Ref Number
B02-10677
Professional Expertise
Research and Research Support
Department
School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)
Location
London
Working Pattern
Full time
Salary
£36,433-£41,833
Contract Type
Fixed-term
Working Type
Hybrid
Available for Secondment
No
Closing Date
17-Jun-2026
Carola Vinuesa and Anisur Rahman are carrying out collaborative research looking at the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a systemic autoimmune disease that affects 1 in 1000 people in the UK. Ninety percent are women. Carola’s group at the Crick Institute have made important breakthroughs by studying rare monogenic forms of SLE that present in children. By transferring the same genetic abnormalities into mouse models they have shown that particular B and T cell populations and the Toll-like receptor (TLR7) pathway play a key role in pathogenesis of SLE. Anisur is a clinical academic who has a cohort of patients with adult-onset non-monogenic SLE. One key aim of the collaboration is to study samples derived from the patients in Anisur’s clinic to see whether the cells and autoantibodies in blood of these patients show similar properties to this in the mouse models and we have already derived some results along these lines. Our collaboration is funded by a six-year Wellcome Trust Discovery Award and the role being advertised here is a key part of the award as it links Carola’s group at the Crick with Anisur’s group at UCL.
The post-holder will be based in the Department of Ageing, Rheumatology and Regenerative Medicine on the Fourth Floor of the Rayne Building at the UCL main campus, working with Professor Anisur Rahman but will also make frequent visits to Professor Carola Vinuesa’s group at the Francis Crick Institute. Educational facilities and meetings at both sites will be available to him/her. The key responsibilities of the role will be: The key responsibilities of the role will include: 1. Patient recruitment and sample collection. Obtaining informed consent and coordinating the collection of samples from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases attending UCLH clinics. Phlebotomy will not be required, as blood collection is performed by research nurses. An honorary contract with University College London Hospital will be arranged for the successful candidate. 2. Sample processing and cell preparation. Processing patient samples, including plasma separation, preparation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) according to established protocols. Full training will be provided. This work will primarily be carried out in the Rayne laboratory. 3. Serological and immunological assays. Performing ELISA-based assays to investigate the antigen-binding properties of serum autoantibodies from patients with autoimmune diseases and healthy control groups. This work will be conducted across both the Rayne laboratory and the Francis Crick Institute. 4.Single-cell and B cell repertoire analysis. Contributing to a research programme investigating B cell responses in autoimmunity using single-cell transcriptomics and B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire analysis. This will involve flow cytometric sorting of rare B cell populations, single-cell analyses (including RNA sequencing and RT-PCR), high-throughput antibody cloning and expression, affinity measurements, and bioinformatic analysis of BCR sequences to define clonal relationships and functional characteristics of autoreactive B cells. This work will be carried out mainly in Carola Vinuesa’s laboratory at the Crick Institute. This is 2 year's post and is not suitable for UCL sponsorship.
The post will be at research assistant level. An MSc or Honours degree in a relevant scientific discipline is required. A PhD is not required. Essential skills: • Human samples handling • DNA-, RNA-, protein-extraction, • PCR and RT-qPCR, molecular cloning, RNA immunoprecipitation • Cell culture, Western Blots, ELISAs • Immunohistochemistry and live cell imaging • Isolating blood and extracting PBMCs Desirable skills: • Design antibody mutants and testing of changes in affinity. • Bioinformatics to analyse BCR repertoires, BCR clonality, and single cell RNA sequencing. • Human B cell cloning for plasma cells and memory B cells. • CRISPR/Cas9/ or similar genome editing • Spectral flow cytometric sorting • Experience in studying plasmablast responses
This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team working across the Division of Medicine. As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below: • 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) • Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan • Immigration loan • Relocation scheme for certain posts • On-Site nursery • On-site gym • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay • Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service • Discounted medical insurance Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.
As London’s Global University, we knowdiversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community torepresent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality ofopportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we allbelong. We therefore particularly encourageapplications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’sworkforce. These include people from Black, Asian andethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people Our department holds an Athena SWAN Silveraward, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancinggender equality.
