Research Fellow in BioSciences

Working as part of multi-disciplinary teams, you will support the Principal Investigator, Dr Clara Ferreira, in delivery of research activity on the BBSRC-funded project SoBe - SOcial modulation of defence BEhaviours, which uses Drosophila melanogaster to uncover the neurobiological basis of the 'safety in numbers' effect. You will lead a strand of the project's research programme, combining behavioural, neurogenetic and in vivo imaging approaches, with the opportunity to train in specialist imaging techniques alongside an international collaborating laboratory. You will contribute your own ideas to the wider project, have the opportunity to co-supervise students within the team, where applicable, and contribute to the laboratory's development.
Please note this is a fixed term contract up to September 2031.
ABOUT THE TEAM
This Research Project is being delivered within the School of Geography and Natural Sciences, part of the Faculty of Science and Environment. You will join Assistant Professor Clara Ferreira's research group, funded by a BBSRC New Investigator award, joining two PhD students and an RA, and working in close collaboration with Associate Professor Wolf Huetteroth's fly research group.

Applicants should hold a PhD (or be close to completion) in Neuroscience or related discipline.
We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds (including those with prior experience in biological or biomedical fields such as neuroscience, genetics, evolution, ecology, ethology, computational/quantitative biology or invertebrate biology) who are keen to apply their skills to this system, together with experience in one or more of: optogenetics, functional imaging, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, behavioural analysis or computational modelling.
This is a hands-on, lab-based role involving behavioural experiments, the generation and imaging of genetically manipulated flies, including microdissection/surgical preparation for functional imaging, for which full training will be provided, and reasonable adjustments will be considered where needed.

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