Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in virology and cell biology? Do you want to further your career in one of the UKs leading research intensive Universities?

Our laboratory is part of a thriving research environment within the Faculty of Biological Sciences, which houses over 100 research groups, 15 of which study viruses. We use cell biology and biochemical techniques to answer important questions about how small DNA tumour viruses perform their infection cycles, and in doing so, we hope to understand how they cause disease and ultimately develop strategies to prevent growth and thus disease. Our group is an international authority in DNA tumour virology, we regularly publish in leading journals (e.g. PMID: 33627786; PMID: 35194151; PMID: 33303976) and present our work at national and international meetings. We are collegiate and collaborative, and believe in people-centric working.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Fellow to join a multidisciplinary team of basic science researchers and clinicians studying BK polyomavirus mediated disease in kidney transplant recipients. Funded by a Kidney Research UK award, the project focusses on understanding how BK virus infects cells and which host factors are necessary for this process. Recently, we showed for the first time that the host chloride channel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) promotes BK virus infection and that drugs targeting this channel have anti-BK virus properties (PMID: 32229236). The project will apply biochemical, cell biology and cutting-edge imaging methods to build a more complete understanding of the pathways containing CFTR required for BK virus infection. In addition, using classical virology techniques and molecular analyses you will identify and validate antiviral compounds targeting CFTR. 

For this role, you should have a PhD (or be close to completion) in virology or a closely allied discipline, and have a track record of high-quality publications in virology research. You should have practical experience in the culture and propagation of viruses (experience of polyomavirus culture is extremely desirable), the use of cellular, molecular and imaging techniques to study virus infection (experience in advanced imaging and image analysis is highly desirable) and experience of techniques to assess antiviral compound activity. You should be self-motivated, technically competent and capable of working independently in a laboratory. You should also have the ability to research complex issues and interpret, analyse, and present scientific data and write reports.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Andrew Macdonald, Professor of Tumour Virology and Head of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Email: [email protected]