Research Associate at King’s College London

The laboratory of Dr. Rushad Pavri at King’s College London (which will start in January 2024) is inviting applications for a postdoctoral position in the fields of molecular immunology and gene regulation.

The Pavri group studies the molecular mechanism of antibody maturation and associated genome instability in B cells. Specifically, we investigate how transcription, chromatin architecture, DNA replication and epigenetic features regulate the key processes of antibody somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination as well as the oncogenic chromosomal translocations arising from these mutagenic pathways. In addition, we study the physiology of germinal centers in murine lymphoid tissues, which is where the antibody maturation reactions occur. The laboratory uses a multi-disciplinary approach to address major questions in these areas. These include mouse genetics, immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry and genomics. A list of publications from the group can be found here: https://www.imp.ac.at/groups/rushad-pavri/publications.

The project in question involves the functional characterization of newly identifed factors regulating somatic hypermutation and germinal center physiology. The candidate should have a PhD (or should be close to completing a PhD) in a relevant area of biological or biomedical sciences. He/she will be expected to design and conduct experiments independently, have excellent written and oral communication skills, be highly collaborative, co-supervise students and contribute to laboratory management. The project involves extensive mouse work, tissue culture, molecular biology and genomics, hence experience in these areas is highly desirable. Knowledge of immunology, gene regulation, bioinformatics and flow cytometry will be an advantage.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

• PhD in biological or biomedical science
• Experience with mouse work
• Experience with molecular biology and tissue culture
• Knowledge of gene regulation and basic immunology

Essential criteria

1. PhD in biological or biomedical science.
2. Strong publication record, as demonstrated by first author publication(s) in peer reviewed journals (preprints will also be considered).
3. Experience and comfort in working with mice.
4. Experience in molecular biology (eg. cloning, RNA extraction, RT-qPCR) and tissue culture (generation of cell lines and viral infections).
5. Some knowledge of methods in biochemistry (eg. protein analyses), immunology (flow cytometry) and transcriptomics.
6. Ability to do the following independently: design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and present results professionally in written and oral form.
7. Scientific rigor and integrity.
8. Strong communication skills both in writing and for presentation (for eg. at meetings and conferences.
9. A high level of self-motivation and ability to work flexible hours and meet deadlines.
10. Sound computer-handling skills especially for writing and making figures and tables.
11. Work cooperatively and collaboratively with colleagues in the lab and, if required, other labs on campus.
12. Co-supervise students in the lab with support from the PI.
13. Actively participating in general laboratory organization and maintenance as well as scientific and social activities.

Desirable criteria

1. Knowledge of transcriptional regulation, B cell biology and antibody diversification literature.
2. Preparation of libraries for next-generation sequencing.

Bioinformatics skills for analysis of genomics data like ChIP-seq and RNA-seq.

* Please note that this is a PhD level role but candidates who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting award of their PhDs will be considered. In these circumstances the appointment will be made at Grade 5, spine point 30 with the title of Research Assistant. Upon confirmation of the award of the PhD, the job title will become Research Associate and the salary will increase to Grade 6.