Research Associate - Immune Cell Biology

At Laverock we have an exciting opportunity for a talented and highly motivated Research Associate to join an exciting new business venture focused on applying the company’s proprietary gene silencing platform (GEiGS) to the development of novel human therapeutics.  The GEiGS technology facilitates Stable, Tunable and Programmable silencing activity that differentiates it from alternative gene editing or gene regulation approaches, and specifically enables production of programmable, next-generation cell and gene therapies, addressing many current limitations. The successful candidate will be joining a multidisciplinary team of computational and experimental biologists. The post is ideal for a dynamic individual looking to be part of a cutting-edge research program that will also have real impact on patients’ lives. Due to the early stage nature of the company it is imperative to have a pragmatic, can-do, collaborative approach.

Skills  

Essential 

• Experience with handling, manipulation and characterization of human T cells/immune cells (primary and iPSC-derived)
• Knowledge of human immunology/disease biology relevant to cell therapy development
• Extensive experience with developing analytical and functional assays (i.e. flow cytometry/FACS, plate based assays to assess proliferation, viability, metabolism)
• Strong understanding of mammalian/human genetics and molecular biology
• Systematic, methodical approach to assay design, implementation and data analysis

 Desirable 

• Knowledge of in-vitro and in-vivo oncology model development for profiling engineered immune cells
• Production, characterization and use of Lentiviral vectors for gene delivery
• Experience in screening methodologies (e.g. CRISPR, shRNA / arrayed or pooled) in immune cells
• Knowledge/experience in the use of spheroid or organoid culture systems, including co-culture
• Experience in the use of multiplex assay platforms (e.g. Mesoscale, high content analysis)
• Use of genomic approaches (incl. single cell methodologies) to profile cell therapy products and/or immune cells (e.g. 10X Genomics or MissionBio)

 Qualifications / Profile 

• BSc / MSc. (BSc +3-5yr, MSc +0-3yr).

• Strong communication skills with proven ability to relay information effectively and efficiently, both to computational and experimental scientists

• Team-orientation toward collaboration and mutual success

• Ability to ensure reproducible and transferable work through use of appropriate procedures and documentation

Working at Laverock:

You will be welcomed by a team of passionate, experienced and collaborative colleagues, happy to help you develop your own skills and to facilitate your personal/career development.  

Work life balance:

At Laverock we put people at the heart of our business. Every member of our team is important to us and our business is structured to offer generous rewards as well as excellent career and training opportunities. Check out our benefits listed below:

• 25 days annual leave, plus Bank Holidays, rising to 30 after 5 years service
• Family & well being:
  • Group Pension Plan
  • Group Income Protection
  • Private medical health insurance
  • Social events

Compensation: We offer a competitive compensation package to successful candidates.
If you are seeking a meaningful, impactful, and stimulating career, look no further and apply!