Research Assistant in Evolutionary Microbiology

<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <p></p><div>We are seeking a Research Assistant for a project testing the ability of phage to target plasmids associated with antibiotic resistance genes.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>Many of the most important antibiotic resistance genes are carried by conjugative plasmids that transfer resistance across strain and species boundaries. Pilus-dependent bacteriophage (PDBs) are viruses that infect bacterial cells via the conjugative pilus, making them a potentially powerful tool to combat antibiotic resistance in bacterial communities.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>The postholder will work on experiments to (1) asses the ability of PDBs to infect <em>E.coli</em> carrying a panel of reference plasmids, (2) evolving PDBs to target novel plasmids, and (3) manipulating the genomes of phage and plasmids using retrons.&#160;The postholder will work on these experiments in conjunction with a post-doc, and will be fully embedded into the lab group.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>This position is suitable for researchers with previous experience in experimental evolution, retron-based genome editing, and qPCR based quantification assays. You will hold a first degree and have the ability to manage your own research and administrative activities.&#160;Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write text that can be published, present data at conferences, and represent the research group at meetings.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>Please send enquiries with CV to <a rel="nofollow" href="http://">craig.maclean@biology.ox.ac.uk</a></div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>Where Covid-19 has resulted in substantial disruption to your work or research outputs, please explain this by providing an additional paragraph in your supporting statement.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>The University of Oxford is committed to equality and valuing diversity. All applicants will be judged on merit, according to the selection criteria.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>This post is full time, available from 1 January 2025 onwards for 2 years.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 22 November 2024, interviews are likely to be scheduled for mid-December.</div><br> <div>&#160;</div><br> <div>Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system, and you will be required to upload a supporting statement and CV as part of your online application.</div> </div>