Postdoctoral Research Associate/Senior Research Assistant

Based in Liverpool

LSTM has created a new role for a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA)/Senior Research Assistant (SRA) to contribute to cutting-edge research in vaccine development within the Department of Tropical Disease Biology. The postholder will be part of a team working at the forefront of virology, focusing on the bioengineering of novel virus-like particle (VLP) and infectious chimeric Rubella virus-based vaccine candidates for Zika virus and Nairobi Sheep Virus.

The postholder will work in biosafety level 2 (CL2) laboratories, with some aspects requiring training for containment level 3 (CL3) environments. They will take a hands-on approach to gene cloning, mammalian expression, protein purification, and live virus or pseudovirus assays. The postholder will be expected to work independently and collaboratively, supporting research dissemination and contributing to the wider research community.

Key responsibilities

Technical research duties

• Develop and design bioinformatics-informed synthetic chimeric glycoprotein constructs to generate VLPs, pseudoviruses, and/or infectious viral clones.
• Plan, conduct, and analyze experiments, ensuring high-quality data generation.
• Participate in the validation of experimental protocols and optimize research methodologies.
• Support the evaluation of immunogenicity in small animal models (no direct animal handling required).

Research output and dissemination

• Lead (PDRA) or contribute significantly (SRA) to manuscript writing and scientific publications.
• Assist in grant proposal development and funding applications.
• Present research findings internally and at national/international conferences.

Laboratory management & compliance

• Support general laboratory maintenance and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
• Maintain meticulous laboratory records and assist in quality control measures.

Training & Collaboration

• Supervise and train students and visitors in laboratory techniques.
• Collaborate with internal and external research partners to drive innovation.

Essential Qualifications & Knowledge

• SRA: Postgraduate Masters (MPhil/MSc/MRes) in a relevant field.
• PDRA: PhD (awarded or submitted) in virology, molecular biology, immunology, or a related discipline.
• Strong understanding of health and safety regulations and experience working in CL2 laboratories.
• Hands-on experience in a research laboratory setting.
• Expertise in molecular biology techniques, including PCR, mutagenesis, and homologous recombination cloning.
• Experience with mammalian pseudovirus entry and inhibition assays.
• Proficiency in bioinformatics tools for sequence alignment and analysis.

In return we offer:

• 30 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays and additional Christmas closure days.
• Generous occupational pension schemes.
• Government-backed “cycle to work” scheme.
• Discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre.
• A host of additional family-friendly policies.

About LSTM

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations, and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities,

LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics.

Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report: www.lstmed.ac.uk/about/annual-reports-and-financial-statements.

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