Job Description

Job number

MED05581

Faculties

Faculty of Medicine

Departments

Department of Infectious Disease

Salary or Salary range

43,863 - 47,223 per annum

Location/campus

South Kensington Campus - On site only

Contract type work pattern

Full time - Fixed term

Posting End Date

28 Jan 2026

About the role

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We are looking for a Research Assistant for 18 months, following up our recent paper to study how members of the Sp100 nuclear protein family suppress infection by DNA viruses, and how herpesviruses counteract their functions. You will use a combination of classical and cutting edge techniques in protein biochemistry, cell biology, classical virology, microscopy and genomics, in the context of infection by Epstein-Barr virus, Herpes Simplex virus and herpesvirus saimiri in B cells and fibroblasts.

What you would be doing

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In this role you will:


work as part of a small team (in collaboration with Duke University) studying how the SAND domain of speckled proteins (the Sp100 family) binds DNA, to test whether this allows cells to sense and suppress viral DNA in the nucleus, and how herpesviruses counteract its functions. assist with the day to-day planning, development, running and analysis of experiments, that could include protein biochemistry (protein purification, DNA-binding assays, and antibody validation), infection assays (plaque assay, luciferase assays), and cell-based assays for interaction studies (e.g. FRET and fluorescence microscopy) and genomics assays (transcriptomics, ATAC-seq and ChIP), according to your skills and aptitudes. Present your findings to colleagues and contribute to the writing of reports Assist in the training, development and supervision of other staff and students in the research group. Contribute to the smooth running of the lab.

What we are looking for

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You should:


Have a strong academic record at undergraduate and/or Master's level in a relevant subject. Have a demonstrable passion for virology and/or immunology. Be a quick learner who can readily adapt to new techniques. Be a precise and careful lab worker. Have a high degree of biological understanding and creativity, and/or research experience, that allow effective troubleshooting. Be committed to this research project. Be able to support the research of junior (student) lab members. Have some research experience in molecular biology, cell biology or computational biology that is relevant to the project.

What we can offer you

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An opportunity to develop a wide variety of research skills transferrable to diverse virology, immunology, biochemistry and cell biology lab contexts. Agency within the team in helping to choose and drive the direction of the research. A collaborative departmental research environment, allowing day-to-day contact with various world-leading virology research teams, on a science-intensive research-focussed campus with opportunities to diversify your scientific knowledge. Opportunity to present your research at a national or international conference. Paper authorship commensurate with your contribution to the research. The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity. Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial's sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).

Further information

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The position is funded until September 2027 as a full-time-equivalent post expected to start by March 2026.



If you require any further details on the role please contact: Dr Rob White (robert.e.white@imperial.ac.uk)

Available documents

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Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities mentioned above.

We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications. It is therefore advisable that you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.



If you encounter any technical issues while applying online, please don't hesitate to email us at support.jobs@imperial.ac.uk. We're here to help.

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