Job Description

Are you an ambitious researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have an established background in molecular virology? Do you want to further your career in one of the UKs leading research intensive Universities?

Two research fellow positions are available in the laboratory of Professor Mark Harris, funded by a Wellcome Discovery Award.  We recently made the exciting discovery of a role for the kinase PKR and the down-stream transcription factor IRF1 in inducing expression of proteins that block virus assembly (DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010812), uncovering a hitherto unrecognised aspect of innate antiviral immunity.  These positions will focus on identifying and characterising these novel antiviral effectors, initially using hepatitis C virus as a model system, but also evaluating effects on other pathogenic viruses such as Chikungunya virus and SARS-CoV-2.  The project will initially involve transcriptomic analysis to identify genes regulated by PKR/IRF1, followed by investigation of their potential role in blocking assembly of infectious virus particles. The positions provide an opportunity to conduct ground-breaking research into the host response to virus infection and would suit individuals who have experience in working with pathogenic viruses in high containment, working with RNA and proven ability to generate and interpret ‘omics data.  The successful applicants will join a large, interdisciplinary laboratory shared between multiple investigators and working on a range of viruses.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Professor Mark Harris

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 5632

Email: [email protected]