A research assistant position is available in the research group of Dr Andrew Maclean (Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, University of Edinburgh). We are looking for an enthusiastic team player for a wet lab-based role, carrying out research projects as well as supporting other researchers in the lab.
The lab works on Toxoplasma gondii, a highly successful parasite of both humans and animals. Toxoplasma is highly versatile, able to infect all warm-blooded animals, and ubiquitous, with an estimated quarter of the global population chronically infected.
As an intracellular parasite it has to obtain all the nutrients it needs to replicate and cause infection from the host-cell environment. The lab aims to identify new routes of nutrient acquisition with a special focus on the uptake of important sulphur-containing nutrients. Understanding unique aspects of parasite metabolism may open up new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
This position will involve pursuing experimental goals, using molecular biology, microscopy and biochemistry techniques to identify and understand factors involved in parasite nutrient acquisition, as well as supporting ongoing research in the Maclean lab (for example with cell culture). There will also be the opportunity to develop further skills in molecular biology and work as part of a team of four scientists.
This post is advertised as full-time (35 hours per week) however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.
Your skills and attributes for success
- Experience in tissue and parasite culture (CL2).
- Knowledge of infection biology and/or biochemistry concepts.
- Molecular biology & microscopy skills.
- Excellent time management and organisation.
- Enjoys working in a team.
Application information
Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:
- cv
- Cover letter
What you can expect
- A competitive salary.
- An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
- To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
- Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits.
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion
The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. The University is able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. If successful, an international applicant requiring sponsorship to work in the UK will need to satisfy the UK Home Office’s English Language requirements and apply for and secure a Skilled Worker Visa.
Please note if the role is offered on a part-time basis, it may result in sponsorship being dependent on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant or the role no longer meeting the Home Office’s criteria for sponsorship.
Key dates to note
Closing date for applications is 26 June 2025.
Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.
Interviews will be held early-mid July 2025.
About Us
As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.
IIIR conducts fundamental research across the areas of immunology, infection, genetics and epidemiology, in order to develop new interventions to control human and animal diseases.
The Institute encompasses an exceptional breadth of pathogen research, from viruses to helminth parasites, on a wide platform of scientific approaches from functional genomics to mathematical biology. IIIR's environment and facilities offer outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary research into immunology and infection.
Our four main themes are: fundamental immunology; immune regulation of disease; molecular biology and genetics of parasites; and host-pathogen population biology. Research is funded by a wide range of sponsors including MRC, the Wellcome Trust, other charities, industry and the European Union.
IIIR has strong links with the Institute for Evolutionary Biology, in particular through the Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, which promotes collaborations between basic and clinical scientists (through joint projects with the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine), between empirical and mathematical scientists, and between immunological and evolutionary biologists.
