Research Fellow fungal host-pathogen interactions

Job Purpose

The post holder will join a newly established research team, working on fungal host-pathogen interactions. The applicant will work independently to investigate how the fungal pathogen Candida albicans adapts to its environment and the consequence this adaptation has on the architecture of the fungal cell wall, and the impact these cell wall perturbations have on the host-pathogen interaction. This challenging role combines detailed laboratory work across three disciplines (microbiology, molecular biology and cell biology).

The successful candidate will have a PhD in a Bioscience related discipline, or the equivalent laboratory experience and a good publication record. The post holder must have extensive experience in microbiology, molecular and cell biology techniques, analysis of large data sets and be able to work closely with colleagues as part of a team. The candidate will be expected to isolate myeloid cells from whole blood. The candidate must demonstrate logical thinking, be able to clearly explain scientific data and key concepts to people with ranging scientific abilities (undergraduate students to PI), and have presented data at international conferences. Experience in fungal biology, generation of Candida albicans mutants and host-pathogen interaction studies is highly desirable as is experience supervising rotation project students.

Person Specification

Essential

• PhD in a related discipline
• Good publication track record, with clear evidence of generating internationally leading research
• Proven ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Extensive expertise in Molecular microbiology (i.e. cloning, mutant strain construction, qRT-PCR) and cell biology (high end microscopy, live cell imaging, immunofluorescence)
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes

Desirable

• Fungal biology, host-pathogen interaction studies, analysis of RNA seq data, working with human blood samples