Research Associate: immune response to medical prostheses

Salary: £33,966 - £44,263  per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 11 February 2024

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to become involved in a collaborative project combining the clinical expertise in The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust with the scientific expertise of Newcastle University. This project is research into understanding the biological and material causes of medical implant failure. This project has been funded by The Newcastle Hospitals Charity. 

The TEAM Study is led by Chief Investigator Professor David Deehan and this position will be supervised by Professor Catharien Hilkens. You will apply your experience in investigating immune response to medical prostheses to characterise material specific and anatomical specific foreign body response patterns. You will work closely with NHS clinicians and academics to plan and carry out experimental analysis on human tissue and medical implants recovered during surgical procedures.   

Though this position will primarily involve immunology research you will be required to work across and collaborate with various scientific disciplines, including material sciences, genetics and microbiology. 

This post is full time, fixed term for a period of 18 months   

For informal enquiries contact: catharien.hilkens@newcastle.ac.uk or patrick.card@nhs.net
 

Find out more about the Faculty of Medical Sciences here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/ 

Find out more about our Research Institutes here:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/research/institutes/

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles.  These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

Key Accountabilities

• Although working under the general guidance of an academic or Principal Investigator, the postholder will contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of their studies, thus providing substantial 'added value' 
• Develop and carry out the specified project using appropriate techniques and equipment as outlined in the personal requirements 
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research, with advice and support where required
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and in time develop own research objectives and proposals for funding 
• Begin to write, with appropriate support, proposals for individual research funding or, where funders do not permit this, contribute to the writing of collective bids
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of their research for publication and dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• May be involved in the supervision, with guidance, of final year undergraduate research projects and in providing support to postgraduate research students or Research Assistants 
• Will need to work with the support staff and, on occasions, with undergraduate and postgraduate students, and interact intellectually with other academic members of the Institute
• May contribute to events celebrating the public engagement of science/social sciences/humanities
• Develop an awareness of University structures, policies and procedures and relevant issues in the higher education, research, social and political environment

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Ability to work well as part of a team and rapidly acquire new skills
• Detailed subject knowledge in the area of research 
• Likelihood of advanced skills directly related to the research projects 
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability 
• Ability to communicate complex information with clarity and to encourage the commitment of others 
• Experience of research with clear transferable skills and some experience or awareness of the research environment 
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications
• Experience in cell culture techniques
• Experience in gene expression analysis techniques
• Detailed knowledge in human immune pathways
• High level of analytical and problem-solving capability
• Experience in processing and use of human clinical samples
• Experience in protein analysis 
• Research background in both immunology and mechanical engineering (Desirable)
• Experience in collaborating with clinical-based researchers (Desirable)
• Experience in use of statistical software, including R, and a willingness to learn (Desirable)
• Experience in the experimental modelling of immune responses to biomaterials (Desirable)
• Presentations at conferences and/or high-quality publications (Desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

• Able to work independently, with guidance of supervisor
• Able to work in a team
• Good communication
• Able to supervise students and technicians

Qualifications

• Biomedical Sciences/ Biology first degree
• PhD in immunology or mechanical engineering

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26692