Research Associate - Specialism in Wetlab with potential Bioinformatics experience in Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement, a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Do you have a passion for immunology, RNA and gene-regulation? We are seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Researcher to join an ambitious interdisciplinary programme at the University of Sheffield investigating how RNA regulation controls innate immune responses during inflammation. You will have a PhD in an appropriate subject and a keen interest in RNA biology, innate immunity or in vivo modelling. This position is suited to someone with the ability and motivation to design and perform complex experimental procedures, including high-throughput RNA focused experiments, as well as analysing the results.

The project will generate extensive multi-omics datasets, therefore experience in, or aptitude for, bioinformatic analysis would be advantageous. You will form part of a team that will combine primary human neutrophil culture and zebrafish models with the latest molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics and in vivo imaging to investigate how ELAVL1, a major RNA-binding protein, impacts neutrophil biology. We will uncover the fundamental principles of immune regulation by post-transcriptional regulation, with relevance to inflammatory and infectious diseases.

This is an exceptional opportunity for ambitious researchers to work at the forefront of RNA biology and immunology, access world-class facilities, contribute to high-impact discoveries, and develop an independent research profile within a collaborative and supportive research environment.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Design and conduct independent research into the molecular mechanisms regulating ELAVL1 function in innate immune cells.
• Culture and experimentally manipulate primary human neutrophils and related cellular models.
• Perform and analyse high-throughput -omics experiments, including RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), eCLIP, SLAM-seq, RIP-seq, and associated transcriptomic datasets in vitro and in vivo.
• Investigate post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, including intron retention, mRNA stability, RNA editing, methylation, and protein phosphorylation.
• Develop and apply molecular biology approaches such as CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, RNA affinity pull-down assays, mutant analysis, and gene perturbation strategies.
• Undertake in vivo studies using zebrafish models, including inflammation and infection assays, live imaging, and functional analysis of genetic mutants.
• Use a range of computational tools for data processing, statistical analysis, visualisation, and cross-referencing of multiple datasets.
• Contribute to experimental design, data interpretation, and dissemination of research findings through publications, presentations, and reports.
• Maintain accurate experimental records and comply with laboratory, ethical, and health and safety procedures.
• Collaborate effectively with researchers across molecular biology, bioinformatics, and imaging disciplines, and support the training of students and junior researchers where appropriate.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Essential Expertise

• PhD in a relevant biological and/or computer science discipline and experience in molecular and cellular biology, RNA biology, immunology, genomics, or related fields.
• Strong molecular biology skills and data analysis are essential.
• Experience with CRISPR technologies, RNA-focused methodologies, transcriptomics, or zebrafish models would be advantageous.
• Immunohistochemistry and advanced imaging experience are desirable.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply.

Criteria

• PhD in a relevant discipline e.g. Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology (Essential)
• Experience in working with either human primary immune cells or zebrafish models (Essential)
• Strong understanding of RNA biology (Essential)
• Ability to design, analyse and troubleshoot experiments (Essential)
• Ability to communicate efficiently and work between groups (Essential)
• Strong molecular biology skills e.g PCR and molecular cloning, mammalian cell culture, CRISPR etc. (Essential)
• Experience of working with assays of genome-wide RNA stability, splicing and editing measurement techniques such as RNA-seq, SLAM-seq or eCLIP. (Desirable)
• Knowledge of Python, R or other programming languages and experience using UNIX-style operating systems (Desirable)

Further Information

Grade: 7.3 - 7.5
Salary: £38,784 to £41,064
Work arrangement: Full time
Duration: 1st September 2026
Line manager: PI
Direct reports: n/a

For informal enquiries about this job contact Prof. Steve Renshaw, PI, on s.a.renshaw@sheffield.ac.uk.

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in September 2026. This will consist of an interview and presentation followed by a tour of the facilities. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage shortly after the advert closes.