Job Description

About the Role

We are seeking to appoint a creative, highly motivated and talented postdoctoral researcher in microbial genomics to work within the Modernising Medical Microbiology (MMM) unit at the University of Oxford (https://www.expmedndm.ox.ac.uk/mmm). You will be joining a highly interdisciplinary team of approximately 40 clinicians, computational biologists, statisticians, software engineers and molecular biologists.

You will be embedded within the "Mitigating Gram-negative infections" theme in our Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), a major collaboration with other academic partners and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The aim of this theme is to inform interventions to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of E. coli and Klebsiella spp. infections, including those associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As part of this post there is an opportunity to analyse large longitudinally collected sequencing datasets (both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore) of clinical isolates that can be linked to electronic healthcare record data and/or metagenomic data. These unique datasets provide a significant opportunity to enhance our understanding of these common and serious causes of infection, produce high quality academic outputs and quickly translate findings through our relationships with the NHS, public health bodies and the private sector.

This is an exciting role, with the opportunity to work in an interdisciplinary team as part of the wider network of researchers within the HPRU. We are looking for a candidate who is motivated to drive forward the analyses of some of the diverse datasets that we have available, producing outputs that contribute to the health of patients and the public.

This position is fixed term for 2 years and full-time (part-time working will be considered minimum of 30 hours per week, 0.8 FTE).

About You

You will hold a PhD (or close to completion) in a relevant scientific subject though we would consider a very strong candidate with an MSc and substantial relevant experience. You will have a proven track record of developing and delivering reproducible pathogen genomic research through to peer-reviewed publication. You will be able to work independently, developing and driving forward your own ideas and applying new methodologies where necessary whilst also working within a team environment to ensure that deliverables are met within agreed timelines.

About the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine

The Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine (NDM) is one of the largest departments of the University of Oxford and is part of the Medical Sciences Division, with responsibility for a significant part of the teaching of clinical students within the Medical School.

Benefits of working

University employees enjoy 38 days' paid holiday, generous pension schemes, travel discounts, and a variety of professional development opportunities. Our range of other employee benefits and discounts also includes free entry to the Botanic Gardens and University colleges, and discounts at University museums. See https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits

Application Process

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online. You will be required to upload a supporting evidence form (or supporting statement) and a CV. No covering letter is required, and CVs alone will not be considered. The supporting statement must explain how you meet each of the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. This may include experience gained in employment, education, or during career breaks (such as time out to care for dependants). Your application will be judged solely based on how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated in the job description.

Only applications received before 12.00pm on 07/10/2025 will be considered.