Post-Doctoral Research Assistant

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Professor / Lecturer
Location: 
Hawkshead (nr Potters Bar, Herts)
Wage: 

£38,721 to £49,521
Per Annum Together with London Weighting
Mounted Time period / Full Time
Closing Date:  23.59 hours BST on Monday 16 October 2023
Interview Date: 
Tuesday 31 October 2023
Reference:  PPS-0230-23

Submit-Doctoral Analysis Affiliate

Professor / Lecturer

Location: Hawkshead (nr Potters Bar, Herts)

Wage: £ Inclusive of London Weighting Mounted Time period / Full Time

Closing Date: 16/10/2023 Interview Date: 31/10/2023 Reference: PPS-0230-23 

We now have an thrilling alternative for a Postdoctoral Analysis Scientist to work on the event of a M. hyopneumoniae vaccine. This venture is funded by way of the BBSRC Endemic Illness Initiative (https://www.ukri.org/information/uk-invests-9-million-in-fight-against-endemic-livestock-disease/). The postholder will be a member of the Molecular Immunology Group of Prof Dirk Werling on the Centre for Vaccinology and Regenerative Drugs of the RVC and will likely be supervised by Dr Rob Noad.

Mycoplasma hyopneumonia (M.hyop) is the first pathogen of enzootic pneumonia (EP), a continual respiratory illness in pigs. Infections happen worldwide and trigger main financial losses to the pig trade, thus having a big socio-economic impression on pig farmers. Shut contact between contaminated and prone pigs is the principle route of M.hyop transmission. Piglets are thought-about free from M.hyop at delivery, as in utero transmission has not been documented, and first publicity occasions happen throughout the lactation interval, when piglets are in touch with dams shedding the microorganism. Thus, an interruption of the colonisation cycle by way of efficient vaccines would profit the entire porcine manufacturing system. M.hyop is primarily discovered on the mucosal floor of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, with totally different adhesins and lipoproteins being concerned within the adherence course of, thus rendering contaminated animals extra prone to secondary infections. Particularly, the destruction of the mucociliary equipment, along with the flexibility of M.hyop to modulate the immune response, enhances the susceptibility of contaminated pigs to secondary pathogens. Whereas M.hyop continues to be prone to a wide range of antibiotics, their use must be diminished to keep away from prevalence of multi-drug resistant strains in addition to the overall drive to cut back antimicrobial utilization. Present obtainable vaccines primarily encompass inactivated vaccines which enhance manufacturing parameters however don’t forestall an infection or unfold of the pathogen, and their use is usually restricted to at least one age group, i.e. sows or piglets after 3 weeks of age. Thus, analysis on growing new vaccines that confer protecting immunity and scale back transmission is a precedence, in addition to optimization of protocols to remove M.hyop from pig herds. The analysis venture goals to provide strains of micro organism that are unable to trigger illness in pigs however nonetheless stimulate a protecting immune response. This work builds on earlier BBSRC-funded work figuring out genes that are important for survival of the pathogen in pigs and AHDB funded work to isolate strains of micro organism from UK pigs. As soon as full, the venture can have found bacterial genes which are vital for illness as a foundation for the event of higher vaccines to forestall, and stop the circulation of, enzootic pneumonia. 

The profitable candidate will undertake a lot of the experimental work on the venture; testing hypotheses and analysing scientific information, reviewing and refining working hypotheses as acceptable; representing the analysis group at exterior conferences/seminars, both with different members of the group or alone. They may handle their very own educational analysis and administrative actions, contribute concepts for new analysis initiatives, and develop concepts for producing analysis revenue. Different duties embody adapting current and growing new scientific strategies and experimental protocols.

To be chosen for this position, you will need to maintain, a PhD/DPhil in a related space (vaccinology/microbiology), along with related expertise, particularly round culturing/rising Mycoplasma, subsequent technology sequencing evaluation and/or experimental work with pigs. You’ll possess adequate specialist information within the self-discipline to work inside established analysis programmes and will be capable to handle your personal educational analysis and related actions. It’s important that the put up holder has glorious communication abilities, together with the capacity to write for publications, current analysis proposals and outcomes, and signify the analysis group at conferences.

The put up is out there from October 1st 2023, and will likely be based mostly in Hawkshead Campus of the RVC (AL9 7TA). Casual enquiries could also be directed to the PIs Dr Rob Noad ([email protected] ) and Prof Dirk Werling ([email protected] )

The time limit for functions is midnight on fifteenth September 2023 Interviews are prone to be held on w/c October third 2023

Whereas this can be a full-time position, we welcome functions from people who want to be thought-about for part- time working or different versatile working preparations. Functions are significantly welcome from ladies, and black and minority ethnic candidates who are under-represented in educational posts at RVC.

We, as a Division and Group, will likely be thoughtful and welcoming of all folks, no matter race, ethnicity, faith, incapacity, sexual orientation, and gender id. We acknowledge societal inequalities and how these impression us, and these round us, personally and professionally.

We promote equality of alternative and variety throughout the office and welcome functions from all sections of the neighborhood.

We promote equality of alternative and variety throughout the office and welcome functions from all sections of the neighborhood.