Job Description

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity to join the pre-clinical team of Prof Simon Draper's Vaccine Development and Antibody Immunology group in the Department of Paediatrics as a Post-doctoral Research Scientist.

You will play an important role in the development of novel vaccines against Plasmodium knowlesi and Plasmodium vivax, two neglected human malaria parasites.

You will be responsible for the experimental work on this project which is a new collaboration between Prof Simon Draper and Dr Ellen Knuepfer (Royal Veterinary College) recently funded by the Medical Research Council. You will be responsible for designing, planning and running experiments under the supervision of a senior Post-doc, for analysing and interpreting data, and contributing actively to publications. Detailed responsibilities are described in the job description for this role.

You will be working in a growing department within the Medical Sciences Division. The Department of Paediatrics is a world leader in child health research and hosts internationally renowned research programmes in drug development, gastroenterology, haematology, HIV, immunology, neuroimaging, neuromuscular diseases and vaccinology. Professor Draper's group has an excellent track record in the area of malaria vaccine development and publishes regularly in high impact journals (https://draperlab.web.ox.ac.uk/publications). The group has expanded recently as a result of a number of successful funding applications and continues to be at the cutting edge of vaccine R&D.

This position is offered full-time on a fixed-term contract initially for 2 years or until 28 February 2028 (whichever is earliest) with the possibility to extend provided further external funding is available.

About the department

The Department of Paediatrics has been honoured with the Athena Swan Gold award, a national gender equality charter, recognising the Department's innovative policies and practices. We are committed to the professional development of our staff by providing up to ten paid days annually for skill enhancement and allowing applications for additional training funding. By joining us, you will have the opportunity to contribute to a forward-thinking department.

We welcome new staff with ideas who are willing to shape the future of the department that thinks about its staff and wellbeing. In addition to the University of Oxford wellbeing resources, the Department of Paediatrics sponsors weekly exercise classes such as yoga and bootcamp sessions as well as a choir. For staff on work visas, we also offer financial assistance towards visa renewal fees. These activities are designed to promote physical and mental wellbeing among staff members.

Please visit our website to find out more about the Department.

About you

You will hold (or be near completion of) a PhD/DPhil in a subject relevant to Biochemistry, infectious disease, antibody development, or vaccinology. Additional relevant post-qualification experience in working with infectious diseases, specifically malaria, would be beneficial but is not essential as training would be provided as required. Proven and demonstrable technical skills, including experience of protein expression and purification techniques, expertise in mass spectroscopy, expertise in the use of bioinformatics tools (such as Geneious, R, Pipebio, or development of new computational pipelines for data analysis) and experience of aseptic technique particularly mammalian cell culture are essential. You will also possess highly effective verbal and written communication skills with all levels of staff and an ability to operate effectively in a demanding and increasingly competitive research environment.

Application Process

You will be required to upload a 2 page CV and a maximum 2 page supporting statement (as PDFs) addressing how you meet the selection criteria as part of your online application. The Supporting Statement should include a cover letter and should also clearly describe how you meet each of the selection criteria listed in the job description. Do not upload any certificates or evidence of qualifications, this will be requested if you are shortlisted for the role. Click here for information and advice on writing an effective Supporting Statement.

To discuss the post in more detail, please contact Dr Barnabas Williams, the Senior Post-Doctoral Scientist, using the contact details below.

Only online applications received before 12.00 midday on 22 August 2025 will be considered. Interviews will be held as soon as possible thereafter.

The Department of Paediatrics offers an Interview Expense Reimbursement Policy in its efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion. Should you be invited to interview, we will share further information about the policy at that stage.