Research Associate: Quantitative Microbiology in Sheffield

This Wellcome Trust funded post is part of a larger project that combines atomic force microscopy (AFM), super‐resolution microscopy, microbiology, and image analysis tools to understand how the cell wall of Streptococcus pneumoniae reacts to antimicrobials at the nanometre level. Pneumonia causes more than one million deaths annually and S. pneumoniae is the main pathogen that causes this disease, yet we still lack detailed knowledge of how antibiotics work at the nanoscale level. Most antibiotics target the bacterial cell wall, but antimicrobial resistance is a rising health emergency, and they are being less effective against resistant strains. We do not fully understand the architecture of the cell wall of S. pneumoniae and how it relates to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our lab is in a strong position to decipher these features, having achieved the highest resolution imaging of S. pneumoniae cell walls by atomic force microscopy (AFM).

This project will use cutting‐edge microscopy and image analysis tools to:

• Decipher the architecture of the S. pneumoniae clinical isolates cell wall at nanometre resolution
• Determine precisely how antibiotics damage this key bacterial target
• Test novel antimicrobial strategies focusing on bacteriophage cocktails, and compare their effects to traditional antibiotics

The group consists of Dr Laia Pasquina, a Research Fellow supported by The Wellcome Trust, and a UKRI PhD student focused on understanding the structure of the S. pneumoniae cell wall and how it divides, plus undergraduate and master project students. We also collaborate closely with two PhD students based in the Physics department. We share lab space with other research groups in Biosciences and actively collaborate with established international microbiology teams (mainly from France and the US), fostering a truly interdisciplinary environment. We are a collaborative team where learning and helping each other is central.

Applicants must hold a PhD or be close to completion (or have equivalent postdoctoral level work experience) in life sciences or physical sciences with experience of using biophysical approaches such as microscopy to understand biological systems and be willing to learn new tools. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, along with experience of working in an interdisciplinary environment and overcoming troubleshooting complex problems from different points of view are also essential.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Conduct atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments to investigate S. pneumoniae cell wall architecture and antibiotic damage of clinical strains
• Apply super‐resolution microscopy techniques (FluorescenceForce/STORMforce) to determine if the locations of damage from antibiotic correlate to peptidoglycan synthesis regions which are key for normal cell division
• Use general microbiology techniques and assays to grow and maintain the bacterial strains for microscopy and test the effectivity of novel antimicrobials
• Develop and optimise an automatic image analysis pipeline to correlate learnings from AFM and super‐resolution data
• Work closely with collaborators to design an experimental set‐up applying the previous tools above to test the effectivity of novel bacteriophage cocktails on the cell wall architecture of various Gram‐positive bacteria strains
• Design and execute experiments in collaboration with the research team both at the local level and the wider international collaboration network
• Analyse and record data to design future experiments and produce useful findings for others according to FAIR data management guidelines
• Lead at least one main paper to be published in a scientific journal
• Prepare and deliver presentations at TUoS, national and international conferences
• Provide support to other members of the research team in the Pasquina Lab and collaborators closely related to our field of research
• Take part in cluster, school of biosciences and other outreach activities
• As a member of staff, you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

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 does not match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

• Essential – PhD, or close to completion (or have equivalent postdoctoral level work experience) in life sciences or physical sciences
• Essential – Have experience of using biophysical approaches such as microscopy to understand biological systems and be willing to learn new tools
• Essential – Be willing to get familiar with using code for image analysis or to have had previous experience before
• Essential – Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Essential – Experience of working in an interdisciplinary environment and overcoming troubleshooting complex problems from different points of view
• Essential – Evidence of working practices that align with good practice with respect to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and positive Wellbeing
• Essential – Ability to work effectively both as an individual and as a member of a team
• Essential – Have experience with wet lab and bacteria culture or other cell culture techniques
• Essential – Have experience of AFM of biological systems/materials
• Desirable – Have experience with super‐resolution microscopy such as STORM, PALM, DNA PAINT, STED and SIM
• Desirable – Have experience of presenting research at international conferences and have a proven ability to have participated in figure editing or writing process of research for publication in scientific journals or preprints

Further Information

• Grade – 7
• Salary – £38,784 – £41,064 per annum
• Work arrangement – Full‐time (100% FTE)
• Duration – Available from 1 February 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter) for a period of 30 months
• Line manager – Research Fellow (PI)
• Direct reports – None

What We Offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles
• Generous pension scheme
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women's and Parent's networks)
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes
• A range of generous family‐friendly policies
• Paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
• Support for those going through the menopause
• Paid time off and support for fertility treatment

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.