Application closing date: 06/04/2020
Salary: £33,797 - £36,914 per annum.
Job category/type: Research

Job description

Help us fight COVID-19

Lead researcher, Professor Ultan Power at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast has been awarded a grant of GBP 295,626 by the UKRI/NIHR COVID-19 rapid response call to screen and validate FDA-approved drugs for potential to be re-purposed as therapeutics against COVID-19.

Professor Power and his team of postdoctoral researchers, PhD students and a technician will now direct their expertise to screen existing drugs for activity against COVID-19. We are now urgently recruiting for a Research Fellow with expertise in respiratory viruses, human airway epithelium cultures, respiratory virus/human airway interactions, and drug re-purposing to join Prof Power's research group as soon as possible.

Airway epithelial cells are the primary targets for SARS-CoV-2. We have developed novel well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell culture models of respiratory virus infection. These cultures will be exploited to validate antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities of the re-purposed FDA-approved drug combinations. This project, therefore, will play an important part in the rapid response and global fight against this new pandemic virus. The successful candidate will work in partnership with members of the Power group and plan and perform experiments, and be involved in the supervision and training of junior lab members.

The successful candidate must have: 

• PhD in virology, cell biology, innate immunity, or equivalent subject.
• At least 3 years' relevant research experience to include a wide range of laboratory techniques appropriate to study host/pathogen interactions, such as excellent cell culture capabilities, virology, biochemistry, and fluorescent microscopy.

It would be ideal if candidates have experience working with human coronaviruses, especially BSL3 viruses, like SARS-CoV, culturing primary airway epithelial cells, in particular well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures; virology, in particular respiratory viruses; innate immunity, in particular chemokine/cytokine responses to infection.

This contract is available for 12 months in the first instance with the possibility of an extension subject to funding.

The School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences is part of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences. The School is 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.

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 and the School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Silver award in recognition of our commitment and success in addressing gender equality, representation, progression and success for all our staff.

Queen's University Belfast has a long history in researching viruses, developing diagnostics and finding treatments and vaccines. This includes common respiratory viruses, such as RSV, rhinoviruses, measles virus, and mumps virus.

Professor Stuart Elborn, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences and lung infection expert said:

"Queen's University has a wealth of research expertise in a range of viral diseases, from understanding how viruses spread to how they affect our immune system as well as leading clinical trials and developing treatments and vaccines. We will harness this knowledge and apply our expertise and learning to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic."

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, Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN.  Telephone (028) 9097 3044 or email on resourcing@qub.ac.uk

Please note on this occasion the University is unable to provide sponsorship for visa applicants for this particular post, applicants must hold the right to work in the UK to be eligible.

The University is committed to equality of opportunity and to selection on merit.  We welcome applications from all sections of society and particularly from people with a disability.  

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.  

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Lindsay Broadbent via email to L.Broadbent@qub.ac.uk

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