About the role

The NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Environment Theme and the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology are looking to appoint a Research Associate to investigate the importance of air pollution in promoting microbial-human interaction.

Our interdisciplinary research shows that air-borne particulate pollutants impact directly on bacteria to potentiate infection, irrespective of the effect of pollutants on the host. However, understanding of how air pollutants alter microbial interaction with the human respiratory tract is severely lacking.

The aim of this project is to increase understanding of the biological mechanisms involved in the relationship between air pollution, bacterial pathogens and respiratory tract health. This is an interdisciplinary post that involves close collaboration with microbiologists, environmental scientists and respiratory clinicians.

The NIHR Leicester BRC is a partnership between the University of Leicester, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group. It has been funded £26.1 million from December 2022 to November 2027 to carry out pioneering research into medical advancements into illnesses linked to respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and the consequences of inactivity will continue to push boundaries of knowledge in clinical medicine. Three new speciality areas have joined the NIHR Leicester BRC for the first time: Personalised cancer prevention and treatment, Environment – looking at how the environment impacts on long term health conditions - and Using data to better understand multiple long term health conditions and factors specific to the health of ethnic minority populations. In addition, the respiratory speciality is joined by experts in infectious diseases.

Our overall purpose is to translate scientific breakthroughs in these areas into diagnostic tests, preventions and life-saving treatments for our patients. We do this by creating a collaborative workspace that allows scientists and clinicians to share their findings and deliver research that is relevant to both patients and the professionals who treat them.

About you

You will have a PhD in Microbiology Genetics (awarded or close to completion). You will have extensive bacterial- human tissue culture expertise focussing on the bacterial response and specialist knowledge of bacterial physiology specifically adaptative responses to environmental pollutants. You will have extensive experience of transcriptomics and next generation data analysis including functional analysis.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have a proven ability of training and supervision of new members of the lab, including undergraduate and PhD students as well as evidence of research productivity especially oral conference presentations.

Additional information

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Professor Julie Morrissey at [email protected]

As part of the University’s ongoing commitment to professional development, this role will also be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Please ensure this is discussed with your line manager prior to applying. More information regarding secondments can be found here

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.

As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive.

We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

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Research Associate

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