Research Support Assistant

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Research Support Assistant to join the multi-institutional PIONEER (Programmable In-Organellar Nucleic-acid Entry, Expression and Retention) programme, funded through the ARIA Precision Mitochondria scheme. The project brings together experts across disciplines to develop innovative approaches for engineering biological systems and organelles.

Based in the School of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, you will work closely with Prof. Ross Anderson, Prof. Mark Szczelkun, and a collaborative team of researchers. This position is ideal for a recent graduate or early-career researcher looking to build expertise at the interface of computational protein design and engineering biology. The role is designed to provide training, mentorship and research experience that will support future progression to Research Associate positions.

You will contribute to the delivery of key research objectives within the PIONEER programme by applying computational approaches to protein and peptide design and supporting the generation and analysis of research data. Key responsibilities include:

Designing protein and peptide binders using state-of-the-art computational methods and AI-based design tools, including RFDiffusion3, proteinMPNN, Boltzgen and DiffDock.

Using structure prediction platforms such as AF3, ESMFold2 and Boltz-2 on high performance computing clusters to develop and optimise computational design pipelines.

Performing molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate protein structures and interactions.

Working with research software engineers and specialist computational platforms to support project development on the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, Isambard-AI.

Collaborating with laboratory-based researchers to experimentally characterise designed proteins and peptides.

Analysing and presenting research findings at team meetings and contributing to scientific publications.

Maintaining accurate research records and contributing to project reporting and milestone delivery.

Supporting and occasionally training students or colleagues in computational methodologies.

You have a degree in a relevant scientific discipline and are enthusiastic about developing a research career in computational biology, protein engineering or related fields. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate:

Experience with computational protein design methods and associated data analysis.

Experience of protein structure prediction tools such as AF3 and Boltz-2.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present scientific findings clearly.

The ability to work independently while recognising when to seek guidance.

Good organisational skills and the ability to manage workloads effectively.

A collaborative approach and enthusiasm for working within a multidisciplinary research team.

Experience of high-performance computing, gene editing systems, bacterial defence systems, or research laboratory environments would be advantageous but is not essential.

This is an outstanding opportunity to contribute to a high-profile, cutting-edge research programme while developing valuable computational and research skills in a supportive and ambitious environment.

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (Specialist Skills)

Work pattern: Full time / 35 hours per week

Grade: H

For informal queries please contact: Ross Anderson ( Professor of Biological Chemistry) - [email protected] / 0117 455 8937

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