Vacancies

Clinical Research Fellow
Medical Research Council, North West Hub for Trials Methodology Research
Closing date for applications: 20 August 2010

Are you interested in clinical trials and outcome assessment in epilepsy, neurological infections, cystic fibrosis, paediatric rheumatology, head and neck cancer, sleep problems, alcoholism, AEs/ADRs or sepsis?
As part of the MRC North West Hub for Trials Methodology Research, the COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials, www.liv.ac.uk/nwhtmr/comet/comet.htm) initiative brings together individuals and organisations interested in developing, applying and promoting core outcome sets.
You will develop a core outcome set in one of the clinical areas above. You should be medically qualified and pursuing speciality training in a medical discipline. This post is funded for 3 years.

£30,685-£40,745. Click here for more information.

Clinical Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases/Immunology (50%)
Experimental Medicine Division, Nuffield Dept of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Closing date for applications: 20 August 2010

Applications are invited from clinically qualified candidates, with MRCP, to undertake a clinical trial of new investigational vaccines against HIV-1 as part of the University's programme on vaccine design and development. The trial will assess the safety and immunogenicity of three promising candidate vaccines in combination.

You will play an active role in the advertising, screening, recruitment, vaccinations and follow up in a clinical trial of candidate HIV-1 vaccines in Oxford. You will have GMC registration, at least the equivalent of several years experience in clinical medicine and will be responsible for administrative work involved in the trials including design case report forms, advertising, screening and vaccination of volunteers according to the protocol. data management and analysis, presenting results as a verbal presentation or written report, maintaining complete, accurate, organised study files, and liaising with ethical and regulatory bodies.

£30,992 - £49,670 pro rata. Click here for more information.

Laboratory Manager/Research Assistant Structural Cell Biology of Virus Infection
University of Oxford - Wellcome Trust Centre For Human Genetics, Oxford Particle Imaging Centre
Closing date for applications: 20 August 2010

The position of laboratory manager will combine both management and scientific roles. As laboratory manager, the postholder will be responsible for the day-to-day running of all the wetlab aspects of the group works including maintenance of non-electron microscopy related equipment and liaising with both suppliers and the facilities team. The postholder will also contribute scientifically to the Research and Development projects in the group and in particular to the evaluation and implementation of new investigation systems.

£25,751 - £30,747. Click here for more information.

Quality Assurance Manager
Clinical Trials Research Centre University of Liverpool - Centre for Medical Statistics and Health Evaluation
Closing date for applications: 22 August 2010

The UKCRC registered Clinical Trials Research Centre (CTRC) is seeking an enthusiastic individual to maintain and develop CTRC quality systems to ensure clinical trial activity in areas encompassing medicines for children, cancer, epilepsy, pharmacogenetics, infection and obstetrics and gynaecology is undertaken in compliance with research governance, ethical and regulatory frameworks.

£30,747 - £35,646. Click here for more information.

Postdoctoral Fellow in Food Borne & Zoonotic Diseases
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College
Closing date for applications: 23 August 2010

The new Centre will appoint five Postdoctoral Fellows, one of whom will be based at the Royal Veterinary College and will be expected to contribute to inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary research on food borne and zoonotic diseases. They will play a crucial role in the development of frameworks for the assessments of diseases and their control that take into account both the technical aspects of the disease and the subtleties of the institutional setting in which people operate and the disease circulates. The aim of these frameworks will be used to examine the upstream causes of disease emergence and re-emergence and to minimise the impact of disease presence on food supply and safety. The work will be achieved through co-ordination of PhD students research, independent research and working with the academics in LCIRAH and more widely in the RVC.

£30,324. Click here for more information.

Laboratory Co-ordinator
University College London - Division of Infection and Immunity, Centre for Clinical Microbiology
Closing date for applications: 24 August 2010

A position for a Laboratory Co-ordinator is available to work within the Division of Infection and Immunity at the Royal Free Campus. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of good laboratory practice in the laboratories participating in the ReMoxTB clinical trial and associated projects. The successful applicant will monitor and supervise all laboratory aspects of the ReMoxTB study and provide laboratory training and technical assistance for purchase of reagents and equipment and negotiation of quotations. The post holder will be located at the Hampstead Campus, but will be frequently required to travel for extended periods of time (2-3 months) to any of REMoxTB trial sites (Africa, Asia Pacific, South America, India) as duties require. The post is initially funded for one year. London Allowance will be paid when the postholder is working in London.

£31,778 - £38,441. Click here for more information.

PhD Studentship in Statistics and Modelling of Biological Systems
University of Surrey - Department of Mathematics and Division of Microbial Sciences
Closing date for applications: 27 August 2010

The Department of Mathematics and Division of Microbial Sciences at the University of Surrey invites applications from enthusiastic and well-qualified students for a PhD studentship in statistics and modelling of complex biological systems. The project will use Bayesian statistics and mathematical modeling to investigate the complexity of Biological Systems. A main research theme in the Division of Microbial Sciences is applying a Systems Biology approach to understanding the disease process and bacterial networks controlling antibiotic production. Another main focus is on molecular mechanisms of host/pathogen interactions (translational control, mechanisms of cell death, immune response to infection) and the biotechnological exploitation of our findings.

Stipend of approx £13,500 per year. Click here for more information.

PhD Studentship Disinfectant Resistance of Healthcare Acquired Pathogens and Links to Altered Virulence
Nottingham Trent University - The Graduate School - Science
Closing date for applications: 27 August 2010

To determine the mechanisms behind disinfectant resistance in clinical and environmental strains of Acinetobacter and other healthcare acquired infectious agents. These organisms are widely found in hospitals and their resistance to antibiotics make them a threat to the growing cohort of immunocompromised patients. Strains will be adapted to clinically relevant disinfectants and investigated for altered properties; i.e. antibiotic cross-resistance, surface structures (proteomics, fatty acid analysis), desiccation survival, surface-charge, and genotypic changes such as plasmid carriage and ability to perform horizontal gene transfer. In addition species specific virulence factors will be examined to include eukaryote cell invasion of tissues commonly associated with infection.

Stipend of approx £13,590 per year. Click here for more information.

Postdoctoral Research Position
Molecular Microbiology University of Exeter - Biosciences - College of Life & Environmental Sciences
Closing date for applications: 27 August 2010

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join a team, headed by Dr Alan Brown, investigating mechanisms of virulence and niche adaptation in the genus Burkholderia. This group of organisms encompasses major pathogens of plants, humans and animals. Our research primarily focuses on the Burkholderia cepacia complex, a group of highly versatile organisms that are important opportunistic pathogens of patients with cystic fibrosis.

£26,523 - £31,671. Click here for more information.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institute of Immunology and Infection Research University of Edinburgh - School of Biological Sciences
Closing date for applications: 27 August 2010

We are seeking a mathematical modeller or an applied statistician to develop and test novel dynamical mathematical models of malaria infections against high quality experimental data using Bayesian inferential statistics. The aim is to quantify the importance of disease determinants and provide a basis for the rational design of intervention strategies. Development of McMC methods and GPU code may also be undertaken. Applicants should have, or will shortly obtain, a PhD with significant mathematical or statistical content. Substantial experience of scientific programming is necessary.

£29,853 to £35,646. Click here for more information.

PhD studentship - Minimisation of urinary catheterisation in secondary care
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton
Closing date for applications: 27 August 2010

This project aims to investigate the extent and variation of non-essential catheterisations in secondary care in order to identify the specialist areas and patient groups in which to promote a strategy of catheter avoidance to reduce CA-UTIs. The project will have 3 components:
1. A detailed investigation of the indications for urinary catheterisation and catheterisation rates within 3 acute hospitals. This will involve the development of data collection tools to conduct a detailed mapping of the extent and variation of catheterisation in different specialist areas and patient groups
2. An exploration of the knowledge and decision-making processes of healthcare staff in relation to the rationales for urinary catheterisation.  This will involve interviews with healthcare staff and the development of a survey to a wider sample.
3. Use of a published economic model (Plowman et al, 2001) to estimate the impact of a strategy of catheter avoidance and minimisation on catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI) in acute care.  This will involve data collection to populate the model and identification of the specialist areas and patient groups to target in order to maximise the impact of the strategy. 

Annual stipend of £13,290. Click here for more information.

Clinical research fellow in viral meningitis
University Of Liverpool, School Of Clinical Sciences
Closing date for applications: 1 September 2010

This clinical fellowship is designed for a trainee in neurology, infectious diseases, or other appropriate specialty to lead a two year epidemiological and diagnostic study of viral meningitis in adults across the NHS North West Region. You will join the multi-disciplinary Liverpool Brain Infections Group, and work towards a higher degree. Liverpool has the UK’s only Neuroscience NHS Trust (The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery), and the University of Liverpool is a partner in Liverpool’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre in Microbial Diseases. The post is funded by the Meningitis Research Foundation for 2 years.

£30,992 - £35,596. Click here for more information.

PhD studentship: Genetic reassortment between human, and animal and human rotaviruses
HPA Centre for Infections, London NW9
Closing date for applications: 4 September 2010

The proposed research will study in detail the relationships between the viral proteins: Fitness of rotavirus reassortants is determined by the combination of gene segments packaged into the virion and are selected due to specific interactions between the proteins encoded by some of the genes or driven by requirements for efficient virus replication, intracellular viral protein transport and morphogenesis. The hypothesis will be tested through determining the level of diversity among the genes encoding VP1, VP2, VP3, NSP2 and NSP5 and whether the genes encoding these viral structural and non-structural proteins segregate independently during co-infections of a single cell through reassortment. The resulting information will aid the design of future rotavirus vaccines.

Click here for more information

Research Assistant
University of Cambridge - Department of Pathology
Closing date for applications: 8 September 2010

Applications are invited for a Research Assistant to join a research group within the Virology Division based at Addenbrooke's Hospital. The project, funded by the Medical Research Council, aims to define the function of gamma-herpesvirus kinases with a view to exploiting them as therapeutic targets. The emphasis is on relating biochemical protein function to viral pathogenesis. We will study Epstein-Barr virus and the Kaposi's Sarcoma-associated virus in cell culture and a related murid herpesvirus, MHV-68. This post would be suitable for a recent graduate interested in pursuing a career in biomedical research. Relevant training will be provided.

£23,566-£26,523. Click here for more information.

Postdoctoral Research Associate - Development of rapid multiplex Lab on a Chip system for detection of STI pathogens
University of Hull - Chemistry
Closing date for applications: 10 September 2010

This two year position is one of three fixed term posts funded by the Technology Strategy Board under its ‘Fighting Infection through Detection’ program. The overall aim of the project will be to produce an integrated multi-process, single shot, disposable microfluidic device or chip and supporting hardware/software for the rapid simultaneous identification of sexually transmitted infection (STI) pathogens at point of care (POC). The project, based in the Department of Chemistry which has an international leading reputation for its work in the field of Lab-on-a-Chip technology, will be run in close collaboration with colleagues from the Postgraduate Medical Institute at Hull and industrial collaborator Randox.

£25,001 - £29,853. Click here for more information.

Non-Clinical Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology
Microbiology Section, Imperial College London - Department of Medicine
Closing date for applications: 15 September 2010

The Microbiology Section wishes to appoint two Non-Clinical Lecturers to carry out research programmes into infection/immunity relating to bacterial pathogen(s). Applications are invited from suitably qualified individuals with research interests in any aspect of bacterial infection or host immunity; those studying cellular immune mechanisms and Gram-positive bacteria are particularly welcome to apply. You will be required to attract external research funding, supervise Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows and research assistants, and to submit publications to refereed journals. You will also undertake teaching. You will have a PhD and should be RAE returnable, with a strong research record in an appropriate aspect of prokaryotic biology or immunology.

£42,280 - £47,210. Click here for more information.