Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Assay Development Scientist)

Faculty of Health & Life Sciences

We will be reviewing applications as they come in, so please don’t hesitate in applying, as we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.

The above full-time post is available immediately on a fixed term basis for 2 years in the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences.

The Post

The MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) seeks an experienced assay development scientist to join a recently funded 5-year programme of antifungal drug discovery at the MRC Centre for Medical Mycology. This exciting new programme connects MRC CMM researchers with drug discovery experts and scientists from the Dundee Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) (www.drugdiscovery.dundee.ac.uk/) and GSK Global Health Medicines R&D to facilitate the discovery and development of new drugs for invasive fungal diseases. Together, the MRC CMM, DDU and GSK GHM form a dynamic and multidisciplinary group that covers all aspects of drug discovery up to candidate selection.

This role has two key aspects. In the first instance, our goal is to develop new primary phenotypic screening assays for drugs exhibiting fungicidal activity against the multidrug resistant human fungal pathogen Candida a uris, as well as the development and implementation of solutions at CMM for scale up and automation of screening. Secondly, to develop a panel of new secondary phenotypic screening assays, to improve our understanding of the relationship between in vitro observations and in vivo drug efficacy. Areas of interest are: development of live-cell imaging assays for understanding the intracellular stage of fungal interactions with host cells, adhesion and biofilm formation, tolerance of in-host stress, time-kill and resistance emergence. Longer-term aims will shift to undertake cross-profiling of hit and lead compounds against a panel of human fungal pathogens in preparation for full drug discovery programmes. The appointed individual will be a senior member of the UoE Assay Development and Drug Discovery team, providing day to day oversight and guidance of the activities of the wider research team and reporting to the local and international Programme Leads.

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate: extensive experience in the development and implementation of medium to high throughput automated workflows for the discovery of antimicrobial drugs; planning and management of discovery team activities according to strict time-scales; industry-standard ways of working including practical experience of GLP implementation (extending to electronic record-keeping, and auditable processes for data acquisition, analysis and curation).  You will expected to contribute to the overall portfolio by identifying and developing potential new approaches and projects. Career development opportunities will be available for the right candidate, including continuing education, conference attendance, scientific publishing and development of funding applications.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

• Support to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career
• A multitude of staff benefits including sector leading benefits around maternity, adoption and shared parental leave(up to 26 weeks full pay), Paternity leave (up to 6 weeks full pay), and a Fertility Treatment Policy
• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research –Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community.

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

Before submitting an application you may wish to discuss the post further by contacting Elaine Bignell, Co-Director (Research) MRC Centre for Medical Mycology, e.bignell@exeter.ac.uk.