Research Fellow

Location: Leeds - Main Campus

Working time: 100% - we are open to discussing flexible working arrangements

Contract type: Fixed term (3 years)

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?

An exciting opportunity is available to join the laboratory of Dr Morgan Herod to study mechanisms of hepatitis E virus (HEV) replication, funded by the Medical Research Council. HEV is a positive-sense RNA virus that encodes a polyprotein which is required for virus replication. A common theme for positive-sense RNA viruses is that the polyprotein undergoes proteolysis to generate functional proteins (termed non-structural proteins: NSPs). This processing is performed by both virally-encoded and host cellular proteases, and is generally believed to be a key step in regulating viral replication. In contrast, we recently made the exciting discovery that the polyprotein of HEV is not processed by a viral protease, thus implicating a host protease as critical in controlling viral replication (doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011529).

This position will build on these results and focus on identifying and characterising the role of host proteases in HEV replication, and define the role for HEV NSPs in the virus lifecycle. The project will involve a range of biochemical and cell biological techniques including immunoprecipitation and proteomic analyses to functionally characterise HEV proteins and identify key virus-host protein interactions. The position provides an opportunity to conduct ground-breaking research into virus-host interactions and generate a new paradigm for RNA virus replication. The project would suit an individual who has experience in working with pathogenic viruses under high containment (BSL3), working with RNA and proven ability to generate and interpret ‘omics data. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary laboratory shared between multiple investigators and working on a range of viruses.

The University of Leeds and the Faculty of Biological Sciences are committed to providing equal opportunities for all and offer a range of family friendly policies. The University is a charter member of Athena SWAN (the national body that promotes gender equality in higher education), and the Faculty of Biological Sciences was awarded a Silver award in 2020.  We are proud to be an inclusive Faculty that values all staff, and are happy to consider job share applications and requests for flexible working arrangements from our employees. Our Athena SWAN webpage provides more information.  

Please note that this post may be suitable for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route but first-time applicants might need to qualify for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

For research and academic posts, we will consider eligibility under the Global Talent visa. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/global-talent

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

Dr Morgan Herod 

Email: m.r.herod@leeds.ac.uk

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