Research Assistant/Research Associate

Salary: 

Research Assistant: £31,396 to £32,982 per annum

Research Associate: £33,966 to £44,263 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: 22 October 2023

The Role

We are looking for an experienced researcher to work on the following project: “New therapies for patients with muscular dystrophies”. In this study we are going to characterise the biological and molecular features of fibro-adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) obtained from patients with muscular dystrophies and develop new drugs that could regulate their function. We are going to test a battery of drugs with antifibrotic potential in cells derived from human skeletal muscles and in murine model of muscular dystrophy. Moreover, we are going to use cut-off technology to characterise the function of FAPs in the process of muscle degeneration including single cell RNA sequencing and 3D cell modelling. 

The post will be based at the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre (JWMDRC) at Newcastle University. 

This post is tenable for 16 months. 

Informal enquires to Prof. Jordi Diaz Manera (Jordi.Diaz-Manera@newcastle.ac.uk)

For further information please see www.newcastle-muscle.org 

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.

Key Accountabilities
•    Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, you should contribute with new ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial ‘added value’
•    Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
•    Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
•    Contribute to the writing up of the research and its 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
•    Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop your own research objectives and proposals for funding
•    Involvement in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants
•    Start to develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment
•    Write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
•    May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
•    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

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 
•    Detailed subject knowledge in the physiologic basis of muscle diseases
•    Experience of working with human tissue
•    Experience in cell culture, especially muscle cells such as myoblasts
•    Experience in analysis of protein expression in muscle samples using immunofluorescence or western-blot
•    Experience in working with animals, especially mice
•    Knowledge of Real-Time PCR workflow: RNA extraction, RT and RNA quantification using both SYBR and Taqman

Desirable
•    Previous experience with transcriptomics studies
•    Experience with flow cytometry and with the preparation of samples for sorting
•    Experience with R or python software

Attributes and Behaviour

•    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 
•    Good time management and ability to prioritise to meet deadlines

Qualifications

•    A PhD or the equivalent in professional qualifications and experience in the research area would be considered but it is not mandatory
 

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.

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

Requisition ID: 26075