The Ono Lab at Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London is recruiting a Research Associate in Immune Regulation, focusing on mechanisms of the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Treg) in allergy and autoimmune contexts.
You will investigate mechanisms of the differentiation and function of regulatory T cells (Treg) using molecular biology and genomics techniques and making key discoveries at each milestone stage. Treg are promising materials for immunotherapy, although past attempts for clinical translation have not been found fully successful. To address this, the project will aim to make fundamental and translatable discoveries.
The Ono lab is widely known as the developer of the new technology Tocky, which allows analysis of temporal dynamics of Treg differentiation and activities. The project will use the power of Tocky to make exciting discoveries which can be translated into clinical contexts.
Relevant publications from the Ono lab:
- Hassan J, Appleton E, Kalfaoglu B, Pedersen M, Almeida-Santos J, Kanemaru H, Irie N, Foo S, et al, Harrington K, Melcher A, and Ono M. Single-cell level temporal profiling of tumour-reactive T cells under immune checkpoint blockade. bioRxiv. 2022:2022.07.19.500582.
- Almeida-Santos, Berkachy R, Tye C, Hassan J, Kalfaoglu B, Selkirk M, and Ono M. Temporal profiling of CD4 T-cell activation and differentiation upon SARS-CoV-2 spike protein immunisation. bioRxiv 2022. doi.org/10.1101/2022.07.21.500987.
- Ono M. (2020), Control of regulatory T-cell differentiation and function by T-cell receptor signalling and Foxp3 transcription factor complexes. Immunology, 160: 24-37. doi:10.1111/imm.13178.
- Kalfaoglu B, Almeida-Santos J, Adele Tye C, Satou Y, Ono M. (2020) T-cell hyperactivation and paralysis in severe COVID-19 infection revealed by single-cell analysis. Frontiers in Immunology, 10.3389/fimmu.2020.589380.
- Bending, D., Paduraru, A., Ducker, C.B., Martín, P.P., Crompton, T., and Ono, M. (2018). A temporally dynamic Foxp3 autoregulatory transcriptional circuit controls the effector Treg programme. The EMBO journal 37.
- Bending, D., Martín, P.P., Paduraru, A., Ducker, C., Marzaganov, E., Laviron, M., Kitano, S., Miyachi, H., Crompton, T., and Ono, M. (2018). A timer for analyzing temporally dynamic changes in transcription during differentiation in vivo. J Cell Biol 217, 2931-2950.
- Actively plan experiments and produce primary research reports to be submitted to reputable journals
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Identify key genes in regulatory T cells and discover their molecular mechanisms
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Produce data and figures for research grant submissions / patent submission upon request by PI
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Good practice in keeping records of experiments and data analysis
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Report to the PI weekly progress in experiments and data analysis, keeping the PI up-to-date with progress
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Regularly make short-term and long-term plans and discuss with the PI, getting approval
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Molecular biology experiments (gene recombination, DNA/RNA purification, cloning, sequence library prep, transfection, transformation, retrovirus production)
- Molecular biology skills including cloning, recombination, transfection
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Immunology skills including flow cytometry and compensation
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Communication skills to effectively convey plans, data, new findings and discoveries to the PI and to cooperate with other lab members
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Skills in timely keeping accurate data and safely storing important samples and reagents
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Skills in multi-tasking to manage complex logistics required for experiments
You should hold a PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, or related fields, and a track record of productivity with peer-reviewed publications.
In particular, we are seeking a candidate who are proficient in molecular biology techniques, including retroviral gene transduction and CRISPR, and have a strong background in immunology as well. You are encouraged to apply if you have more than one experience in the followings: Treg biology and flow cytometry, knockdown and/or CRISPR approaches, RNA-seq library prep and gene recombination.
This is a full time, fixed term position until 18 January 2025. You will work in the Ono Lab in South Kensington.
Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as a Research Assistant within the salary range £38,194 - £41,388 per annum.
Should you have any queries please contact Dr Masahiro Ono [email protected].
The College is a proud signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published. For more information, see https://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-evaluation/
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- Job Description Research Associate.pdf