasites as they navigate the cell cycle, and the associated bioinformatic analysis pipelines.

For more information see, www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/people/profile/emmabriggs.html

This post is fixed term for a period of 3 years.  

For informal enquiries contact: emma.briggs@newcastle.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.

Key Accountabilities

• 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

• To develop and perform fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry assays with high research integrity, to test for extracellular and intracellular signals that may or may not impact the cell division of trypanosome parasites, and signalling components linking signal to cell division responses, taking initiative and contributing ideas
• Collaborative work with external partners to explore tissue niches where trypanosome parasites proliferate and/or arrest, linking findings to in vitro work
• To communicate findings and developments to colleagues and the wider research community, both nationally and internationally, and write associated research articles
• Contribute to the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development
• Contribute to the shared administrative and lab management tasks related to the activities of the research group, such as making stocks and record keeping

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge of  trypansoma molecular biology and cell cycle  in the area of research
• 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
• Experience of working with Trypanosoma or related species in a molecular laboratory environment, including culturing and contemporary genetic modification
• Experience in writing and publishing high quality research articles 
• Excellent computing skills,
• Experience of fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry and related data analysis
• Demonstratable technical and problem-solving capacity, and a capacity for original thought
• Experience of contemporary molecular biology techniques
• Experience of supervision and training of undergraduate and postgraduate students

Desirable

• Experience of in vivo rodent models of parasite infection
• Experinece of working with insects
• Excellent knownledge of cell cycle regulation

Attributes and Behaviour

• Highly organised, efficient, and able to perform tasks with accuracy and high research integrity
• Engaged and capable of working well in a team, while contributing to the positive and inclusive research environment (i.e. community-minded, respectful and kind to colleagues, able to contribute considerately to team discussion)
• Willing to support and train junior members of the research team with enthusiasm including undergraduate and graduate students
• Demonstrated original thought, contribution of ideas, problem-solving ability and willingness to lean new techniques
• Clear communicator and active listener

Desirable

• Interest in contributing to other activities such as event organisation

Qualifications

• Good honours degree (or equivalent) with some subject knowledge in the relevant area (Research Assistant)
• A PhD in the research area required (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 gold  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: 28742