"Research Assistant in Vaccine Development"

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is a pathogen with pandemic potential, causing sporadic outbreaks and seasonal surges in infections across much of the world. The increasing scale of these outbreaks has become a major public health concern particularly as EV-D68 is associated with acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) and paralysis.

This project is an opportunity for a motivated applicant to work as part of an Innovate UK and SBRI supported project to develop a yeast produced virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate against EV-D68. The ultimate project goal is to move the VLP vaccine towards licensing and commercialisation.

This position offers an exciting role in a project with clear goals and detailed plans to achieve them. The successful applicant will primarily be based in the laboratory but may also carry out some basic project administration and will gain valuable experience in the production and characterisation of a potential future vaccine against an emerging disease.

For this role, you should have a first degree/Masters in Biology, Immunology or a closely allied discipline. You should also have experience in Western blotting, ELISA, and protein production and/or purification.

Salary Requirements of the Skilled Worker Visa Route. Please note that due to Home Office visa requirements, this role may only be suitable for first-time Skilled Worker visa applicants if they are eligible for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/global-talent.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact: Dr Keith Grehan, Project Director and Postdoctoral Researcher, Email: k.grehan@leeds.ac.uk