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Job description
This post will be based in the Institute of Liver Studies and hosted by the Department of Inflammation Biology and the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences (SIMS), and will be predominantly based at the Denmark Hill campus.  
The post holder will be expected to create and manage an independent, internationally recognised research programme in basic and/or translational aspects of the immunobiology of liver diseases and to obtain a portfolio of grant support to develop such programme. The laboratory will be established in the Institute of Liver Studies and the research developed will be expected to integrate and/or complement the academic priorities of the Institute to facilitate collaborative links.  In addition, the post holder will be encouraged and expected to collaborate with other investigators in the Department and SIMS. Given the multi-disciplinary nature of the Institute of Liver Studies and SIMS, the research remit of the post is wide and other than an interest in hepato-biliary immunobiology there are no strict pre-defined fields of expertise. However, experience in one or more of the following areas of research will be favourably considered: transplant immunology, immunoregulation, immunotherapy, adaptive/innate immune cell biology, liver immunology, cancer immunology, animal models of inflammatory liver damage, liver regeneration, bioinformatics and single-cell omics techniques, microbiome-immune interactions.
 
The post-holder will be expected to provide leadership in basic/translational research across the SIMS and KCL and to raise the profile of liver research at KCL and to the outside world. The post holder will supervise junior investigators and submit internationally competitive grant applications and scientific papers as PI or co-PI.  In addition, the post holder will also deliver significant undergraduate and post-graduate teaching activities and educational leadership in line with the Department, SIMS and King’s educational activities.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement a clear forward plan for sustaining/enhancing a research programme in liver immunobiology, consistent with the Institute of Liver Studies priorities and the Department and SIMS research strategies.
• Successful submission of papers with first or last/corresponding author in high impact journals and/or substantive contribution to collaborative work/papers of exceptional quality.
• Obtaining concurrent project grants (or equivalent) supporting a laboratory research group with >2 members.
• Supervision/co-supervision of two or more PhD/MD students.
• Provision of high quality teaching and education at under/post graduate level.
• Enforcement of good laboratory practice, health and safety and other regulatory and statutory requirements.
• The above list of responsibilities is not exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

• PhD in immunology or relevant biomedical discipline.
• Proven successful track record of high quality basic/translational research of international standing in liver immunobiology and/or areas aligned with the Institute of Liver Studies priorities (as described above).
• Knowledge of contemporary cellular/molecular immunology.
• Growing ability to attract significant funding (directly or indirectly according to the rules of the funding body) in the field of research.
• Growing research reputation as evidenced by substantial output of publications and reports in refereed and prestigious publications.
• Growing ability to devise, lead and direct reseach projects.
• Proven ability to work co-operatively as a team member and foster national/international collaborative and interdisciplinary research.
• Evidence of educational activities at under/post-graduate level.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety.
• Ability to communicate effectively with academic and managerial colleagues.
• Growing national/ International reputation as evidenced by invitations to speak at conferences and by general public dissemination of knowledge.

The role:

Charles River (Portishead) is keen to hear from motivated and experienced project leaders who want to join an immunology and infection specialist CRO that utilizes cutting-edge techniques and in-depth expertise to deliver state-of-the-art cell biology assays. Their clients include a broad range of global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and Charles River supports them throughout the drug discovery process, from early hit identification through to clinical trials.
This opportunity would be ideal for a proactive immunologist with a proven track record in drug discovery project management looking to advance their career by inspiring a growing multidisciplinary group. You will shape a teams’ scientific direction to better understand the efficacy of a wide range of therapeutic modalities and drive projects which aim to solve the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning immuno-oncology. The core role of this lab-office crossover manager position will be to oversee the design and execution of studies that realize the potential of the next generation of immunotherapies. This will include the characterization and validation of complex immunological assays through the implementation of ex vivo and in vitro models (e.g. immune cell mono/co-cultures, ex vivo phenotypic analysis, genetic/pharmacological intervention, cell engineering and biomarker analyses of early phase clinical trials). A background in techniques such as IncuCyte, MACS sorting, 18-flow cytometry, Luminex, Nanostring, ELISpot, qPCR, Lentiviral delivery, high content screening and culture of primary immune cells is essential. 

Requirements: 

• Post-doctoral or Industry background with extensive management experience and a strong understanding of immunology
• Track record of leading large complex immunology focused drug discovery projects, ideally in the C&GT, immune-oncology, autoimmunity or inflammation fields.
• Independent scientific leadership experience
• Strong communicator and excellent people skills
• Extensive background in planning and developing people, managing resources and an awareness of finances
• Experience in disseminating scientific discoveries internally and externally 
• Ambition to discover novel therapeutics through collaboration 
• Well organized and self-motivated to deliver high quality data sets to tight deadlines 
• Ability to interpret data sets, generate concise conclusions and advise on next steps 
• Extensive experience with immune cell isolation and cell culture 
• Compliance to protocols and all applicable SOPs 
• Experience of guiding scientific strategy 
• A clear grasp of the drug discovery process 
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills

If you have got any questions about the role please contact Dr. Rhiannon Jenkinson (Rhiannon.Jenkinson@crl.com) or Dr. Rob Nunan (Robert.Nunan@crl.com).