Research Assistant/Post-Doctoral Research Associate (86657)

Salary: Dependent on experience and qualifications

Research Assistant £32,332 - £37,099 per annum

Post-Doctoral Research Associate £38,205 - £44,263 per annum

Full-time, Fixed-term appointment until March 2026

Based in Liverpool

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is a globally recognised centre of excellence, specialising in research that impacts global health. Recently named Business of the Year by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and celebrating our 125th anniversary this year, there has never been a more exciting time to join our organisation.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant or Post-Doctoral Research Associate to join the group of Dr Thomas Edwards within the Tropical Disease Biology Department, on an Academy of Medical Sciences funded project investigating the mechanisms behind an emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotype in Escherichia coli.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative research team (also including Fabrice Graf, LSTM, Dept Clinical Sciences; Eva Heinz, University of Strathclyde; Liverpool Clinical Laboratories, NHS) investigating the key factors that influence transposon mediated beta-lactamase gene amplification, which has been identified as a key driver of resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitor combination therapies. The successful candidate will use a mixture of microbiological assays, cloning, qPCR, and whole genome sequencing in order to determine to what extent the organism sequence type, transposon type, or AMR gene impact the likelihood and extent of gene amplification whilst under selective pressure. This position includes a conference/training budget for the post holder.

Key publications from the group on this topic can be found here;

• Fraser, A., Ball, R., Cantillon, D., Brettell, L., Graf, F., Lewis, J., van Aartsen, J., Parry, C. Heinz, E. Edwards, T. (2024). A high-resolution genomic and phenotypic analysis of resistance evolution of an Escherichia coli strain from a critical care patient treated with piperacillin/tazobactam. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.15.24301199
• Edwards, T. Heinz, E., van Aartsen, J., Howard, A., Roberts, P., Corless, C., Fraser, A., Williams, C.T., Bulgasim, I., Cuevas, L.E., Parry, C.M., Roberts, A.P., Adams, E.R., Mason, J., Hubbard, A. (2022). Piperacillin/tazobactam resistant, cephalosporin susceptible Escherichia coli bloodstream infections driven by multiple resistance mechanisms across diverse sequence types. Microbial Genomics. 8:4
• Hubbard, A., Mason, J., Roberts, P., Parry, C., Corless, C., van Aartsen, J., Howard, A., Fraser, A., Adams, E., Roberts, A., Edwards, T. (2020). Within-patient evolution to piperacillin/tazobactam resistance in a clinical isolate of Escherichia coli due to IS26-mediated amplification of blaTEM-1B. Nature Communications. 11:4915

Key responsibilities include:

• Generate full length transposons carrying AMR genes from clinical isolates of E. coli, using a Gibson Assembly approach
• Cloning transposons into competent lab strains of E. coli and clinical isolates
• Conducting broth microdilution MIC assays, and fitness assays
• Using qPCR to determine relative gene copy numbers
• Nanopore sequencing of selected isolates

General responsibilities

• Liaising, working collaboratively with, and providing support to other members of the team and collaborators
• Leading on the data analysis, design, execution, and write-up of research projects for publication
• Developing appropriate Risk Assessments, SOPs and protocols to local and legal requirements
• Recording all experimental data generated promptly and accurately, in accordance with relevant standard operating procedures, policies, guidelines protocols and best practice

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• MSc in a relevant subject

• PhD in a relevant subject (PDRA role)
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations and legal requirements for safe laboratory working
• Experience of microbiological techniques
• Experience in DNA cloning
• relevant experience of qPCR, sequencing library preparation, DNA extraction
• Knowledge of bacterial AMR mechanisms
• Experience on leading manuscript drafting for publication (PDRA)

(For a full list of essential and desirable criteria please refer to the job description and person specification)

In return we offer:

• 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, and additional Christmas closure days
• Generous occupational pension schemes
• Government backed “cycle to work” scheme
• Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
• Plus, a host of additional family friendly policies

Informal enquiries can be made to: thomas.edwards@lstmed.ac.uk

Closing Date: 18th August 2024

Application Process: To apply for the position please click on the apply link and upload your CV and covering letter.

Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we may close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for the role.

Inclusion is central to our values at LSTM

We seek to attract and recruit people who reflect the diversity across our communities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, faith or belief, social background, age and disability. LSTM selects candidates based on skills, qualifications, and experience.

We welcome conversations about flexible working; and applications from those returning to employment after a break from their careers.

About LSTM

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities, LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report:

https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/annual-reports-and-financial-statements

LSTM actively promotes Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Policies