"Postdoctoral Research Assistant - UOD2213"

University of Dundee - Biological Sciences

We are recruiting a Post-doctoral Research Assistant to work on our research programmes on Therapeutic Targeting of Cell Senescence in Cancer and other age related diseases. This is a fixed-term appointment for 36 months based within the School of Medicine on the Ninewells Campus.

The postholder will work between the Molecular Pathology Group lead by Professor Gorgoulis (Chair of Clinical Molecular Pathology) and the Medical Oncology Group lead by Professor Russell Petty (Chair of Medical Oncology) in the Division of Cancer Research in the School of Medicine. This post will focus on late-stage pre-clinical research to progress our programme targeting cell senescence towards clinical impact.

The University of Dundee enjoys an international reputation for excellence that attracts top-class students and academics from across the world - with over 140 countries represented in the University community. Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, one of Europe's largest teaching hospitals provides outstanding opportunities in medical education and training supported by world class research facilities.

Your priorities will include:

• Delivering methodologies for the detection of senescent human cells in human disease models such as patient derived tumour organoids and human biospecimens.
• Undertaking laboratory research investigating the mechanisms of cell senescence and its pathogenic role and therapeutic targeting in human cancers involving a wide variety of molecular and cell biology technologies.
• Leading and contributing to reports, scientific papers and presentations arising from this work
• Working on other projects within the Division of Cancer Research and School of Medicine, and other schools such as Life Sciences as appropriate

Who we're looking for:

• PhD awarded in a relevant biomedical subject
• Knowledge and practical experience of state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques and data analysis. In particular expertise in the following is essential :
  • Genome editing, Epigenome editing, Off-target analysis, CRISPR screenings
  • Bioinformatics analysis (mainly scRNAseq and Hi-C analyses)
  • Cell culture - Mammalian cells, primary cells, organoids, functional assays (co-cultures, T cell cytotoxicity)
  • Flow cytometry analysis, cell sorting
• Practical experience in handling human tissues, patient derived organoid cultures and pre-clinical disease models is desirable
• Experience of working in cancer research and clinical research settings is desirable
• Experience with mathematical modelling is desirable

The calibre of research at Dundee is high, with 95 per cent of staff working in areas of national or international excellence. Dundee benefits from a developed network of inter-disciplinary researchers collaborating across various Schools across our community.

The University of Dundee is a signatory of the Researcher Development Concordat and is committed to enhancing the research environment and culture. Engagement and support of activities which assist the researcher development agenda at the University is therefore essential.

For further information about this position please contact: Professor Russell Petty, r.petty@dundee.ac.uk - www.dundee.ac.uk/people/russell-petty or Professor Vassilis Gorgoulis, v.gorgoulis001@dundee.ac.uk - www.dundee.ac.uk/people/vassilis-gorgoulis