Application closing date: 07/12/2020
Salary: £28,331 per annum
Job category/type: Research

We are recruiting for a Research Assistant who will join an interdisciplinary team seeking to use nanotechnology to develop novel, cost-effective, antimicrobial materials for use in personal protective equipment (PPE) or on surfaces. These materials must have demonstrable activity against viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Prof. Andrew Mills (School of Chemistry), Prof. Brendan Gilmore (School of Pharmacy) and Dr. Connor Bamford (Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences) lead the team funded by a UKRI/EPSRC COVID-19 Rapid Response grant. This position involves the production of stocks of viruses (including SARS-CoV-2) at Biological Safety Level 3; development of protocols to test the effectiveness of potential antiviral materials; and characterisation of resulting inactivated virus samples in molecular and virological assays. This position is suited to a highly ambitious, productive, and collaborative individual, comfortable with interdisciplinary working and looking to contribute to this current global crisis.  The Research Assistant will design, develop and refine experimental models testing the virucidal activity of surfaces.

This post is available until 28 February 2022.

The successful candidate must have:

• Degree in virology, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, or a relevant biomedical science.
• At least 1 year recent relevant research experience.
• Recent hands-on experience in:
  1. Routine cell culture using cell lines
  2. Molecular assays, to include: PCR, RT-qPCR, Western blotting

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 Centre 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.

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 1^st in the UK for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (Innovate UK), 9^th in the UK for University facilities (Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2018) and 14^th 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. Also protestants are currently under-represented in this category of work. 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 here.

Candidate Information

Informal enquiries may be directed to Prof Brendan Gilmore via email to b.gilmore@qub.ac.uk

About the School
About The Centre 
About The Group Leader Andrew Mills
About The Group Leader Brendan Gilmore
About The Group Leader Connor Bamford
Note to EEA Applicants on Brexit
Further Information for International Applicants