Research Assistant - UOD1392
| Posting date: | 27 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £29,605 to £36,024 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 12 May 2024 |
| Location: | Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN |
| Company: | University of Dundee |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 4057_1712921178 |
Summary
We are recruiting for an exceptional individual to join us as a Research Assistant within Professor Roland Wolf's group to investigate the potential mechanisms by which air pollution impacts human health. The project is a key part of a large multi- disciplinary UKRI/NERC funded consortium entitled "Hazard Identification Platform in Toxicology" (HIP-Tox), involving the Universities of Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Birmingham, and Imperial College London. This is a fixed-term appointment for 1 year.
Over the last decade our understanding of the impact of air pollution on both short- and long-term population health has advanced considerably and there is now an increased appreciation of how low levels of exposure not only affect the cardiopulmonary system but also other tissues such as the brain. In the latter case leading to poor mental health and enhancing the risk of dementia. However, there are still major gaps in our understanding of the most harmful components within the air we breathe and the mechanisms by which they induce their adverse effects. This project involves the use of unique in vivo reporter models of cellular adaptive responses to chemical and inflammation-induced stress to evaluate the mechanisms by which source-specific airborne pollutants impact on brain function; both at a toxicological level, and in collaboration with the Penning/Meehan teams at the University of Edinburgh, at the level of DNA methylation. Our aim is to provide a relative ranking of the hazard of specific aerosols across the indoor/outdoor continuum, the identification of the causal chemical components driving these adverse health effects, and the identification of biomarkers which reflect these.
You will have the opportunity to work as part of a large multi-disciplinary consortium across multiple UK universities. You will contribute to our understanding of the deleterious effects of air pollution, and in the process, you will hone your molecular biological, biochemistry, and histology skills. You will gain experience in colony management. You will also have the potential to be trained in a wide array of in vivo techniques and procedures using our unique transgenic in vivo reporter models.
Your priorities will include:- Managing multiple transgenic in vivo colonies, including genotyping.
- Histological tissue sectioning, processing, and analysis.
- Extensive widefield and confocal microscopy.
- Assisting with preparing results for scientific meetings, discussions, and publications.
- Where previous experience allows, assisting in conducting in vivo exposures and tissue collection.
- Experience in immune- and histochemical analysis.
- Previous experience in lung and brain sectioning and histology.
- Experience with molecular biology techniques, including genetics.
- Exceptional time management, organisational, and self-motivational skills.
- A Home Office Personal Licence (PIL-AB) will be an added advantage.
The University of Dundee is a signatory of the Researcher Development Concordat and is committed to enhancing the research environment and culture. Engagement and support of activities which assist the researcher development agenda at the University is therefore essential.
For further information about this position please contact Dr Jean Campbell at gcampbell002@dundee.ac.uk.