Postdoctoral Research Associate

Location: Royal Brompton Campus

About the role:

‘Specialized Pro-resolving Mediators in Response to Air Pollution Exposure among Asthmatic versus Healthy Adults’

This project is a NIEHS- funded project that investigates the role of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) in the respiratory tract of asthmatic and non-asthmatic subjects in the resolution of PM2.5-induced inflammation.  This project is in collaboration with Professor Jim Zhang of the Environmental Sciences Department of Duke University.

What you would be doing:

The post holder will use nasal epithelial cells and bronchial epithelial cells that have already been collected in a previous study (INHALE) to conduct ex-vivo PM2.5 exposure studies on these epithelial cells maintained in culture. These cells have already been obtained from healthy volunteers and from participants suffering from asthma. Various outputs will be measured including cytokine expression, SPMs release and aspects of mitochondrial function and underlying energetics using the Seahorse Platform. Data collected from these cells will then be associated with the clinical and physiologic profiles of these participants.

All this cellular data together with other data collected from these participants will be used to develop models of the impact of pollution on personal health in both outdoor and indoor urban environments by integrating across biological length scales.  The ultimate objective of this research is to determine whether these data can help us determine the susceptibility of an individual to the effects of environmental pollution on their respiratory system.

What we are looking for:

• We are seeking to employ a highly motivated full-time Postdoctoral Research Associate with a PhD in biological sciences or a closely related discipline with extensive experience in working with epithelial cell cultures especially with ALI and with practical experience in a broad range of cell and molecular techniques. 

*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £43,003 - £46,297 per annum

• It is essential that the candidate is able to multi-task. This includes correlation of data with clinical and exposure data and planning, managing experiments and leading discussion of analysis with mass-spectroscopy and DNA methylation teams at Duke University.
• You should demonstrate good written and verbal communication skills, analytical and problem-solving ability.  Knowledge of data management and statistical analysis would be an advantage.

What we can offer you:

• This is an exciting opportunity for a research assistant with experience in epithelial cell cultures to extend his/her knowledge of the response of these cells to external agents in terms of their mitochondrial function, energetics and production of inflammatory and pro-resolving cytokines and mediators. There will also be the opportunity to link the cellular data to the characteristics of the participants.
• 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 for 18 months based in our Royal Brompton Campus.

If you require any further details about the role, please contact:

Prof. Fan Chung at f.chung@imperial.ac.uk

About Imperial

Welcome to Imperial, a global top ten university where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.

Advert information