Job Description

About us

Biosciences is one of the world\xe2\x80\x99s foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment. Computational modelling approaches are frequently used alongside experimental research programmes and much of our research crosses traditional boundaries, including the relationship of biodiversity to the health of the planet. Activity is underpinned by high calibre science technology platforms and state of the art equipment. Educational activity includes a range of undergraduate programmes, an expanding number of Masters Programmes and a substantial number of postgraduate research students.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Santini Lab.

The project will build on previous work done in the Santini lab isolating and characterising phages that infect clinical strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact [Prof Joanne Santini] at j.santini@ucl.ac.uk.

If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact Biosciences staffing at biosciences.staffing@ucl.ac.uk.

About the role

The main but not sole purpose of this post is to participate in the experimental aspects of the project: carry out wet lab experiments such as bacterial culturing, phage culturing, phage-host interactions, whole genome sequencing, high-throughput phage synergy assays.

The day-to-day activities also involve assisting with teaching duties, facilitating discussions between members of the lab, setting up and maintaining useful collaborations and contributing to the written documentation of the work.

PhD (or be studying towards it) in relevant subject area; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be at Research Assistant Grade 6B (salary \xc2\xa337,332 - \xc2\xa339,980 per annum) with payment at Grade 7 being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis (including corrections).

We will consider applications to work on a part-time, flexible and job share basis wherever possible.

This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information.

Contract end is 31st March 2024 with possibility of extension.

About you

You are a highly skilled microbiologist, working in bacteriophage research, with experience in phage bioinformatics.

You must have been awarded a PhD in Microbiology or be close to submission. Experience in the following techniques are essential: 1) a proven track record of culturing clinical bacterial isolates (Class II or higher), 2) isolation of phages, 3) characterisation of phages including kinetics assays , 4) bioinformatic analyses of phage and bacterial host genomes.

• You will assist the team in the development, planning and delivery of a bacteriophage product against Klebsiella pneumoniae strains in our collection.
• You will be expected to produce independent and original contributions to the development of this phage product, including isolating novel bacteriophages and devising novel approaches to optimise their functionality.
• In addition to developing and conducting the research, you will communicate results as scientific papers and in scientific presentations at local, national, and international conferences.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)
• Additional 5 days\xe2\x80\x99 annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan and expenses
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-Site nursery
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London\xe2\x80\x99s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world\xe2\x80\x99s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL\xe2\x80\x99s workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Available documents

University College London