Job Description

Application closing date: 18/09/2023
Salary: \xc2\xa337,099 - \xc2\xa340,521 per annum
Job category/type: Research

The School of Biological Sciences at Queen\'s University Belfast, is currently seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to the post of Research Fellow.

An experienced and motivated postdoctoral with experience in bioinformatics and some experience in molecular techniques is sought to join the Understanding Health and Disease Theme at the School of Biological Sciences of Queen\'s University Belfast (QUB).

The cross-disciplinary group consists of members with skills in veterinary and animal science, bioinformatics, computer sciences, and microbiology and virology. The successful candidate will undertake a senior role in the planning and delivery of research activities focused on the identification of putative viral agents involved in the aetiology and pathogenesis of the Runting Stunting Syndrome (RSS) in broiler chickens through application of cutting edge high-throughput sequencing approaches. The project is joint between QUB and the Virology Branch of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), based at Stormont, and is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the UK. It also involves partners from the major UK broiler integrator and avian veterinary services.

RSS is a major issue in modern broiler production systems. It results in poor bird performance, including slow growth and poor feed utilisation, and results in increased within flock performance variation. The syndrome potentially involves co-infection of endemic poultry viruses, which are yet to be fully determined and, against the majority of which, treatments or controls are not available. In the UK the syndrome has a prevalence of 10-20% and it has been associated with several million pound loses annually, due to culling and the discard of carcasses ( ). The overall aim of the project is to identify viruses associated with stunting disease, and to determine their potential role in the aetiology of the RSS syndrome.

The successful candidate must have, and your application should clearly demonstrate you have:

• Obtained or be about to obtain a PhD in Bioinformatics or a related discipline
• Recent relevant research experience in the bioinformatic analysis of high-throughput sequencing data
• Peer reviewed publications or preprints demonstrating experience/skills in bioinformatics

Please note the above are not an exhaustive list. For further information about the role including the essential and desirable criteria please click the Candidate Information link below.

This post is fixed term for 18 months or until 30 June 2025, whichever is sooner. Fixed term contract posts are available for the stated period in the first instance but in particular circumstances may be renewed or made permanent subject to availability of funding.

At Queen\'s our people are at the heart of everything we do. As a staff member you will become part of a vibrant organisational culture, which will provide you with the opportunity to achieve your full potential and enhance your career through a continuous focus on learning and development.

We offer an excellent employment package that includes:

• Great terms & conditions
• Pension schemes
• Flexible working by enabling you to design your working week in collaboration with your manager through a blend of remote and office working
• Family-friendly initiatives
• Career development opportunities
• Support for health & mental wellbeing
• Generous holiday entitlement of 8.4 weeks a year (made up of 23 days annual leave, 10 closure days and 9 bank holidays)

Queen\'s University is committed to promoting equality of opportunity to all. We have created an inclusive culture by establishing staff networks such as iRise (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network) and PRISM (LGBTQ+) which help us progress equality.

We also subscribe to Equality Charter Marks such as the Diversity Charter Mark NI in addition to Athena Swan. For further information on our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, please visit: ; i and

Informal enquiries may be directed to Prof Sharon Huws at

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