Research Fellow in Biochemistry & Biomedicine Ref: 43149 (Fixed Term) in Brighton

Location: Brighton, UK

Hours: Full-time considered up to a maximum of 1.0 FTE (37.5 hours). Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need). Candidates would be expected to be in for core hours where meetings or seminars are typically scheduled.

Grade: 7 starting at £38,784 to £46,049 per annum, pro rata if part time.

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract

About the role: Dr Rhys Morgan’s research group is seeking to appoint a highly talented and motivated Research Fellow to lead a 3-year Cancer Research UK funded project titled ‘Detecting and targeting translation inhibitor sensitive RUNX1 mutations in chronic myeloid leukaemia’. You will work independently to produce high quality experimental data in the laboratories of the Biochemistry & Biomedicine department, which will be used to write scientific publications, obtain further research funding, be presented at internal seminars, and submitted to national/international conferences. You will be required to supervise project students and contribute to wider school missions around teaching, public engagement and research culture. You will benefit from the supervision and mentorship of a new scientific/clinical partnership between Dr Morgan (School of Life Sciences) and Dr David Palmer (University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust) and be part of the wider Sussex Blood Cancer Research network with colleagues in Brighton & Sussex Medical School. You will benefit from interactions with the Sussex RNA Biology Centre and be embedded within the Sussex Cancer Research Centre, which unites all cancer researchers across Sussex.

About you: This will be a laboratory-based project favouring those with practical experience in a variety of cellular (myeloid cell line, patient sample and stem cell culture), genetic (RNAi, CRISPR/Cas9 and transfection/transduction) and molecular (flow cytometry, immunoblotting, RT-qPCR, RNA immunoprecipitation) techniques across in vitro and in vivo models. You should be computationally literate and competent with basic bioinformatic analyses. You will be flexible to attend extended visits to collaborators at the Universities of Glasgow and Nottingham to complete experimental work during the study. You should be highly motivated, and ambitious, looking to pioneer new approaches where required and demonstrate resilience to overcome experimental challenges. You will have the ability to multi-task and run multiple experiments in parallel. You will be well organised and able to work effectively as part of a collegiate team to manage the laboratory and assist other researchers in working on related projects. You’ll report punctually and reliably at regular progress meetings and be able to communicate effectively with laboratory scientists, clinicians, and non-expert audiences.

About our School: In the School of Life Sciences, we strive to understand the mechanisms that drive biological and chemical processes and to develop innovative and diverse approaches to enhance human health, technology and the environment. We undertake multidisciplinary research, teaching and engagement across a wide range of subjects, from Chemistry through Cellular and Molecular Biosciences to Conservation Biology. The School comprises five Departments: Biochemistry & Biomedicine, Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Neuroscience, Ecology & Evolution and Chemistry. We also house the Sussex Drug Discovery Centre which works to deliver the bench-to-bedside translation of our discoveries. The breadth and depth of our cutting‑edge research and innovative teaching practice is delivered by a diverse community who work across boundaries to deliver excellence, engage with real world problems and produce impact. We pride ourselves on our world‑leading research and have a strong research economy, with approximately 50% of our income stemming from research and an active grant portfolio of over £50 million. We host or form part of three University Centres of Excellence: the Genome Damage and Stability Centre, Sussex Neuroscience and Sussex Sustainability Research Programme. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 90.6% of our Biological Sciences outputs and 84.8% of our Chemistry outputs were rated as world‑leading or internationally excellent. We are proud that in both areas, 100% of our Impact cases were rated as world‑leading or internationally excellent. The School is committed to the University’s core values of kindness, integrity, inclusion, collaboration and courage. We believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and aim to provide a friendly and supportive environment for all who work, study and visit the School of Life Sciences. The School of Life Sciences is proud to hold a Silver Athena Swann Award.

Why work here: Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five‑minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme. Sussex is a renowned, multi‑accredited, research‑led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that. The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Visa Sponsorship Queries: This role has been assigned an eligible SOC code and meets the salary requirements for Skilled Worker Sponsorship if full time and appointed at Grade 7.4. Please consult our Skilled Worker Visa information page for further information about Visa Sponsorship. Please note that this position may be subject to ATAS clearance if you require visa sponsorship. The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.

If you are experiencing any issues using our application portal or if you require adjustments to be made to the selection process, please contact us to discuss your requirements.