Research Associate

Department/Division/Faculty: Centre for Haematology, Department of Immunology

and Inflammation, Faculty of Medicine
Campus/Location: Hammersmith (East Acton)
Job Family/Level: Research Job Family, Research Associate* (Research
salary scale)
Responsible to: Professor Nichola Cooper
Line management for: N/A
Key working Relationships The Cooper laboratory, Professor Matthew Pickering and
(Internal): the wider BRC Immunology theme
Key Working Relationships Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
(External):
Contract type: 0.8FTE (4 days a week), fixed term until 30 November
2027

Purpose of the Post

This post is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
Imperial Immunology theme.

The Immunology Theme is a component of the Imperial BRC. Our remit is the study chronic immune disorders
with a significant health and economic burden due to the potential to cause organ failure, if not recognised early,
and the requirement for complex immunosuppression protocols. The theme focuses on diseases relevant to our
local population grouped into: (i) antibody-mediated disorders; (ii) thrombo-inflammation; (iii)
glomerulonephritis and (iv) renal transplantation. We combine the world-leading immunology and inflammation
expertise within our academic Centres for Inflammatory Disease and Haematology with the translational
expertise of our multidisciplinary Clinical Centres. This supports our aims: to ensure timely and accurate
diagnosis; to fully optimise immunosuppression treatment; and to explore novel therapeutics.

This position will contribute to research on immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

By developing precision medicine for ITP, we will improve diagnostics; treatment pathways; and clinical
outcome. ITP is a complex autoimmune disease which can cause life-threatening bleeding. We lack prognostic
markers to direct treatment and Prof Cooper’s laboratory address this by: (i) Identifying single T cell clones (by
T cell receptor sequencing) which expand and contract with disease activity. Clones are isolated to explore gene
expression and their ability to target platelets and megakaryocytes. This will be combined with platelet profiling

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to explore bidirectional platelet-T-cell interactions. T cell clones will be measured in our Syk, BTK and FcRn
inhibition trials to establish their potential use as biomarkers; (ii) Stratifying treatment using the
presence/absence of cerebral microbleeds (PMID 32750707); and (iii) Continuing to identify novel causes of
immune dysregulation (e.g. PMID 31064749) through genetic studies utilising the NIHR bioresource
autoimmune cytopenias section (led by Prof Cooper).

This post will provide bioinformatic support for analysis of deep sequencing of the T cell receptor and 10x single
cell sequencing and multi colour flow analysis of longitudinal samples in the ITP biobank with the aim of
predicting disease progression and understanding the pathogenesis of refractory disease.

This post holder will develop and analyse deep sequencing of the T cell receptor in tissue banked samples taken
over 10 years in patients with ITP and will develop pipelines for 10x single cell sequencing combined with TCR
sequencing. They will also develop co-culture assays to interrogate the functional nature of any expanded clones.

The post will also involve supervisory responsibility for aspects of day-to-day co-ordination, running and
maintenance of the Immunology Theme projects.

The post holder must be organised, highly self-motivated and have excellent communication, interpersonal
and computer skills. They will need to manage their time and performance, must be strongly proactive,
knowledgeable, and able to solve complex problems.

Key Responsibilities
Research Duties:
• To take initiatives in the planning of research
• To direct the work of small research teams
• To identify and develop suitable techniques, and apparatus, for the collection and analysis of data
• To conduct data analysis
• To ensure the validity and reliability of data at all times
• To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
• To write reports for submission to research sponsors
• To present findings to colleagues and at conferences
• To submit publications to refereed journals
• To provide guidance to staff and students
• To attend relevant workshops and conferences as necessary
• To develop contacts and research collaborations within the College and the wider community
• To promote the reputation of the Group, the Department and the College
• To provide guidance to PhD Students
• Contribute to bids for research grants
• To conduct and plan own scientific work with appropriate supervision
• To maintain highly organised and accurate record of experimental work
• To actively participate in the research programme of the Group
• To publish in high quality journals and to present data at national and international meetings
• To participate in Group research meetings and internal seminars
• To collaborate with other allied scientists within Imperial College and elsewhere in London and abroad,
as appropriate

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 • To contribute to the smooth running of the Group’s laboratories and facilities with other scientists,
clinicians, technicians and students within the laboratories
• Assist in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research students and research assistants
as required
• To comply with the College, Division, and Unit safety practices and to attend courses on safety when
appropriate
• Any other duties as may be deemed reasonable by Head of group as well as Head of
Division/Department/Section

Other Duties:
• To undertake any necessary training and/or development
• To undertake appropriate administration tasks
• To attend relevant meetings

Where Imperial or funder conditions necessitate, you will be required to complete timesheets for your work
on projects in a timely manner.

Person Specification
Requirements Essential (E)/ Desirable
Candidates/post holders will be expected to demonstrate the following: (D)

Education
A PhD (or equivalent) in Haematology, or a closely related discipline (E)
*Candidates who have not yet been officially awarded their PhD will be appointed as
Research Assistant.
Bachelor’s degree and Masters (or equivalent) in Haematology or a closely related (D)
discipline

Experience
Practical experience in a broad range of techniques, including tissue culture and (E)
multicolour flow cytometry of primary cells
Practical experience within a research environment and / or publication in relevant (E)
and refereed journals

Knowledge
Knowledge of haematology and immunology (E)
Knowledge of research methods and statistical procedures (E)

Skills & Abilities

Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature (E)
Ability to develop and apply new concepts (E)

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Creative approach to problem-solving (E)
Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to deal with a wide range of (E)
people
Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly (E)
for publication
Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision (E)
Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines (E)
Computer skills, including word-processing, spreadsheets and programming tools (E)
Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a (E)
high standard of work
Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative (E)
Flexible attitude towards work (E)
Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times (E)
Willingness to undertake any necessary training for the role (E)
Willingness to travel both within the United Kingdom and abroad to conduct research (E)
and attend conferences
Willingness to work out of normal working hours (including weekends) if the (E)
requirements of the project demand

Further Information
Please note that job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, and the post-holder may be required to undertake
other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Our values are at the root of everything we do and everyone in our community is expected to demonstrate
Imperial:
• Respect
• Collaboration
• Excellence
• Integrity
• Innovation
Employees are also required to comply with all Imperial policies and regulations.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, to eliminating discrimination and to creating an inclusive
working environment for all. We encourage candidates to apply irrespective of age, disability, marriage or civil
partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion and belief, gender reassignment, sex, or sexual
orientation. You can read more about our commitment on our webpages.
Imperial 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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Animals may only be used in research programmes which are ultimately aimed towards finding new
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October 2024

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