Total 2 Junior Executive level Science / R&D / Research job vacancies in L3 0AN

Salary: Dependant on experience and qualifications
Research Assistant £32,332 - £37,099 per annum
Post-Doctoral Research Associate £38,205 - £44,263 per annum
Full-time, Fixed-term appointment until March 2026
Based in Liverpool

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is a globally recognised centre of excellence, specialising in research that impacts global health. Recently named Business of the Year by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and celebrating our 125^th anniversary this year, there has never been a more exciting time to join our organisation.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Research Assistant or Post-Doctoral Research Associate to join the group of Dr Thomas Edwards within the Tropical Disease Biology Department, on an Academy of Medical Sciences funded project investigating the mechanisms behind an emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotype in Escherichia coli.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative research team (also including Fabrice Graf, LSTM, Dept Clinical Sciences; Eva Heinz, University of Strathclyde; Liverpool Clinical Laboratories, NHS) investigating the key factors that influence transposon mediated beta-lactamase gene amplification, which has been identified as a key driver of resistance to beta-lactamase inhibitor combination therapies. The successful candidate will use a mixture of microbiological assays, cloning, qPCR, and whole genome sequencing in order to determine to what extent the organism sequence type, transposon type, or AMR gene impact the likelihood and extent of gene amplification whilst under selective pressure. This position includes a conference/training budget for the post holder.

Key publications from the group on this topic can be found here;


Fraser, A., Ball, R., Cantillon, D., Brettell, L., Graf, F., Lewis, J., van Aartsen, J., Parry, C. Heinz, E. Edwards, T. (2024). A high-resolution genomic and phenotypic analysis of resistance evolution of an Escherichia coli strain from a critical care patient treated with piperacillin/tazobactam. Medrxiv. doi:
Edwards, T. Heinz, E., van Aartsen, J., Howard, A., Roberts, P., Corless, C., Fraser, A., Williams, C.T., Bulgasim, I., Cuevas, L.E., Parry, C.M., Roberts, A.P., Adams, E.R., Mason, J., Hubbard, A. (2022). Piperacillin/tazobactam resistant, cephalosporin susceptible Escherichia coli bloodstream infections driven by multiple resistance mechanisms across diverse sequence types. Microbial Genomics. 8:4
Hubbard, A., Mason, J., Roberts, P., Parry, C., Corless, C., van Aartsen, J., Howard, A., Fraser, A., Adams, E., Roberts, A., Edwards, T. (2020). Within-patient evolution to piperacillin/tazobactam resistance in a clinical isolate of Escherichia coli due to IS26-mediated amplification of bla_TEM-1B.Nature Communications. 11:4915



Key responsibilities include:


Generate full length transposons carrying AMR genes from clinical isolates of E. coli, using a Gibson Assembly approach
Cloning transposons into competent lab strains of E. coli and clinical isolates
Conducting broth microdilution MIC assays, and fitness assays
Using qPCR to determine relative gene copy numbers
Nanopore sequencing of selected isolates




General responsibilities


Liaising, working collaboratively with, and providing support to other members of the team and collaborators
Leading on the data analysis, design, execution, and write-up of research projects for publication
Developing appropriate Risk Assessments, SOPs and protocols to local and legal requirements
Recording all experimental data generated promptly and accurately, in accordance with relevant standard operating procedures, policies, guidelines protocols and best practice


The ideal candidate will possess the following:


MSc in a relevant subject


PhD in a relevant subject (PDRA role)
Knowledge of health and safety regulations and legal requirements for safe laboratory working
Experience of microbiological techniques
Experience in DNA cloning
relevant experience of qPCR, sequencing library preparation, DNA extraction
Knowledge of bacterial AMR mechanisms
Experience on leading manuscript drafting for publication (PDRA)



(For a full list of essential and desirable criteria please refer to the job description and person specification)

In return we offer:


30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, and additional Christmas closure days
Generous occupational pension schemes
Government backed “cycle to work” scheme
Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
Plus, a host of additional family friendly policies


Informal enquiries can be made to: thomas.edwards@lstmed.ac.uk

Closing Date: 18^th August 2024


Application Process: To apply for the position please click on the apply link and upload your CV and covering letter.

Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we may close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for the role.
Inclusion is central to our values at LSTM
We seek to attract and recruit people who reflect the diversity across our communities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, faith or belief, social background, age and disability. LSTM selects candidates based on skills, qualifications, and experience.
We welcome conversations about flexible working; and applications from those returning to employment after a break from their careers.

About LSTM

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities, LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics.
Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report:
https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/annual-reports-and-financial-statements

LSTM actively promotes Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Policies

Salary: £32,332 - £37,099 per annum (starting salary will be £32,332 p.a.)

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dedicated and passionate Research Assistant to join our team in the Tropical Disease Biology department in advancing snakebite research and interventions.
Our Tropical Disease Biology (TDB) department is a leading national and international research and teaching department with a focus on translational research of tropical infectious diseases. The vision of TDB is aligned to that of LSTM’s to “save lives in resource poor countries through research, education and capacity strengthening”. To that end, research within the TDB department is focused on solutions that have the potential to have a material impact the health and well-being of people from resource poor settings.
<u>The Role </u>

The successful candidate will play a crucial role in supporting new research enabling LSTM’s Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions (CSRI). Led by Director Professor Nicholas Casewell, the research centre boasts some of the world's leading snakebite experts and has access to LSTM’s herpetarium, the largest and most diverse collection of tropical venomous snakes in the UK, used to support its research activities. The post holder will primarily be expected to characterise the coagulopathic and platelet-perturbing activity of haemotoxic snake venom proteins, to support the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for the field of thrombosis and haemostasis. Based within the CSRI, this post will join a substantial, multi-disciplinary research team dedicated to identifying and implementing systems and tools to understand snake venoms and improve the treatment of tropical snakebite. The research position will focus predominately on defining the bioactivity of snake venom toxins on clotting factors and platelets, with the goal of identifying tools that could be repurposed for use as clotting test standards and/or therapeutics for thrombotic disorders.





Key deliverables will include (but not be limited to):


Assist in the development and/or optimization of coagulation factor specific bioassays to define toxin activities
Perform well-plate, aggregometry and/or flow cytometry-based platelet function assays to quantify toxin activity and define mechanisms of action on platelet aggregation
Undertake one-stage clotting assays on normal and factor deficient plasma
Assist in the purification of snake toxin proteins from native venom
Perform data analysis on experimental results and deliver reports to the supervisory team
Maintain accurate records of all research activity
Work collaboratively in a research team and in partnership with external collaborators
Contribute to the publication of research outcomes in appropriate peer reviewed journals and relevant grant writing activities
Participate in related scientific and public engagement tasks


<u>The Candidate </u>

The post-holder will be expected to have a background in either haematology or biochemistry, and experience of protein purification is desirable. You will support our research initiatives by conducting literature reviews, collecting and analysing data, and contribute to the preparation of reports and publications.

Ideally you will be able to demonstrate:


Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. haematology, biochemistry, pharmacology, biomedical science)
Relevant laboratory research experience
Experience in developing and running bioassays
Experience performing and interpreting scientific data
Experience working to health and safety regulations
Experience performing research in the field of thrombosis and haemostasis (desirable)
Knowledge of haemtaology, specifically thrombosis and haemostasis (desirable)






(For a full list of essential and desirable criteria please refer to the job description and person specification)

Additional benefits of joining LSTM:


30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus Christmas closure days
Generous occupational pension schemes
Government backed “cycle to work” scheme.
Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
Plus, a host of additional family friendly policies


Apply now and join us in our mission to combat tropical diseases and make a difference in global health. We look forward to receiving your application.

Closing Date: 3^rd July 2024

Application Process: To apply for the position please click on the apply link and upload your CV and Covering Letter.

Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we may close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for a role.

Inclusion is central to our values at LSTM
We seek to attract and recruit people who reflect the diversity across our communities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, faith or belief, social background, age and disability. LSTM selects candidates based on skills, qualifications, and experience.

We welcome conversations about flexible working; and applications from those returning to employment after a break from their careers.

About LSTM
Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities, LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report:
https://www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/annual-reports-and-financial-statements

LSTM actively promotes Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Policies