Research Associate (Biomedical & Exercise Sciences)

Location: Manchester All Saints Campus

Contract length: 24 months (Appointment of candidates cannot exceed a start date of 1^st December 2025)

Contracted hours per week: 37

This is a fantastic opportunity for two Research Associates to join our team working on a programme of research funded by the charity North West Cancer Research (UK) and delivered in collaboration with clinical colleagues from Salford Royal Hospital, Manchester Foundation Trust and Prehab4Cancer. The project will determine the effectiveness of resistance exercise prehabilitation for preventing muscle wasting and improving patient outcomes during treatment for Oesophageal and Gastric cancers.

What are we looking for?

For this position, we are seeking a research associate with expertise in biomedical science, biochemistry and/or cell biology to coordinate the day-to-day research planning and delivery, including:

• Lead the development and delivery of protocols for analysing protein and enzyme contents in human blood and skeletal muscle biopsy samples, including ELISA, histology and other techniques.
• Work as part of the team to assist the technical specialists to organise, collect and analyse patients' physical fitness and medical imaging (MRI & DEXA).
• Analyse and write-up the research findings for lay-public and scientific outputs.

What should you bring?

• A first degree in biomedical science, biochemistry, exercise science, cell biology or similar discipline and a relevant postgraduate qualification at PhD level (or thesis submitted).
• Research and practical experience in the collection, processing and laboratory analysis of patient blood and other tissue samples.
• Willingness to learn new techniques and to contribute positively to the successful delivery of this research programme.

If you would like to join our team and share our ambition, we would love to receive an application from you. Note that we are also recruiting for a clinical exercise physiologist (see separate job reference) to work on this project.

Manchester Metropolitan University is a great place to work. We are located in the heart of Manchester and we work closely with colleagues from across the university and beyond to ensure that our research is delivered at high quality and has real-world impact. We have invested significantly in our Faculty of Science and Engineering, including opening a new Dalton Building (June 2024) and Institute of Sport Building (Opened Jan 2022) to establish ourselves as sector leaders for our disciplines. These facilities provide a distinctive range of laboratories for testing patient tissue samples with detailed cellular and molecular biology techniques, as well as physical and psychological assessments, including clinical imaging with 3T MRI, DEXA, HR pQCT and ultrasound equipment for detailed investigations. We are invested in your future and we are happy to support a range of professional development opportunities for you to develop your career. For informal enquiries contact Professor Jamie McPhee (j.s.mcphee@mmu.ac.uk).

Manchester Metropolitan University is committed to supporting the rights, responsibilities, dignity, health and wellbeing of staff and students through our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. We promote applications from all sections of the community, irrespective of background, belief or identity, recognising the benefits that a diverse organisation can bring and particularly encourage applications from groups which are underrepresented in the University workforce.

We recognise the benefits and importance of an environment that supports flexible working and are open to conversations about this, as well as any reasonable adjustments required throughout the application process.

Documents

• Job Description.pdf (237.10 KB)