Applications are invited for the post of Research Associate (post-doctoral researcher) in the Section of Virology within the Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London.
We recently moved to the South Kensington campus into completely refurbished labs!You will join the Maertens' lab () and the focus of your research will be to structurally and functionally characterize the interactions between human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) proteins and the host.This project is part of the research programme funded by the Medical Research Council on "Linking the HTLV-1 pre-integration complex to the chromatin" and is led by Prof Goedele N. Maertens.
Human immunodeficiency virus and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) are the most notorious retroviruses since they are the cause of severe, disabling and sometimes fatal diseases.
Ten to 20 million people worldwide are infected with HTLV-1.
Of these individuals, about 10% will become ill.
The most severe HTLV-1 induced diseases are a neurological inflammatory disease and an aggressive form of leukaemia-lymphoma.
So far, no good treatments of HTLV-1 infected patients are available.
Patients diagnosed with leukaemia typically die within two years of presentation.One essential step in the life cycle of retroviruses, such as HTLV-1, is the insertion of a copy of the viral genome into the host DNA.
This process is executed by the viral integrase protein.
We recently identified a host factor for HTLV-1 integration, PP2A-B56 (Maertens, .
NAR 2016; Barski, .
et al Nat.
Comms, 2020).
This current project focuses on structurally and functionally characterizing the interaction and mechanics of how PP2A-B56 and its binding partners and substrates contribute to establishing HTLV-1 infection and integration site selection.You will contribute to characterising the role and mechanism of host factors in HTLV integration.
We use a variety of techniques in the lab (ranging from molecular and biochemical techniques, NGS, Crispr/Cas technology, RNA/DNAscope).
The focus of your research will be to map and characterize interactions between retroviral proteins and the host using protein biochemistry assays, X-ray crystallography and/or cryo-EM.
You will be in an excellent position to carry out research in the competitive field of retrovirology.
The project requires an exceptionally motivated candidate with PhD in a relevant area, and a solid background in molecular biology and biochemistry techniques, X-ray crystallography and/or cryoEM.
*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £43,003 - £46,297 per annum.
You will have an excellent attention to detail and good organisational skills.You can work independently while productively interacting with the rest of the group.You are an independent thinker and have a drive to succeed.You will have good interpersonal and presentation skills and will assist to the well running and organisation of the lab, and also be required to train/assist other members of the laboratory.In addition, you will be expected to write and contribute to papers that will be submitted to refereed journals The opportunity to continue your career at a world-leading institution and be part of our mission to continue science for humanity.Grow your career: Gain access to Imperial's sector-leading as well as opportunities for promotion and progressionJoin the Early Careers Researchers Club () Sector-leading salary and remuneration package (including 39 days off a year and generous pension schemes).