Job Description

Job Category: Academic
:
Grade UE07: xc2xa340,497.00 - xc2xa3 48,149.00 per annum
CMVM/The Roslin Institute/Immunology
Full-time: 35 hours per week
Open-ended with a contract review date 31 March 2028
We are looking for a PDRA/Core Scientist to join the Comparative Immunology Group of Prof. Maria Forlenza.
The Opportunity:
The post is a core scientist position within the research group of Prof. Maria Forlenza, based at The Roslin Institute part of the University of Edinburgh. The post holder will report directly to Prof. Maria Forlenza. The core scientist will have the opportunity to lead components of research, especially on immune responses to (trypanosome) infections in zebrafish and is expected to play a crucial role in liaising collaboration between (zebrafish) scientists at The Roslin and at Little France, where a larger zebrafish PIs community exists. The core scientist will also be co-responsible for the maintenance of the (small) zebrafish facility within The Roslin.
While leading on zebrafish research, the core scientist is expected to strongly contribute to and support the broader research of the Comparative Immunology Group (CIG) which includes studies on the immune system of animals and vaccine development in various vertebrate species: aquacultures species (common carp, Nile tilapia, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon), and farmed animals (chicken and pigs).
The development of (intestinal) organoid cultures will also gain importance in the Group.
Contributions will be through (co-)supervision of students, including postgraduate, undergraduate and visiting scholars, and through discussions at group, division and institute meetings. The core scientist will also be expected to support the writing, acquisition and documentation of project licences aimed at receiving ethical approval for the use of live experimental animals and to also support wider institute's activities via developing collaborations (extended also to the Vet School and Little France), serving on committees, and/or contributing to public engagement.
Your skills and attributes for success:

• A very good (demonstrated) knowledge of the immune system of mammals and of other animals.
• A strong affinity for lab work.
• Demonstrated experience in zebrafish rearing, screening, genotyping and in the generation of transgenic as well as (CRISPR) mutant zebrafish lines.
• Good knowledge of fish trypanosomes and trypanoplasma cultures.
• Extensive experience in high-end microscopy execution and analysis, including the use of spinning disk, laser scanning, two photon microscopes, high-speed cameras for live imaging studies, and Fiji or Imaris software.

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Application Information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
- CV.
- Cover letter (max 1 A4 clearly stating your motivation for this specific position).
- Contact details of up to 3 references and their relation to the applicant.
As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our

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Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our (opens new browser tab).
The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office's English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
Key dates to note
The closing date for applications is 6 June 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
About Us: As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow's greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
About the Team:
The Roslin Institute is a world-leading centre for animal bioscience research and has a distinctive niche within the UK National Institutes of Bioscience, supported strategically by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The Institute moved to a new xc2xa360M state-of-the-art building at the Easter Bush Campus in 2011, which is now occupied by > 670 people including ~ 65 Group Leaders and Career Track Fellows, other research and support staff, students and visitors and ~90 staff from Scotland's Rural College. The Institute has a vibrant programme of postgraduate research, with 176 PhD students registered at the time of writing. Research at the Institute is organised across three research divisions (Genetics & Genomics, Infection & Immunity and Developmental Biology) and three Institute Strategic Programmes (BBSRC funded from 2017-2022) that integrate many disciplines (Blueprints for Healthy Animals, Control of Infectious Diseases and Improving Animal Productivity & Welfare). Crosscutting themes in Epidemiology and Population Health and in Clinical Sciences link research at the Institute to clinical activities in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and support the research activities of clinical academic staff. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), a joint submission from The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The Roslin Institute and Scotland's Rural College was ranked 1st by research power (volume x quality) in the category of Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science.
Over xc2xa3200M has been invested in physical infrastructure at Easter Bush since 2008, including recently in the National Avian Research Facility and the Charnock Bradley Building, which houses the Roslin Innovation Centre - an incubator space for agritech start-up companies and spin out companies to commercialise the Institute's intellectual property. Investments continue, as the Institute is a major partner in the new Agri-Tech Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock, which together with the University, funds the construction of a xc2xa325 M Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility. The Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health, primed by investment from the Gates Foundation and Department for International Development, aims to unlock the genetic potential of farmed animals by dissecting genotype-by-environment interactions to sustainably improve animal productivity in low- and middle-income countries.
The Institute's income exceeds xc2xa330M p.a., around 50% of which derives from the BBSRC via strategic and competitive funding. Our focus on improving farming systems, animal productivity and welfare, and the control of animal and zoonotic diseases is key to delivery of the BBSRC's strategic priorities for Agriculture & Food Security, Veterinary Vaccinology and Bioscience for Health. This research is expedited by extensive interactions with industry, including via ongoing platform agreements with major animal breeding and pharmaceutical companies. The addition of our own xc2xa315M equity-funded commercialisation vehicle, Roslin Technologies Ltd, will accelerate translation of research at the Institute in the years to come. The Institute holds a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award in recognition of our commitment to advance the representation of women in science.
Further details of the research conducted at the Institute can be found at https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin