Research Associate

The Health and Environmental Impacts of Particulate Emissions from Automotive Tyres (HEI-PET) project is a two-year interdisciplinary UKRI cross research council project held between Universities of Loughborough and Leicester.
The project aims to understand the effects of tyre particulates on people and places. By integrating interdisciplinary expertise from engineering, biological and environmental sciences, our aim is to identify key factors linking particulate characteristics to both tyre operating conditions and their health/environmental impacts. The results of the project will help guide policies for effectively mitigating the impact of tyre wear matter on the environment and its inhabitants.
The Research Associate based at Leicester will build on ground-breaking work that particulate pollutants cause bacteria to adapt to increase bacterial pathogenicity and host interaction potentiating infection. The aim of this post is to investigate the toxicity of road and tyre particulates on human and bacterial cells, and the effect of exposure on bacterial behaviour and interaction with human respiratory epithelia and immune response.
The candidate will have specific responsibilities within an exciting new research program to work collaboratively and independently as part of a biology, engineering and geography research team and with government agencies.

You will have a PhD in Microbial Genetics (awarded or close to completion). You will have extensive molecular microbiology experience studying impact of environmental conditions on bacterial pathogens and interaction with host. Alongside this, you will have experience of working with 'omics analysis, and human respiratory tissue culture.
To be successful in this role, you will need to have a proven ability of training and supervision of new members of the lab, including undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students as well as evidence of research productivity and interdisciplinary team work.

Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made to Julie Morrissey at .
As part of the University's ongoing commitment to professional development, this role will also be considered on a seconded basis for existing staff members. Please ensure this is discussed with your line manager prior to applying. More information regarding secondments can be found
The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people's lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you'll become part of a community of , which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world.
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We're committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.
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