Research Fellow - Department of Pharmacy - 107908 - Grade 7 in Birmingham

Description

Position Details

Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine and Health

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to February 2028

Closing date: 23^rd September 2026

Background

We are seeking an outstanding Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join an ambitious research programme addressing a major challenge in mitochondrial genome engineering: the efficient and reliable delivery of nucleic acids into mitochondria.

The successful candidate will work within a highly interdisciplinary programme bringing together expertise in nanomedicine, advanced materials, mitochondrial biology, genome engineering and synthetic biology. Based at the Department of Pharmacy at University of Birmingham, the post-holder will contribute to the development of advanced nanomaterial-based delivery technologies for mitochondrial applications.

The role will have a strong focus on nanomaterial engineering and surface chemistry, including chemical functionalisation, biomolecular conjugation and detailed physicochemical characterisation of nanomaterials. The post-holder will investigate how engineered nanomaterials interact with biological systems and contribute to their optimisation for intracellular and organelle-specific delivery.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a high-risk, high-reward research programme while developing new technologies at the interface of nanomaterials, chemistry and nanomedicine.

This job is part of an Advanced Research and Innovation Agency (ARIA) funded project.

Role Summary

The post-holder will contribute to an ARIA funded research project developing innovative nanomaterial-based technologies for mitochondrial nucleic acid delivery. Working within their area of specialism, the post-holder will contribute to the design, development and evaluation of advanced nanomaterial-based delivery systems and to the wider objectives of the research programme. The role will involve:

• Working within specified research grants and projects and contributing to the development of new research directions and research proposals.
• Operating within the areas of nanomaterials, surface chemistry, nanomedicine and intracellular delivery, with a focus on in vitro cellular uptake and nanotoxicology
• Designing, synthesising, functionalising and characterising advanced nanomaterial-based delivery systems and evaluating their performance for mitochondrial delivery.
• Analysing and interpreting physicochemical and biological research findings and results, applying knowledge to develop new methods and approaches.
• Contributing to research funding applications and wider research outputs, including publications, presentations and collaborative activities.
• Contributing to enterprise, knowledge exchange, commercialisation and/or public engagement activities, where appropriate.

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document.

Person Specification

Essentials

• A PhD relevant to the research area, such as Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomedical Engineering or a closely related discipline, or near completion.
• Demonstrable hands-on experience in the chemical functionalisation or surface modification of nanomaterials.
• Experience in the synthesis, preparation or optimisation of nanoparticles or other nanomaterials.
• Practical experience in the physicochemical characterisation of nanomaterials, including techniques for assessing particle size, morphology, surface chemistry, surface charge and/or colloidal stability
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document.

Desirable

• Experience with carbon nanotubes or other high-aspect-ratio nanomaterials.
• Experience in the chemical functionalisation and surface modification of nanomaterials, including conjugation of peptides, proteins or targeting ligands and/or nucleic acid loading
• Experience with physicochemical and surface characterisation of nanomaterials, including techniques such as electron microscopy, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy, XPS, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic light scattering and zeta potential.
• Experience in nanomedicine, drug delivery or nucleic acid delivery.
• Experience with mammalian cell culture or biological evaluation of nanomaterials.
• Experience in nanotoxicology, cytocompatibility or safe-by-design nanomaterial development.
• Experience in mitochondrial biology, intracellular delivery or organelle-targeted delivery.
• Experience of working in interdisciplinary and collaborative research environments.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Hanene Ali-Boucetta , email: h.aliboucetta@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.