Research Associate

We are seeking to recruit a Research Associate to study CAR T cell immune therapies for cancer, using microscopy and other techniques, funded by the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb.

The project will be based in Prof. Dan Davis’s lab in Imperial College London, South Kensington, to study fundamental aspects of CAR T cell recognition using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy as well as molecular and cell biology techniques. The research will involve imaging synapse assembly, signal integration and the dynamics of interactions for different types of CAR T cells and cancer cells.

Advances in technology are helping us understand the immune system as never before, and to develop medicines which fight cancer better. This is an exciting opportunity to join a well-equipped multidisciplinary team studying immune cell biology in health and disease, including the development of novel therapeutics. You should have a PhD or equivalent level of professional qualification and experience. Some experience in human immune cell biology or microscopy is essential.

Duties and responsibilities

You will be required to help produce independent and original research as part of a team of postdocs, students and technicians. The project will involve using microscopy to image signal transduction and integration from activating and inhibitory receptors on different types of CAR T cells. The post involves a high degree of teamwork and interdisciplinary research as well as daily interactions with other members of the lab and other allied scientists within Imperial College and elsewhere as appropriate.

Essential requirements

You must hold a PhD (or equivalent) in biology, cell biology, immunology, biochemistry, biophysics, microscopy or a closely related discipline. Experience with human immune cell biology or high-level microscopy is strongly desired. You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as basic knowledge of immunology, cell biology or microscopy. You must also be able to develop and apply new concepts, work with minimal supervision and have a creative approach to problem-solving. The ideal candidate will have the passion and drive to tackle and overcome scientific problems.

Further information

This is a full-time, fixed term position for 3 years. You will be based at South Kensington Campus.

Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.

For informal enquiries please contact Professor Daniel Davis (viad.davis@imperial.ac.uk)

The College is currently trialling a Work Location Framework until early 2023. Hybrid working may be considered for this role and the role holder may be expected to work 60% or more of their time onsite, with 40% the minimum time spent onsite. The opportunity for hybrid working will be discussed at interview.

The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/

The College believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. Imperial is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, all animals in the College’s care are treated with full respect, and that all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/

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