Investigator
- Stevenage, Hertfordshire (GBR)
- £20 - £26.47 Per Hour
- 1 Years
- Start date: ASAP
- Ref: GSK0JP00094723
- drug discovery
- research
- in vitro
- antibody
- phd
- pharmacology
- validation
- cells
- silico
- immunology
Job Title: Investigator
Location: Stevenage
Pay Rate: £ 26.47 Per hour / Umbrella / Inside IR35 / PAYE Option available
LOA: 1 Year
Job Description:
Biology Group 1 within the Immunology Research Unit (IRU) is seeking a highly motivated scientist with experience in immunology to join the group in Stevenage (UK). In the IRU, we are using human genetics and genomic approaches to identify new targets and therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases. In Biology Group 1, we are particularly focused on exploiting the potential of regulatory T cells to dampen autoimmunity and inflammation and restore immune homoeostasis. The successful candidate will design and deliver work packages to support the identification and validation of novel targets and the progression of on-going drug discovery programs within our IRU portfolio.
With strong experience in immunology, you will be responsible for developing and executing novel, robust, in vitro cell-based immunology assays that recapitulate disease-relevant biology for compound/antibody testing and for exploring their mechanism of action in relevant cells. This is an exciting lab-based role that will allow the successful candidate to utilize cutting-edge technologies to make a critical contribution to our efforts to develop new medicines.
You will need to be a creative, innovative self-starter, with excellent verbal and written communication skills and a desire to lead from the lab. You will be accountable for generating high quality, robust data and must have the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary matrix team. Additionally, the successful candidate will need to be proactive and open to the ideas of others while having a deep curiosity and enthusiasm for learning novel approaches and techniques.
Minimum Qualifications:
• BSc and relevant experience in cellular and molecular biology.
• Relevant experience in cellular immunology.
• Demonstrated practical laboratory experience gained from working in industrial or academic research environments.
• Significant expertise in cell culture techniques (isolation and culture of primary human cells) and in optimisation and execution of cell-based assays (phenotypic and mechanistic) to support pharmacological evaluation of compounds.
• Hands-on experience in multi-parameter flow cytometric techniques for the study of cellular responses.
• Fluent spoken /written English.
Preferred Qualifications:
• PhD in immunology, pharmacology or biology.
• Advantageous skills and experience include:
o Expertise in T cell biology, particularly relating to regulatory T cells
o Hands-on experimental experience in gene editing approaches such as CRISPR.
o Expertise in molecular biology techniques (RNA isolation, RT-PCR analysis).
o Previous research experience working in pharma industry to support drug discovery programmes.
o Experience in bioinformatic analysis of large data sets such as those from next generation sequencing experiments.
Your responsibilities will include:
• Development and implementation of cellular assays to evaluate the function of potential drug targets in immune cells via pharmacological modulation and/or genetic manipulation. This will include the use of multiple-parameter flow cytometry and other cell-based assay techniques.
• Evaluating potential new targets via in silico-based approaches.
• Representing the AIRU in project teams and providing biological experimental leadership in a particular area of research.
