Research Fellow – Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy – 107952 – Grade 7 Full-time

Job Title

Research Fellow

Job Description

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy, School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology, College of Medicine and Health

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to August 2028

Closing date: 21st September 2026

To create and contribute to the creation of knowledge by undertaking a specified range of activities within an established research programme and/or specific research project.

Summary of Role

Work within specified research grants and projects and contribute to writing bids

Operate within area of specialism

Analyse and interpret research findings and results

Contribute to generating funding

Contribute to licensing or spin out deals with demonstrated commercial success (such as revenues, asset or company sales, IP generated) and/or public understanding of the discipline or similar. The Research Fellow will deliver the experimental programme investigating how immune-mediated inflammation and bile-acid exposure cause mitochondrial dysfunction and fatigue in Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC). The postholder will lead mitochondrial functional studies in primary human liver cells, working closely with specialists in liver immunology, regulatory T cells, imaging and bioinformatics.

Main Duties

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below.

• Plan, execute and troubleshoot experiments using primary human biliary epithelial cells, liver-derived myeloid cells, and relevant T-cell co-cultures.
• Model the PBC liver microenvironment using bile acids, inflammatory cytokines and patient-derived liver-conditioned media.
• Lead mitochondrial phenotyping, including Seahorse extracellular-flux analysis.
• Use flow cytometry and cell sorting to isolate and phenotype human epithelial and immune-cell populations.
• Conduct confocal imaging of mitochondrial morphology.
• Design, coordinate and interpret bulk RNA-sequencing experiments with the project bioinformatician.
• Analyse, interpret and integrate experimental data from cellular, imaging and transcriptomic studies to support project objectives and research outputs
• Develop research objectives and proposals for own or joint research, with assistance of a mentor if required
• Contribute to writing bids for research funding
• Apply knowledge in a way which develops new intellectual understanding
• Disseminate research findings for publication, research seminars etc
• Supervise students on research related work and provide guidance to PhD students where appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to developing new models, techniques and methods
• Undertake management/administration arising from research
• Contribute to Departmental/School research-related activities and research-related administration
• Contribute to enterprise, business development and/or public engagement activities of manifest benefit to the College and the University, often under supervision of a project leader
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews *
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters *
• Provide guidance, as required, to support staff and any students who may be assisting with the research *
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines*
• Fosters a fair and equitable workplace for all staff
• Identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant university policies and procedures
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity duties document.

Person Specification

• A PhD relevant to the research area (or near completion), or equivalent PhD level qualifications.
• High level analytical capability
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary, multi-site research team.
• Fluency in relevant models, techniques or methods and ability to contribute to developing new ones
• Strong hands-on experience with cultured mammalian cells; experience with primary human cells is highly desirable.
• Demonstrable expertise in mitochondrial functional assays, particularly Seahorse extracellular-flux analysis and mitochondrial membrane-potential/ROS measurements.
• Experience with flow cytometry, including multicolour panel design, gating and quantitative analysis.
• Ability to assess resource requirements and use resources effectively
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to broader management/administration processes
• Contribute to the planning and organising of the research programme and/or specific research project
• Ability to independently plan, prioritise, deliver and troubleshoot a complex programme of laboratory work.
• Co-ordinate own work with others to avoid conflict or duplication of effort
• High standards of record keeping, research integrity, ethical practice and laboratory safety.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics and duties under the Equality Act 2010. Including fostering good relations and advancing the universities Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).
• Other relevant criteria from our equality and diversity knowledge, skills and experience document.

Informal enquiries to Lisa Powell, email: l.h.powell@bham.ac.uk

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.