Job Purpose

To contribute one day a week to help complete the project ‘Investigating genetic composition of Onchocerca worm infections: Improving the ability to test macrofilaricidal drug efficacy’ working in Prof. Poppy Lamberton’s groups, on a project with Dr Lisa Ranford-Cartwright, Dr Arne Jacobs, Prof. James Cotton, and Prof. Mike Barrett.

The candidate will perform DNA extraction and library preparation on microfilariae for whole-genome sequencing, sequence alignment, bioinformatics and statistical analyses. Using these data the candidate will infer sibling relationships between microfilariae to infer drug treatment efficacy of a new drug being trialled. We will use samples, from cattle and humans pre- and post-treatment. Samples from cattle skins will also be used for spatial analyses and parasite population structure. The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this project as opportunities arise. The candidate will join a multidisciplinary research group which focuses on reducing transmission and improving treatment success for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), primarily onchocerciasis and schistosomiasis. We are committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Take a leading role in the planning and conduct of assigned research individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and project/group/School/College research strategy.

2. Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical/progress reports and papers as appropriate.

3. Establish and maintain your research profile and reputation and that of The University of Glasgow/ School/ Research Group, including establishing and sustaining a track record of independent and joint publications of international quality in high profile/quality refereed journals, enhancing the research impact in terms of economic/societal benefit, and gathering indicators of esteem.

4. Survey the research literature and environment, understand the research challenges associated with the project and subject area, and develop/implement a suitable research strategy.

5. Presentation of work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.

6. Take a leading role in the identification of potential funding sources and to assist in the development of proposals to secure funding from internal and external bodies to support future research.

7. Take a leading role in developing and maintaining collaborations with colleagues across the research group/School/College/University and wider community [e.g. Academic and Industrial Partners].

8. Take a leading role in team/group meetings/seminars/workshops and School research group activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs and culture of the School/College.

9. Take the lead in the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of undergraduate and/or postgraduate students and less experienced members of the project team to ensure their effective development.

10. Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the research group and School, including Budgets/Expenditure.

11. Make a leading contribution to Teaching activities [e.g. demonstrating etc.] and associated admin as assigned by the Head of School and in consultation with Principal Investigator.

12. Keep up to date with current knowledge and recent advances in the field/discipline.

13. Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.

14. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the Head of School/Director of Research Institute.

15. Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, World Changers Together

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

A1. Normally Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 12 (PhD) plus track record of emerging independence within a research/professional environment, or alternatively possess professional qualifications and experience equivalent to PhD level plus the requisite experience.

Skills

Essential:

C1 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of current issues and future directions within the wider subject area or subject specialism.

C2 Knowledge of project-specific technical models, equipment, or techniques.

C3 Sufficient depth of relevant research experience, normally including sufficient postdoctoral experience in a related field, appropriate to an early career researcher.

C4 Theoretical and practical knowledge appropriate for the production of WGS data. For example molecular biology, including DNA extraction, PCR, library preparations for next generation sequencing.

C5 Theoretical and practical knowledge appropriate for the robust bioinformatics and statistical analysis of WGS data, for example long and/or short-read data quality control, handling and analysis, including mapping, variant calling, troubleshooting.

C6 Experience and expertise in data analysis/interpretation skills appropriate to population genetic data and knowledge of programming language (e.g. R, Linux, Python or equivalent) and/or field-specific software.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner.

E2 A track record of presentation and publication of research results in quality journals/conferences.

E3 Experience of making a leading contribution in academic activities.

E4 Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, design and analysis of experiments and drafting of papers.

E5 Experience in undertaking independent research.

Desirable:

F1 Experience of pedigree, relatedness, or sib-ship analysis.

F2 Demonstrable specialist knowledge of mathematical modelling.

F3 A track record of contributing to, or developing, open-source software repositories for bioinformatic and/or statistical analysis of next-generation sequencing data.

F4 A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of the wider subject area such as macroparasitology, onchocerciasis, transmission dynamics.

Additional Information

Our School is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Our Athena Swan Silver award demonstrates our commitment to best practice in recruiting and supporting the career development and progression of female scientists, addressing gender inequalities in higher education.  The Athena SWAN Charter recognises commitment to advancing gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) employment in academia. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/bohvm/athenaswan/

The College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS) has 8 Schools that bring staff together around thematic strengths, across the strategic pillars of education, research and innovation.  More information on the College can be accessed here: MVLS College Futures 2033

Closing date:  20 October 2025

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £41,064 - £46,049 per annum, pro rata.

This post is part-time (7 hours per week), and open ended with funding available for up to 12 months from start date in the first instance.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.