Research Fellow

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is one of the world's leading public health universities. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.

We are seeking a Research Fellow to lead the bioinformatic analysis of transcriptomic, spatial transcriptomic, genomic, and metabolomic data in cutting-edge projects exploring host–pathogen interactions. The successful candidate will join a new ERC-funded research programme investigating the fundamental biology of Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis.

Research on T. pallidum is particularly challenging because the bacterium depends on host cells for growth, complicating its cultivation in vitro and leaving many critical questions unanswered. This project aims to address these knowledge gaps by uncovering the organism's distinctive biology and its interactions with the host. Ultimately, the research seeks to identify promising vaccine candidates, deepen our understanding of T. pallidum pathogenesis, and contribute to improved strategies for combating syphilis.

The successful candidate will have:
- A postgraduate degree, ideally a doctoral degree, in a relevant topic
- Relevant experience in RNA-seq data analysis (host and/or pathogen)
- Experience in, or a strong interest in, host–pathogen interaction and infection biology
- A good understanding of how transcriptomic and spatial transcriptomic data are generated in the laboratory
- The ability to adjust analyses to account for potential wet-lab limitations

The post is fixed term until 31 October 2028 and full-time, 35 hours per week, 1.0 FTE. The post is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and is available immediately.

Salary will be on the LSHTM scale, Grade 6 in the range £45,728 – £51,872 per annum (inclusive of London Weighting). Annual leave entitlement is 30 working days per year, pro rata for part time staff. In addition there are discretionary Wellbeing Days. Membership of the Pension Scheme is available. The post is based in London at LSHTM.