Application closing date 10/05/2021
Salary £33,797 - £34,804 per annum
Job category/type Research

Job description

We are recruiting for a Research Fellow who will be a highly productive, ambitious and collaborative member of the Infection Biology research team led by Prof Jose Bengoechea located at the Wellcome-Wolfson institute for Experimental Medicine. The position will involve working as part of a BBSRC-funded research programme that seeks to characterise the antimicrobial function of the type VI secretion system (T6SS) of the human pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. The project focuses on characterizing the antibacterial and antifungi function of the T6SS effectors, dissecting the assemblies needed for the delivery of these effectors, and on uncovering how the T6SS is coordinated with other envelope structures, chiefly the lipopolysaccharide. The project will utilise single cell approaches, and functional genomics (TraDIS), and it is based in a highly collaborative international team.

The post is a senior role in the team and as such, successful applicants will have responsibilities in independent research, supervision, planning, day-to-day lab management, collaborations and outreach. The successful candidate will also be supported by the Faculty Postdoctoral Development Centre as part of a wider Queen’s offering which provides outstanding support to researchers. 

The successful candidate must have:

• Have a PhD in Molecular Microbiology, or a closely related area.
• At least 3 years recent research experience in molecular microbiology.
• Recent extensive hands-on experience in at least two of the following:
   1. Molecular bacteriology (specifically construction of mutants)
   2. Assessing bacterial gene transcription
   3. Transposon mutagenesis
   4. Bacterial protein purification
   5. Bacteria two-hybrid system

This post is available for 48 months or until 31 July 2025 (whichever is sooner).

The School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences is part of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences.  The School has the perfect balance of world-class teaching resources and internationally recognised research infrastructure and comprises of three education and three research centres. 

The Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM) is one of the research centres in the School.  WWIEM is committed to research excellence in experimental medicine by making scientific breakthroughs in the mechanisms of disease, which we translate to innovative therapeutics to improve patient outcomes.  The Institute is an international hub of excellence on eye disease, infectious diseases and respiratory disease with a core emphasis on immunology, molecular cell biology and patient-based investigations, and is currently undertaking an expansion of its research portfolio on cardiovascular disease.

Queen’s University Belfast is a driver of innovation and talent based on excellence. Throughout the University, our academics collaborate across disciplines and with outside agencies and institutions on projects of world significance. We are connected and networked with strategic partnerships across the world, helping us to expand our impact on wider society locally, nationally and globally. The University is committed to attracting, retaining and developing the best global talent within an environment that enables them to realise their full potential.

We are a leader in gender equality and diversity, and are one of the UK’s most successful universities in the Athena SWAN initiative which promotes gender equality and career progression. The University holds an Athena SWAN Silver award and the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Gold award in recognition of our commitment and success in addressing gender equality, representation, progression and success for all our staff.

We are ranked 1st in the UK for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (Innovate UK), 9th in the UK for University facilities (Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018) and 14th in the UK for research quality (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019).

Based in Belfast, a modern capital city, our beautiful campus is surrounded by abundant acres of parkland and is renowned as one of the safest and most affordable cities in the UK. There is an excellent range of local Schools from pre-nursery upwards and we are immensely proud of what our city and our University will offer you.

For full job details and essential/desirable criteria please refer to the candidate information link on our website by clicking apply.  You must clearly demonstrate how you meet the criteria when you submit your application. For further information or assistance contact Resourcing Team via email on resourcing@qub.ac.uk.

Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

The University is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from all. However, our employment monitoring data tells us that individuals from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, people with a disability and those who identify as LGBT+ are currently under-represented at the University. As such, we particularly welcome applications from these individuals.

As you may be aware, Queen’s is recognised as one of the most diverse organisations in Northern Ireland. We are committed to ensuring our workplace is a safe, welcoming and inclusive place to work, which is why we subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, Diversity Charter Mark NI and Athena SWAN.

It is also why we have established award winning Staff Networks such as PRISM and iRise. These networks provide an opportunity for staff to meet in a friendly, informal way to support each other.  More details on all our networks can be found at  https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/StaffGateway/StaffNetworks/.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Joana Sa Pessoa Graca Santos via email to j.sapessoa@qub.ac.uk.

Candidate Information
About the School
About the Centre
About the Group Leader
Information for International Applicants