Research Associate

Location: South Kensington Campus

About the role:

Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate (post-doctoral researcher) in the Section of Virology within the Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London. We recently moved to the South Kensington campus into completely refurbished labs!

You will join the Maertens’ lab (https://maertenslab.com) and the focus of your research will be to structurally and functionally characterize the interactions between human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) proteins and the host.

This project is part of the research programme funded by the Medical Research Council on “Linking the HTLV-1 pre-integration complex to the chromatin” and is led by Prof Goedele N. Maertens.

What you would be doing:

Human immunodeficiency virus and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) are the most notorious retroviruses since they are the cause of severe, disabling and sometimes fatal diseases. Ten to 20 million people worldwide are infected with HTLV-1. Of these individuals, about 10% will become ill. The most severe HTLV-1 induced diseases are a neurological inflammatory disease and an aggressive form of leukaemia-lymphoma. So far, no good treatments of HTLV-1 infected patients are available. Patients diagnosed with leukaemia typically die within two years of presentation.

One essential step in the life cycle of retroviruses, such as HTLV-1, is the insertion of a copy of the viral genome into the host DNA. This process is executed by the viral integrase protein. We recently identified a host factor for HTLV-1 integration, PP2A-B56 (Maertens, G.N. NAR 2016; Barski, M.S. et al Nat. Comms, 2020). This current project focuses on structurally and functionally characterizing the interaction and mechanics of how PP2A-B56 and its binding partners and substrates contribute to establishing HTLV-1 infection and integration site selection.

You will contribute to characterising the role and mechanism of host factors in HTLV integration. We use a variety of techniques in the lab (ranging from molecular and biochemical techniques, NGS, Crispr/Cas technology, RNA/DNAscope). The focus of your research will be to map and characterize interactions between retroviral proteins and the host using protein biochemistry assays, X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM. You will be in an excellent position to carry out research in the competitive field of retrovirology.

What we are looking for:

• The project requires an exceptionally motivated candidate with PhD in a relevant area, and a solid background in molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, X-ray crystallography and/or cryoEM.

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant “

• You will have an excellent attention to detail and good organisational skills.
• You can work independently while productively interacting with the rest of the group.
• You are an independent thinker and have a drive to succeed.

What we can offer you:

• The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.
• Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial’s sector-leading dedicated career support for researchers as well as opportunities for promotion and progression

Further Information

This is a full time and a fixed term role until December 2027 based at the South Kensington Campus.

The position is available immediately.

If you require any further details, please contact:

Prof Goedele N. Maertens (g.maertens@imperial.ac.uk).

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