Research Associate Fibrosis Research

Salary: £34,866  to £36,924 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: 27 January 2025

The Role

The purpose of research in the Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group (NFRG) is to understand the biological processes that lead to the progression of age-related chronic diseases to loss of organ function and/or cancer. By developing a deeper understanding of processes such as inflammation, cellular senescence, fibrosis and tumour development we aim to unlock new drug targets and biomarkers that provide solutions to diseases that are highly prevalent in populations. We also aim to be continually advancing technologies such that the discoveries we make provide a higher level of detail of biological information and from experimental disease models that have relevance to human disease.

You will join a Pfizer funded project within the Newcastle Fibrosis Research Group under the direct supervision of Dr Lee Borthwick with significant oversight from Prof Andrew Fisher.

You will be responsible for delivery of experimental work to advance the Pfizer- Newcastle Pathogenic Tissue Target Mapping collaboration that aims to use spatial transcriptomics and proteomics to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets in chronic lung diseases including Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Fibrosis (COPD).  The project will involve tissue cultures (ex-vivo slice cultures and primary cells) as well as histological, biochemical and molecular approaches.

You will be responsible for collection, processing, analysis, presentation (writing, graph production, image production and oral presentations at national/international conferences) and storage of experimental data in accurate, secure, detailed and up- to-date records of all work carried out to GLP standard.

This post is fixed term for a period of 12 month with a possibility to extend.

For informal enquiries contact: lee.borthwick@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 a Research Passport and a medical clearance before you can commence in the role

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
 

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

•    Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
•    Detailed subject knowledge 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 
•    An in depth understanding of cell and molecular biology with a particular focus on lung diseases such as IPF and COPD
•    Demonstrable previous skills in cell culture techniques 
•    Demonstrable previous skills in complex 3D cell models or tissue slices
•    Demonstrable previous skills in histology, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining.
•    RNA extraction from cells and tissue, real-time PCR
•    ELISA

Desirable
•    Evidence of publication 
•    Analytical skills including data analysis and presentation 

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Hard working
•    Comfortable working independently as well as in a team research environment
•    A passion for research
•    Flexible working
•    Strong publication record and desire to progress to fellowship applications (Desirable)
•    Supervisory experience, in particular with UG and/or PG research projects (Desirable)

Qualifications

•    A PhD and experience in the research area required

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: 27859