Research Fellow in Antigen Display Characterisation

Job title:

Research Fellow in Antigen Display Characterisation

Company

University College London

Job description

About us This position is a key part of the Vaccines Manufacturing Hub for LMICs (VaxHub Global), led by UCL Biochemical Engineering and the University of Oxford with a number of academic and industrial partners. VaxHub Global is funded with a £10M grant from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and managed by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as part of the UK Vaccine Network, a UK Aid programme to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in LMICs. Additional co-funding from the EPSRC is provided to leverage impact for the UK. VaxHub Global builds on the success of Vax-Hub 1, which was originally formed in 2018 with a grant from the DHSC. Most prominently, Vax-Hub 1 research underpinned the development of the ChAdOx-1 nCoV-19 vaccine, subsequently licensed to AstraZeneca, with direct benefit to over 180 countries worldwide, including the UK. The vision for VaxHub Global is to deliver flexible, easily transferable multi-product platforms and simplified engineering solutions that enable development of low cost, effective and globally deployable vaccines to LMICs.About the role A new Research Fellow position in antigen display characterisation is now available. The position, based in the UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering, will address the development of experimental and computational tools to better understand the formation, stability and function of covalent and non-covalent antigen display for vaccines candidates. Proof of concept studies at UCL have shown antigen display on protein nanoparticlesusing different attachment methods. Models will be developed to simulate the dynamic nature of these methods, supported by characterisation of the proportion of functional antigens presented. The PDRA will develop mass-transport simulations to capture the various stages of assembly and disassembly of dynamic vaccine nanoparticles as well as the immunoassays and analytics needed to study them. These findings will allow a deeper understanding of the workings and potential of modular vaccine candidates employing advanced display strategies towards low cost, scalable and accessible modular vaccines for global good. These tools have further application towards the development of diagnostic tools for vaccine stability testing. The postholder will be responsible for undertaking original experimental research,reporting on project progress and the preparation and submission of research papers arising from these and related studies.The postholder will be one of a team of UCL-based researchers working as part of VaxHub Global, as well as several academic and industrial collaborators, so excellent team-working and communication skills will be required. The UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering has excellent research facilities including a full-scale £25m bioprocessing pilot plant.About you You hold a PhD in a relevant discipline (e.g. Bio/Chemical Engineering) or a related area or in natural sciences reinforced with an emphasis on protein engineering and synthetic biology (e.g. Biotechnology, Biochemistry), and ideally possess experience in biochemical/biophysical analysis of protein assemblies, diagnostics and simulations.We want to give people opportunity for development and this role is one where we could consider a wide range of different skills and experiences . Whilst all candidates must meet the essential criteria in order to be shortlisted, we actively encourage candidates who may not meet all of the desirable criteria to apply as we consider these to be areas the successful candidate can grow within the role.For informal enquiries, please contact both, Dr Stefanie Frank at stefanie.frank @ucl.ac.uk and Michael Thomas at michael.thomas@ucl.ac.uk.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’ annual leave purchase scheme
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Immigration loan
• 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’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s 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’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/.Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality. This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Support StaffAvailable documents

Expected salary

Location

North West London

Job date

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 23:43:48 GMT

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