Postdoctoral Fellow - Virology

Location: The Francis Crick Institute, Midland Road, London

About the role… 

Over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Francis Crick Institute developed a range of COVID-19 research platforms, including a unique high throughput live virus assay platform to quantify neutralising antibody activity against a range of SARS-CoV-2 variants in thousands of samples simultaneously. In collaboration with both clinical researchers and the Worldwide Influenza Centre (WIC) based at the Crick, we have used our microneutralisation platform to show at large scale how immunity to COVID-19 following vaccination and infection differs between healthy adults and clinically vulnerable patients (see references). The Crick COVID Surveillance Unit (CSU) was created in 2022 to run and improve upon this high-throughput live-virus assay pipeline.

We are adding pseudovirus testing in order to study the evolution of the virus in detail. The lentiviral system is up and running and you will help to set up the rVSV version of the assay for detailed comparative analysis of the assays. An important aspect of your role will be the calibration and harmonisation of pseudovirus to the wild-type live virus neutralisation assay currently running. This important work will feed into the UKRI funded PROVAC consortium, comprising researchers at the Crick (CSU, WIC, Legacy study), Cambridge University and Imperial College to determine the direction of SARS-CoV-2 evolution for ‘evolutionarily smart’ vaccine design.

What you will be doing… 

As a Virology Postdoctoral Fellow, you will: 

• Develop/lead on variant selection and data integration within the PROVAC consortium
• Adapt and/or develop new high throughput virological and immunological assays
• Liaise with leading researchers around the world on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Spike and design experiments to test trajectory of evolution
• Ensure the smooth running of high throughput neutralisation assays by conducting assays to the highest standards, liaising with all interested parties and team members ensuring clear communication
• Manage workflows and ensure neutralisation data is generated in a timely manner.

About you…  

You will bring… 

• A PhD in virology or immunology or high throughput screening
• Extensive direct experience in cell-based assays, tissue culture, and immunofluorescence-staining techniques
• Demonstrable experience of high containment (CL3+) work or previous experience in working with respiratory viruses
• Experience with high throughput techniques and associated machinery particularly automated microscopes and HCA
• Practical experience with a wide range of molecular and cell biology techniques

To see the complete job description click here 

To see more about role/team click here. 

Our values….

• We are bold. We make space for creative, dynamic and imaginative ideas and approaches.
• We are open. We’re highly collaborative and interactive, and make sure our activities are visible to the outside world. 
• We are collegial. We show respect for one another, work cooperatively and support the wider community. 

At the Crick, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to driving innovation and scientific discovery. We are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all genders, ethnicities, abilities, and experiences.

If you need assistance with applying, please email: nicola.gyte@crick.ac.uk

To find out more the Crick click here.

To apply please click on the ‘Apply’ button above.

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